Days Of Our Lives

DAYS Emily O’Brien Delivers The ‘Power Performance of the Week’

February 14, 2021

Photo:JPI

She has been a polarizing character since her arrival in Salem, with some fans screaming Gwen is sucking up too much airtime. HOWEVER, the performances by Emily O’Brien (Gwen) show an actress on top of her craft who can play, as Gwen called herself, “A miserable, vindictive bitch”, or a young woman so deeply-emotionally wounded that you might just come around and eventually feel some empathy for her.

Last week, while the soaps were pre-empted for most of the week due to the senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, DAYS posted all of its weekly episodes online on NBC.com, the NBC app, or on the Peacock streaming platform, and O’Brien’s work was a standout.

Photo: JPI

It all came to a boiling point when Laura (Jaime Lyn Bauer) and Gwen have the long-awaited confrontation in Gwen’s room at the Salem Inn, where O’Brien goes from Gwen baiting Laura to tell her dirty secret of her long-ago affair with Jack (Matthew Ashford), to her utter anger at how because of it, Laura trashed Gwen’s entire life.

Laura reveals the guilt she felt for sleeping with Jack, so much so, that she would do anything to save Jennifer (Cady McClain) and Jack’s marriage. In delight at getting to the root of the truth, Gwen responds: “You slept with Jack? That is just perfect! My father slept with his mother-in-law!”

Then, Laura shares how it happened. They were both at the “Meadows” finding their ‘truest selves’ and they were both using other names – she, Monica and he, Clark, and Laura had never seen a photo of Jack before to know it was him! Gwen wants to burst out in hysterical laughter, but then she becomes filled with rage knowing that if Laura hadn’t bought off her birth mother, Tiffany, her own life would have been very different. She goes on to say that she and Abigail (Marci Miller) might even be close as sisters, but instead of “borrowing her clothes, she borrowed her husband” alluding to sleeping with Chad (Billy Flynn). Next, Gwen wants to make Laura pay and lets Laura know that, “All the damage that you did, can’t be undone.” When Laura tries to leave, Gwen stops her and says in no uncertain terms, “I want revenge, because you ruined my life and you’re not going to get away with it!”

Photo: JPI

Next, we see that there had been a struggle with Laura dead on the floor bleeding out of her head. A freaked-out Gwen does not know what to do. She realizes she will be accused of murder. With no one in town to call, she decides to call her father, Jack. When he shows up at the Salem Inn, Jack is shocked, and grief-stricken to see his mother-in-law, dead. Gwen swears to Jack this was an accident and that she did not kill Laura, and that he has to believe her. Jack decides he will stand by his daughter. Gwen wants to get rid of the body, Jack says he can’t be involved in a cover-up, so he calls Rafe (Galen Gering). When Rafe arrives at the crime scene he is very suspicious of Gwen, and takes her down to the station.

Scene after scene, O’Brien layered her performances with venomous and ominous undertones, illustrating a woman with so much emotional baggage who becomes desperate to save herself. For all these reasons, Michael Fairman TV names Emily’s work, The Power Performance of the Week.

What did you think of Emily O’Brien’s key scenes? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

Up Next

THE BACHELOR: Matt Picks His Final Four for ‘Hometowns’ Which Includes Now Controversial Contestant Rachael Kirkconnell

Don't Miss

George DelHoyo, Brock Kelly & James Read Make Returns to Days of our Lives

24

newest oldest

Guest

Patrick

oh, most definitely, even i backtracked.. and kept thinking… she turned me ?!?! how about it two quotes from @Writer : 1. a young woman so deeply-emotionally wounded that you might just come around and eventually feel some empathy for her 2. Scene after scene, O’Brien layered her performances with venomous and ominous undertones, illustrating a woman with so much emotional baggage who becomes desperate to save herself. YOUR #2 is “chilling” in and of itself.. stupendous .. another emmy worthy submit people hence it’s #1.. alas the big reveal, she did all on her own. it was at ‘SOME’… Read more »

Guest

Patrick

I say this genuinely, because i was caught up in watching Cady McClain act her arse off.. and being impressed by NEW things on the canvas about and with Jack Deveraux .. and you find yourself keeping up with Gwen… TADA she made both apples and oranges

Guest

Phil

I like Gwen and O’Brien is a powerhouse! Well worth the recognition here!

Guest

Ray

I think she and Marci Miller are at the top of their games. Emily is a powerhouse, making you hate her one minute and feel sorry for her the next. I am hoping to see her nominated for Best Lead Actress at the 2021 Emmys.

I hated to see a legacy character killed off with Laura’s death. I think she had more that should have been said and done before her death. More scenes with Jennifer, Jack, Abigail, Gwen and Kate.

