Chandler Massey Wins Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series

This was my favorite part of last night's Daytime Emmy awards!  Chandler has totally taken my heart with his performances as the young, struggling and sensitive Will Horton on Days of our Lives. I relate so much to Will's story on the show, well the coming out stuff mostly, and not so much the dirtybadwrong chemistry with the resident badass EJ DiMera. But he's done such a beautiful and realistic job.

Daytime Emmys 2012

My thoughts:

DOOL: More Flailing About Will Horton

I can’t get over how beautifully told this story on Days of our Lives is. Just simple brilliance.

It was something else as we watched Sonny mention his new plans for the newest coffee place in town and Will got so nervous and fearful about getting involved. I figured it had to be that he thought that being with Sonny and his out friends would have been a constant reminder of how afraid he is to be is own self.

Coming out is often done my many people in a step-by-step basis like what we’re seeing here. So I applaud the realistic nature of this part of Will’s story. It was also nice to see Sonny talk more about his realization and how he dealt with who he is before now when that happened. I knew this story would provide more material for Sonny as a friend and as a character, and what’s actually been on-screen has been pretty much everything I hoped for if not more.

I was so glad to finally see Will confront Sami about what he saw between her and EJ. There’s no way I feel sorry for her. Just no way. The way Sami tried to blatantly lie and deny that it happened in the first place when she was confronted about it and the fact that she seemed more concerned about Rafe finding out pretty much justified and solidified Will’s anger about the entire situation. Could she be any more selfish? Well, there’s that, and who wouldn’t be traumatized if they saw their mom getting their freak on? I was glad to see Will not fall for any of her garbage. And the fact that she STILL continued to do this as the situation worsened just drove me crazy. I know she was scarred when she saw Marlena and John go at it as a kid but there’s only so much she can blame her own mother for. It’s not all about you, girlfriend! This is the kind of stuff that leaves me completely unsympathetic to Sami and makes me not bat an eye when Will gets snarky.

But the really fun part was yesterday, of course. Will finally kissed his first guy! I could not have been more happy to see it. He never kissed Gabi like this! I often say that when it comes to daytime soaps, that it’s all about the payoff. Will is obviously not ready to be out and proud yet, but this is a huge step. A few people have expressed concern about him being drunk when it occurred, but I really like the way the show writes drunk Will. He acts out on his true feelings in spite of his insecurities and doubts. Plus his friend Sonny saw them, so there’s no backing out now.

Yes, Will Horton, there is no turning back now. You kissed a boy, and you liked it.

Will Horton’s Journey: More Insight

I’m going to get into regular postings with this show like I did with World Turns pretty soon, but I thought I’d take one more chance to expand a little more of what I'm enjoying with Will Horton’s storyline on Days of our Lives, especially with some of the latest twists the story has gone into.

For one thing, Will and Marlena’s relationship has really touched me. I love how the show has very clearly showed that Marlena’s going to be there for her grandson no matter what he’s going through. She’s always willing to sit and listen to his problems and concerns. I was moved to tears when he attempted to come out to her but chickened out in the end and sobbed in her arms on December 29th. Chandler has been brilliant at showing the emotional struggle it takes for one to come out. Just such a wonderfully written duo. I’m loving them as much as I loved Luke and Lucinda on As The World Turns (one of the things on that show they definitely got right). I find myself relating to this in a special way, too, because I hope when I come out to my own grandmother, she’ll be as accepting as Marlena Evans obviously will be.

I'm still pretty moved from last Thursday's episode with Will speaking with Sonny's father and his friend Mateo. You could tell how badly Will wishes he could have a close paternal type relationship like Sonny has. Because he knows he hasn't gotten any of that kind of stability with his own mother, Sami, and her Merry-Go-Round of relationships and marriages. Will thought this might happen with Rafe Hernandez, Sami's latest husband, but after witnessing her affair with EJ DiMera, he thinks any chances of normalcy in the way of a family have been wiped out.

Also, the scenes with Sonny's friend Mateo clearly makes him wonder if he's ever going to have a life where he's out, proud, and free like they are. Not to mention, Jai Rodriguez played really well off of Freddie and Chandler. As Sonny himself said, "He's just not there yet. He's just not there." Also, nice to have confirmation that Sonny indeed knows that Will's gay.

I must admit, I’m enjoying the EJ element in this storyline a lot more than I expected. Will’s attempt at blackmail to get money from EJ to leave Salem is a very accurate display of how desperate people get when they’re living in fear and denial. Some people will attempt anything, no matter how illogical it is, to avoid dealing with their problems head on. The point of EJ knowing Will shot him in the back in 2007 was a really excellent twist, especially since we never saw who actually pulled the trigger. It’s nice that they could add this element in the show with it making complete and total sense. Also it looks like Will doing EJ’s tasks could add a layer to him character wise. I also can’t forget that he has figured out Will’s other big secret.

