I agree slick. Everything about today was just fantastic. Today's show really got to me. I was a mess, I won't lie. I've watched Will for 19 years and the reactions today were exactly what I wanted to see. Phew. Today was rough to get through but in a good way.

What a fantastic episode!  That was a tough episode to get through, to watch everyone's reaction, especially Lucas' and then Sami walking into the police station.    I didn't expect Sami to show up in today's episode.  I thought maybe tomorrow or later in the week.   I was never a big Will fan but he was a character I've watch since his birth (heck, his conception and how that was a plot twist).  This week is going to be rough. 

Ouch, that Lucas/Marlena hug though - you could simultaneously feel the history and the pain

I was already a mess but that was the breaking point. LOL. Bryan Dattilo proved why I've always loved him and he's who this show should have been focused on the last 7+ years instead of Dr. Orange Glow.

Today was a pretty great episode. So far they are playing the beats they need to play. I'm sure all this week will be good, but I still think long-term, killing Will was a mistake. 

Yep. I see that this week is going to be make or break for a lot of people.

And happy to see it already loaded up online.

Watching now...

 

PS. Agree KMan on Lucas.

BD did work today.

He's always been one of my favorites and Im glad Lucas got his moments today.

 

The Marlena and Lucas hug was really the breaking point for me too.

CB is selling it.

Waterworks...

I always told people Rob Wilson had an interesting edge and had real potential despite being green. I feel mildly validated!

 

That being said, bad recast or no I am only grudgingly watching any of this at this point. This was a colossal error in judgment, not just because of the casual and glib way Corday has dismantled gay storylines as just another passing DAYS fad, but also in killing off his gay ingenue and a major, major core character.

 

Not that I believe it will stick. Will will be alive again someday. Hell, I'd make him the new Pawn - [!@#$%^&*] his way across Europe for Stefano!

Edited October 12, 201510 yr by Vee

The players really earned their keep today, I felt all of the emotion and everything was on point. Even the more subtle reactions were great.

Ben is such a creepy psycho for thinking about murdering his fiancee's cousin while he's in bed with her. I liked his dream about getting arrested, though, that was good.

 

I always told people Rob Wilson had an interesting edge and had real potential despite being green. I feel mildly validated!

 

As you should! He's outstanding.

Sami shows up already. WTF? Way too soon. Will literally was just found and she was in CA. Im really not feeling the pacing and time that this show has been doing

 

Steve sounded so ridiculous saying that Caroline's meds made her psychic. Shame on him for sneaking into her room later against Kayla's wishes

What a great episode. The hug between Lucas and Marlena, as everyone said, was a great moment. Bryan Dattilo is a very good actor and he always has been. He does well showing Lucas's hurt and vulnerable personality. It's probably why DAYS doesn't write for him as a leading man when they should. It was surprising to see Sami right at the end of the episode, and for Sweeney to not play it hysterically was an interesting acting choice. 

 

I'm interested to see Kate's reaction. Right now she's the last to find out. Kate was a champion of Will's from birth, so I'm curious to see how the writing serves that history.

 

I really liked the moments with Maggie popping into Caroline's room and seeing Victor with her. There is some foreshadowing going on there and I'm loving a senior romance storyline.

 

Robert Scott Wilson is playing Ben so well, I don't quite feel sorry for him but it's clear that he doesn't necessarily want to kill, he's desperate and feels it's his only option. Killing Will was the best example of that, he cried through the whole thing and then smacked the table and cried out of frustration, as if he scares himself and is disgusted with his own behaviour - and then he gets suddenly very calm - it's a very good performance. 

I don't think DAYS killed off Will because the show or Corday is homophobic (in fact, I've heard the Corday family has been supportive and donated to gay causes for many, many years), however, it's perception that is key and right now, the perception is DAYS is "De-Gaying" the show and I think the show underestimated the backlash. When you only have 3 gay characters on contract and you decide to kill one off after, one decides to leave on his own, leaving 1 gay character left who is barely being used, people are going to draw conclusions and if you don't have a media plan ahead of time to combat it, that narrative starts to become fact, whether it is or not.  

 

Pretty much this.

 

And look, I want representation on television, too, but soap fans take their gays waaaay too seriously. IDK, I think the backlash is a bit ridiculous, and so is the hand-wringing over it, but I can see why they're getting it.

 

And I think the show deserves kudos for having three gay characters on CONTRACT. GH can't even put theirs on contract. None of them are and the most obnoxious one was for far too long.

 

I don't think DAYS killed off Will because the show or Corday is homophobic (in fact, I've heard the Corday family has been supportive and donated to gay causes for many, many years), however, it's perception that is key and right now, the perception is DAYS is "De-Gaying" the show and I think the show underestimated the backlash. When you only have 3 gay characters on contract and you decide to kill one off after, one decides to leave on his own, leaving 1 gay character left who is barely being used, people are going to draw conclusions and if you don't have a media plan ahead of time to combat it, that narrative starts to become fact, whether it is or not.  

 

Pretty much this.

 

And look, I want representation on television, too, but soap fans take their gays waaaay too seriously. IDK, I think the backlash is a bit ridiculous, and so is the hand-wringing over it, but I can see why they're getting it.

 

And I think the show deserves kudos for having three gay characters on CONTRACT. GH can't even put theirs on contract. None of them are and the most obnoxious one was for far too long.

 

 

When networks go to the press and blame gays for ratings losses, as happened with OLTL, then fans are more likely to be defensive.

 

As for GH is worse - it gives me awful flashbacks to when some fans (not you) ardently defended the truly horrific Adam story on Y&R because at least they were "trying" and other soaps weren't. I've said more than once I'd rather have no gay or bi characters on soaps than what we currently have, and GH and DAYS this year have just made me feel even more strongly about that.

Edited October 12, 201510 yr by DRW50

GH also (supposedly) actively downplayed their gays. I don't know who was largely responsible for that, but there was more intended for them than aired. That is not a defense because nothing can defend the schlock they got that Carlivati wrote and I doubt it would have much better with more airtime, but it is indicative of a pattern of thinking that still exists at both networks. (My suspicion is that Frank Valentini clamped down, remembering the way Kish affected OLTL's numbers - while promptly keeping Michelle Stafford, Roger Howarth and more frontburner.)

Edited October 12, 201510 yr by Vee