Guest

Celia

Powerful performance or not, TPTB have ruined this character. I doubt any viewer likes her—-unless for her acting skills. As a character, Gwen is shot!! Now, it seems, that the writers are trying to play with the viewer’s emotions—-giving a pity-party to a poor, poor, abandoned, helpless child. Perhaps, it works for others—not for me. I am not buying it. Too much evil in one human being and not enough humility for having survived her devastating childhood. It’s a soap; so I get it. Melodrama is a necessary tool. However, this character will never have redemption for me. Will Gwen… Read more »

Guest

anne

Celia – “not enough humility for having survived her devastating childhood”? An abused and neglected child should grow up to be a humble adult grateful for the crumbs given to her by Laura? Have YOU lost your mind!?Just what kind of humility would you have Gwen show to the world? You obviously has NO UNDERSTANDING AND NO EMPATHY for children who have been abandoned and told they are unwanted. Gwen has EVERY right to be angry and resentful. Self entitled Laura decided, without consulting Jack, that the child Gwen did not have the right to a father. And Jack, according… Read more »

Guest

Moto62

Gee, that’s a lot of hate. It’s a TV show, right?

Guest

Celia

Hi, Moto62
Tell me about it. Thank you. We are talking about a character here, not the actress.
There”s a pandemic going on and in the midst of this, people are flipping out over a soap. We come here to exchange views, not cut each other up. I’m off school this week, therefore, I have a little time to spare to chat and catch up.
Nonetheless, I have loved Emily since her short stint on Y&R, as Jana.
There’s no dispute to her talent.
Be safe!!

Guest

Celia

LOL. It’s a soap, ma’am. You need help.

Guest

anne

As do you! Suggesting that Gwen has not shown enough humility for having survived as an unwanted and abandoned child. Seriously!

Guest

Satan

On the other horn, if Gwen had been with her father when he came to Salem, she might have got killed by his adoptive father or beaten and/or raped by his biological father. So it’s not like life in the Deveraux/Johnson family was all that great back then. No question that Laura did the wrong thing by never telling Jack & Jennifer the truth. But it wasn’t worth killing her over, and seriously, Gwen’s thirty something now…. is she really holding on to childhood grudges. When she voluntarily checked herself into the nuthouse to hide from Jake, she should have… Read more »

Guest

Violet Lemm

Anne So sorry, but I absolutely hate Gwen. Many people have grown up under same or worse circumstances and have turned out to be happy, loving and worthwhile people. It was actually noted recently on Y&R when talking about that monster Adam, that while he didn’t have his father in his life, he had everything else and certainly no excuse for his sociapathic treatment of everyone else in his life, especially his own family. Gwen is finally showing a little guilt, but it’s too little too late especially after the damage she’s done, especially her horrible hate and jealousy of… Read more »

Guest

Anne

I hope she’s not jacks daughter in the long run

Guest

anne

DNA has proved that Gwen is Jack’s daughter

Guest

Adam

I agree with her being the power performer. I am loving the character of Gwen and Emily as an actress. Her chemistry with Marci Miller and Billy Flynn is amazing. When all 3 are in a scene it’s fire. I have to blame RON on killing Laura, not Gwen. RON has made some big mistakes with killing Adrienne and now Laura. Hopefully Dr. Rolf will bring her back.

Guest

Moto62

I honestly can’t stand her from her accent to her crooked smirk of a smile. I think it’s horrible that Carlivati killed off Laura Horton for this character’s storyline but I don’t think Ron cares about characters that he didn’t invent. His interest is not in the history of Days of Our Lives, in my opinion.
So, if the character of Gwen ever leaves, I’ll be happy to see her go but something tells me she’ll be around for some time me to come.

Guest

Carlos Benevides

When this character first merged into our screens, I immediately liked this actress. Her nail biting, which grossed out viewers, only added to the more than real character. Not everyone is perfect in real life, everyone has their own bad habits, and I think this little addition showed me just how great Emily was going to be.

Guest

Patrick

Hi Carlos : Yeah, I readily admit… when she was doing these ??? nail biting, her crooked smirks ; and her full on large teeth… she was off putting… even knowing her stellar work @Y&R. 3 out of 4 years emmy nominated. What really took me… if she is staying longer… she has to change her look…. “look” more amenable, up to date, rambunctious, so she has daddy around the corner. I LOVED HER RED WIG when she, abs and jennifer did that FLASHBACK…. that hairstyle gave her younger, panache, attitude and when she wants a fun lot to dole… Read more »

Guest

Jamesj75

These accolades for Emily O’Brien are well deserved! Her acting is terrific, which is why some viewers “love” to “hate” her… As a fan of her work on Y&R, I am eagerly hoping for a DOOL episode when Leo (Greg Rikaart) returns to town and runs into Gwen.

