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.
Well, so far so good!
I aint excited until i see the actor(and obvious model…is there any just actor…lol)on screen and what is written for him…as for Melanie im not too excited by her return so far…Brady obviously will still be hooked on dope-but its Melanie Jonas…lol…she acts like an immature 12 year old…Ceara acts more mature…hope Days isnt planning to kill off Anne and Jordan is her murderer…i have a feeling itll happen and Theresa is framed for the crime???
Days needs to bring back a few blasts from the past…stay with its rich history in celebration with the shows 50th…why couldnt he be someone like Jeremy Horton and still be tied to Melanie…just a thought!!!
Yeah. I wrote about my disappointment in this transformed Melanie. And, Brady is a lost cause….time for him to come down his high horse, face his demons and stop blaming everyone else.
I am not liking Serena either. I suppose I had higher expectations for Melissa than she deserves. She’s a baddie? Hmmm, Nicole is going to discover that Ms Prim and Proper Serena is not so immaculate. Let’s not forget sweet Eric….his wax halo will soon melt when he succumbs to his baser carnal desires.
I had high expectations for Melissa too and i like that Days hired Asians to play Paul and his mother but the writing disapoints…i was watching 5 days a week now its twice…hoping things improve later in the year, especially for the shows 50th!!!
A new love interest for Teresa. Great timing..considering Kristen is returning to Salem with #Trady’s baby…
I didn’t know that, Carrie! I thought Eileen D. Was well-ensconced at Y&R in her reprisal of Ashley. But, of course, Kristen would return….I’m glad….there’s much needed sprucing in Salem. Kristen will come in like a whirlwind, as usual, bringing havoc and spice to this otherwise oh-hum town with its people deep into their constant doldrums.
I am only happy when I see Sonny, Nicole, Theresa and Victor. Everyone else can take a walk into the sunset.
What a great description of Kristen! She is a whirlwind powered by Eileen Davidson.
I’m really looking forward to her return to Salem.
DAYS strikes again with yet ANOTHER new character. This is SO tiresome. Ben, Clyde, Jordan, Paige, the list goes on of characters who are unnecessary to the fabric of Salem. Legacy characters need to return, like Shawn and Belle, Austin and Carrie, etc. Nicole should be a leading lady, especially now that Sami is gone. I care nothing for this Serena character, and Bo can be recast. RKK anyone??? In addition, Paul and that gay bellhop are hogging way too much airtime!!!!
oh please Nicole will never be leading lady material, she is good as supporting otherwise zzzzzzzzzzz Serena is not a bad character but she is once again a newbie (should have been someone like Sarah Horton..although the Horton are so awful right now..). The problem : too much newbies indeed but above all dull characters and dull stories on this soap. I can use this soap to take a nap now.
I literally LOL at your post, Claire!!!! I like the actress playing Serena, just not the character, she def should’ve been cast as a Horton!! Uggh!!! Bring back Carrie Brady, or hell where are Cassie and Rex??? Recast them!!!! Kate and Roman are still on the show!!!
With all due respect, Claire, in my opinion Nicole is the best there is, right now at Days…..followed closely by Theresa. The expressions on Nicole’s face tell a thousand stories. I study these characters’s faces….I learn much; specifically how talented they are. It’s in their eyes. Melissa Archer is not doing a good job. Now, please understand that I am speaking comparatively. She took a big leap from how well she represented her craft during her OLTL days. ( no pun intended). Her acting has left me with much to be desired. To say that Nicole is putting the viewer… Read more »
To each its own. I have never been a Nicole fan. For years she was just a shallow, smug and slutty goldigger..fun as supporting but certainly not appealing and riveting enough to be a lead. As for her portrayer Arianne Zucker, she is beautiful (but not my cup of tea..too manly features from certain angles for my test..but it is subjective, i admit) and these least years i agree she demonstrated great acting but i never find her better than Ali Sweeney..moreover Ali Sweeney always had far more charisma to me. I never felt great empathy for the Nicole’s character… Read more »
He couldve at least been a Jeremy Horton recast!!!!
We’re on the same page…i too said Jeremy just above your post
I like Nicole and Serena, but it’s obvious Days wanted to add some OOMPH to the show, and Melissa Archer brings it.
Why not now let’s hope this guy is a legit love interest for Theresa !
He could come as someone hired by Kristen to control Theresa but then he fell for her..really fell for her and lot’s of soaps twists and turns ensue. One more little thing : they can stop the Theresa/Brady interactions..Theresa deserves better than to be pathetic concerning Brady..Brady can be with Melanie or whoever (although Mel would be so much better with Chad..). Theresa can move on from the Brady fiasco and start a new and interesting, somewhat twisted realtionship with Clint…not hard, writers !
“…Theresa deserves better than to be pathetic concerning Brady ”
the longwinded interactions are demeaning.