Some people are wondering how EJ DiMera knows Will is gay already. Does he have expert gaydar or what? For one thing, it can be seen how EJ could interpret Will being reluctant about talking about his “feelings” in the gay way when he overheard one conversation with Will and Marlena. There’s also New Year’s Eve when he saw Will with Sonny and Tyler. What was going through EJ’s mind then? I won’t dismiss him on that. Because even when I take my slash fan hat off, Will has looked more relaxed, more open, and happier whenever he interacts with most other guys: Sonny, Chad, Sonny's friend Tyler, and for the most part, Mateo.

I’ve been enjoying this part of the story and am looking forward to the future. Because as a soap opera storyline goes, blackmail is one of the most classic elements you can have and it‘s being used very well here.

I'm Hooked... Again (And I'm Loving Every Second of It)

So I don't know how many other people are watching the latest storyline with Will Horton on Days of our Lives. But I have been hooked for several months. I’ve had a lot of excitement for the way things have been going ever since I heard it was finally confirmed that Will Horton is indeed gay.

If you followed me through all the As The World Turns ups and downs (mostly downs, well, creative downs) to the bitter end, you’re probably reading this and asking why. Why am I trying this again? Well, I can answer this. For one, I’ve had an off-and-on interest for this show for a long time. One of the first soaps I ever fell in love with, and it's pretty much the last hardcore favorite soap left thanks to the recent cancellations. So the investment's already there.

The show’s gone through a host of creative changes. The gay characters on World Turns got pretty dismal airtime in most cases throughout their course on screen, even with fan devotion and support of said characters; usually getting 10 minutes a week if we’re lucky. But the screen time issue with Will, although disappointing at first, made sense. Now that the story is in full swing for Will the airtime has actually been pretty impressing. Also if it’s partly because of rewrites, well then, it’s been worth it because especially since the writing change from Dena Higley to Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas, the writing for this storyline has improved. I’m side-eying a couple other things on the show, like Jack/Jennifer/Daniel, and Madison being appointed as CEO of Titan by Victor when he barely knows her, but the writing for Will and Sonny has been rather on point. They've done a good job at staying away from stereotypes.

I can’t begin to describe how brilliantly Chandler Massey has played this role, especially as of late. He’s done such a tremendous job of playing this role realistically. As someone who identifies as gay, I’ve been so moved at how he’s handled the denial aspect of this. I know what it’s like to be gay, and at one point be scared out of my mind and not be ready to discuss it with anyone. Will Horton is a prime example of someone going through something that I and many other people have been trying to show people for many years. Homosexuality is something that in many cases we ourselves have to embrace and accept first before we’re ready to tell this part of ourselves to other people. Even in this day and age for some people it’s longer of a road to go for self-acceptance. If you don’t believe me, look at all the reported suicides we’ve seen over the past two years and much further back than that.

Not only has Chandler been great but I’ve really enjoyed Freddie Smith’s portrayal as the out gay guy in Salem, Sonny Kiriakis, who was introduced back in July. The dialogue they have going with his character and the closeted Will has already proven to be a great dynamic, and I can only imagine how much potential could be met with Sonny helping Will go through this part of his life. I imagine him being a great friend to Will.

Some people are worried about things like affection being handled with both Will and Sonny’s characters, and any other gay characters on the show. That’s a legitimate concern, and with the way things are going now, I’m going to trust the show until they give me a reason not to. And well, if you’ve read this blog between 2007-2008, you know me. If I see a hint of censorship I will not hesitate to sound off about it. Not to mention this is honestly would be the last soap ever to try something like this. I know many consider Days to be a conservative soap, but really? I think those bridges were burned almost 16 years ago when Marlena Evans was possessed by Satan. Speaking of Marlena, she's been such a phenomenal source of guidance for Will during his journey.

So there you have it; reasons why I’m sticking with the storyline. I have been really pleased and I hope things continue to go well.

Remembering Frances Reid

Sad to report that daytime legend Frances Reid, who is best known for her role as Alice Horton on Days of our Lives, has passed away on February 3rd at the age of 95. Reid was also on The Edge of Night, As The World Turns, and Portia Faces Life.

Days has always been another favorite soap for me. I’ve had a lot of fun watching classic episodes lately, and Frances was one of the reasons why. I remember the first two episodes were broadcast on SOAPnet 4 ½ years ago and along with those and other episodes I saw throughout the years, and boy I noticed what a good talent she was when she was younger. She may have been disgruntled with the long working days, but she always seemed to put in her best efforts.