Guest

Soaphound

Oh Jamesj75, how perfect would that be? Kevin & Jana were my favorite soap couple for years! Two odd, loopy people who fit like a glove. And two of daytime’s best performers ever. I like Chloe and Kevin but Jana made Greg Rikaart even sexier.

Guest

Jamesj75

Hey Soaphound! I just noticed your response — I miss the old days when we were notified when someone replied to a post. Glad to learn that Kevin and Jana were your favorite soap couple for years. I can see that! Both appealing characters and actors. Take care, Friend!

Guest

Violet Lemm

Soaphound
I agree with you and James. I also loved Jana and Kevin. Could never really take to Chloe. She just annoys me somehow.

Guest

Nancy

I think GWEN is mentally ill. But she sure can act enough to hate her. Cady has done an excellent job doing the JENNIFER role.

Guest

Violet Lemm

We have no DOOL site, so thought I’d write a few comments here about our poor mistreated Gwen. How stupid of Abby and Gaby to put Gwen in the wine room where everyone comes and goes for wine. They should have locked her up in the other one they used before, even had a bed. Gabi has no conscience but I don’t think this will make Abby happy when she actually starts thinking about what she’s doing. Jack won’t be too happy when Gwen goes running to daddy about what big sis did to her.

Days Of Our Lives

Raven Bowens is the New Chanel on DAYS

June 10, 2021

There has been a casting switcheroo at Days of our Lives. Precious Way is out in the role of Chanel Dupree and the part had been recast.

Way debuted on-screen back in March of 2021, but now comes word, first via Jason 47’s Facebook page, that Chanel will be played by actress Raven Bowens.

According to Soap Opera Digest, look for Bowens to first air on-screen on the July 6th episode. Apparently, she has been taping at the DAYS set since April.

Raven has previously appeared on All Rise, Insecure, The New Edition Story and Future Man.

You can follow her on Instagram here.

So, what do you think of the Chantal switch? Comment below.

Days Of Our Lives

DAYS Alison Sweeney Previews the New EJami

June 6, 2021

Coming up on Days of our Lives, Dan Feurerriegel take over the role of EJ DiMera on-screen, and the character is making quite the timely, or untimely return to Salem now that Sami (Alison Sweeney) has been hitting the sheets with her ex-husband, Lucas (Bryan Dattilo).

Feurerriegel is stepping into the coveted role of EJ made soap-famous by James Scott, who left the series back in 2014 and never returned.

Now the question is can Sweeney and Feurerriegel strike soap gold with their re-imagined duo known as “EJami”?

In the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest on newsstands now, Alison Sweeney opened up about the casting, working with Dan, and the future of EJami sharing: “To be honest, I was nervous when I heard they were recasting EJ. That’s a big role to fill, I mean, James Scott was definitely a fan favorite and EJ is such a memorable role in the story and certainly in Sami’s life.”

Sweeney said of sharing scenes with Feurerriegel, “Dan has been fantastic. I’ve really enjoyed working with him. He clearly understood the importance of the task ahead.”

As for what fans of EJami may be in for, Sweeney noted: ” I hope those ‘EJami’ fans see the couple they were so connected to, but of course, in a new, different way.”

So will you be giving the new EJami a chance? Looking forward to Dan’s debut, or are you Team Lumi all the way? Share your thoughts via the comment section below. But first check out this week’s promo for DAYS.

Days Of Our Lives

DAYS Billy Flynn Opens Up To Maurice Benard About His Battle with Addiction on All-New ‘State of Mind’

May 30, 2021

In a terrific episode of Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos, General Hospital) State of Mind You Tube series, the actor welcomes another one of the best actors on daytime, Days of our Lives star Billy Flynn (Chad DiMera, Days of our Lives).

What made this so compelling was Billy Flynn’s ability to talk openly, frankly, and with great understanding about his battles with addiction which he notes have been alcohol, drugs, and the cycles he has found himself in within his life and how he was able to break free of them, and the work he continues to do to keep him from falling back into them.

Flynn shares how much of his adult life was greatly impacted by his childhood, and explained to Benard, how he acted out when he was younger. He also shares how his addiction caused issues for awhile with his job at Days of our Lives.

This episode is a powerful one to watch for anyone struggling with issues of addiction, dependency, suicide, having problems at work, and trying to not self-destruct, which so many of us do, once we seemingly get what we what or while we are trying to obtain it.

Bravo to Billy and Maurice for bringing this forward and to the audience.

Watch Billy’a visit on State of Mind below, followed by a bonus segment where Flynn asks Benard some ‘hard-hitting’ questions.

What did you think of what Billy shared with Maurice? Comment below.