I would tell Brady to go and take a hike… and be cutesy smoochie with Melanie… who is a less interesting character than Theresa, any day of the week
Now, Claire…..I absolutely agree with everything you wrote….fantastic post. You said it better than I ever could. Uplift Theresa and down with ugh, Wah, Wah , Brady…..cry me a river. Another holier-than-thou character is the patron Saint of Salem, Eric. He sits by God’s right hand ….he is so celestial up there in the clouds, that he could forgive his less-than-holy mother and sister but not Nicole? All I can say is that something nasty is brewing with Serena…..and, yup, he will jump headlong into her trap, as only he could, but, this time, he will realize that Nicole, really… Read more »
I doubt Serena is going to turn out to be some evil sort. Maybe a little bad girl, but hardly evil. I also think it’s obvious Eric still loves Nicole, so Serena is angst leading into her next story whatever that will be.
I like the describe “… edgy and rugged”
When one sees Rafe run a nightclub for Victor, one knows Days is reaching the end of their creative barrel for ideas– so throwing one more cute guy in the mix won’t hurt, but it ain’t going to help if the writing doesn’t improve pronto
Days has gone downhill lately…i used to watch everyday but not anymore…Ben and Jordan both need to leave…i like James Reed but i dont like Clyde with Kate…id give him a second chance if they pair him with Eve…i think Clyde and Eve(i like Kassie but she doesnt feel like Eve to me but i think id like her better if she and Clyde were paired…i think they would make a great villainy pair)…Serena shouldve been Sarah Horton and this newbie shouldve been Jeremy Horton…Days should be writing for these third generation of Hortons and the shows rich history.. the… Read more »
I can’t say I’d blame you if you stop watching altogether, jimh. What we are being fed right now is for the birds. I really don’t like seeds. I like to feel the texture of food in my mouth. Lately, Days’ fare has been insipid. The jury is still out, ….I am so hoping something blasting will happen to WOW me ….to be watch-worthy.
Does every character have to have a link to Melanie? I mean we have her with that bore Serena and her gambling issue and god knows what else? Can we just bring in someone without a tie to someone else…it’s a tired plot device…and Melanie is so boring any way who cares about her past..how about Kristen comes back and kills off the entire Jonas clan and takes Serena and Eric along on the death train. They bring the show down to sleep inducing bore.
LOL
“…how about Kristen comes back and kills off the entire Jonas clan ”
I wouldn’t miss them at all….. as long as it doesn’t include Maggie
she’s spared
Maggie is not better and finally she is not a HORTON for pete’s sake. Yep she was with Mickey but guess what for years now she is not with Mickey but Victor (by the way Mickey would turn and turn in his grave..Victor tried to kill sarah you know the daughter Maggie adopted with Mickey..sigh..). She is a Kiriakis, Mickey has been with other folks like Laura and even Mimi Lockart’s mother (don’t remember her name)..and while Laura is still an Horton because of Bill she is not because she was with Mickey once upon a time. Moreover these dear… Read more »
Maggie and Victor are spared but only because they are in Greece on a spur of the moment romantic getaway, but when Maggie finds out Melanie has been eliminated by Kristen, she starts drinking and begins an affair with Ben, while on a break from Abigail. Now that story I would follow.
Happy for Theresa and if he looks good on screen and can act, happy for me!
Ditto!
I’ll have two of him, please. I honestly consider DAYS to be the shallowest, glossiest soap, with their constant unrelenting underscoring of every scene with the same tired background music, and a very surface attention to what drives these characters. I’ve never found the writing to go very deep, or many of the characters to have a stable throughline. Most of them contort and regress to fit the latest plot. It leads to a lot of ill-developed characters who don’t have unique voices. The most complexly (is that a word?) new character I’ve seen has been Theresa, but I credit… Read more »
Great post. You said it for me, davidevansmith. I love Jen Lilley….she is kept in ‘solitary’ most of the time. Why? Please, give her a meaty storyline where she can showcase her stuff.
Yes, ‘complexly’ is the adverb of ‘complex’. ‘Complexing’ would have worked as well. Later.
Regarding the music there maybe a restriction due to budget considerations. NBC has been putting the squeeze financially on Days for decades. Plus the royalty fees on music are astronomical! I enjoyed Doug singing “The Look of Love” to Julie years ago when they were the hottest couple on Daytime. I asked them about Doug singing again and Bill Hayes replied they can’t do it on the show anymore because the royalty fees Days would have to pay are too high. Ken Corday may be using music produced “in-house”, I don’t know. He is a trained and educated musician himself.… Read more »
As someone who just started watching Days when All My Children went off the air. I would love to see the old characters and show some history of the family trees.
I agree. I am a long time fan and I would like to see more history too. They do work it in from time to time but it is being done through dialogue and it is easy for new viewers to miss it.
I wonder whether Lucas will be a permanent addition to the show or if his character will soon be written off. The other thing I want to know is whether or not he is related to the late actress, Deborah Kerr.
Love to see him. Only time I get to see my relative. Looking forward to seeing him