Remembering the Greats of 2008: James E. Reilly

In all honesty, there are instances where I just don’t know how to feel about this man.

After seeing some of the episodes of Days of our Lives with the Marlena possession storyline, I have to admit I enjoyed them, but more for the camp factor. It was hard to take seriously, but it had its interesting moments. However, from what I’ve seen of it, outside of the theme arrangement, 2004’s Melaswen storyline looked just awful, and I don’t feel bad that I missed out on much of it.

And I’m a bit mixed with Passions as well. In 1999, I was furious to find out that Sunset Beach was cancelled, and in its place at 1 PM in Indianapolis was this show, but I found myself getting hooked. But the big problems I had with this show is that the payoff factor wasn’t very high. I distinctly remember more than once that whenever Theresa would think that her ultimate fear had come true and that the man of her dreams, Ethan was leaving her, there were just way too many instances where it or a storyline like that with a big reveal was all a dream, and it would become seriously annoying. And I also remember being a seriously disgruntled Sheridan and Luis fan. The storylines would drag out WAY too long and the dialogue could get really repetitive, and more than so than your traditional soap.

But I did love all the “accidents” that helped Ethan and Theresa eventually come together in the beginning, and although it would have been nice to see Sheridan and Luis be married at least ONE time, I admit I enjoyed it so much when a furious Ivy crashed into the church the first time it was supposed to happen. I enjoyed Tabitha Lenox’s relationship with her doll Timmy (RIP, Josh Ryan Evans). But regardless, of the fun times, in the end I’m not upset that I wound up eventually giving up on this show. The payoff and writing just weren’t that great for me to continue all the way through.

For fans of his work, he’ll be remembered as a legend. For people who were not, he’ll always be remembered for one (or two) of the biggest disliked storylines on Days of our Lives, and Passions, the show that many people hated to see replace Another World (or in some areas, Sunset Beach).

Days of our Lives: The Devil Made Me Blog It

I was pretty excited when I heard SOAPnet will be airing three special episodes of Days of our Lives in honor of Halloween on the 28th. They are from probably one of the most infamous storylines in the show’s history: the Marlena possession storyline. And not just any possession, my friends. Marlena Evans here was possessed by the devil, ol' Satan himself. Here are the episode descriptions:

9PM: Episode #1995-7528 (OAD 5/12/95) Kristen is on to Marlena who morphs into a panther and also has Shawn attacked by a swarm of bees.

10PM: Episode #1995-7531 (OAD 5/17/95) After her loved ones see Marlena levitate and then interact with her as the devil, it's decided an exorcism is needed.

11PM: Episode #1995-7570 (OAD 7/18/95) With her friends and family thinking Marlena's dead, John fights the devil for her soul and brings her back.

Now after reading these, I immediately realized who the head writer was at the time, none other than James E. Reilly. I mean, considering the bizarre storylines that have come from Passions and his style of writing, there’s really no other person in my eyes in the soap opera writing business that could have come up with any more out-of-this-world type drama. As much as I’m looking forward to seeing these episodes for nostalgic purposes, I have to admit I’m a bit cringe-worthy now that I’ve seen the summaries. I was also surprised to find out that this storyline managed to last one year. And considering the quality of Mr. Reilly’s work, particularly on Passions, I couldn’t believe that he had a second run on Days; coming up with another infamous storyline, Melaswen in 2004 (that’s New Salem spelled backwards), where a bunch of characters who were believed to be murdered were actually wound up stranded on an island. I’ve heard mostly mixed reviews about the Possession era, but I know a lot of fans were turned off by Melaswen, and some haven’t come back since.

There are many soap fans who loathe this man. I myself really can’t say I’m a big fan of his work either. I admit after I managed to get over my anger with NBC for canceling Sunset Beach, I gave his creation Passions a try and did manage to enjoy it for the first 3 years. Then after that, I got sick of it. Basically because the plots were going nowhere fast, the dialogue became very repetitive, and while I'd try to tune back in a couple of times, nothing kept me hooked and made me want to stay. Also there were many instances where we finally thought something major was happening, only to find out the big revelation was a dream. That gets really annoying if it happens repeatedly. And when you stop caring about your favorite characters and/or couples, that is really not a good sign. I wasn’t sad to see it leave NBC. It was nowhere near Another World or even Sunset Beach quality, but I did enjoy it in the start, and he really managed to defecate on his own creation overtime. He also wrote Beach for a while, and after reading some of the plot synopses for that show to refresh my memory, I can take a safe bet and easily guess which ones he was responsible for.

As for the Days marathon, I do have to thank SOAPnet for airing a marathon that is well planned out and has something to do with the genre. This is another network that earlier this year has become known for airing things that don’t fit the purpose of the channel (case in point: The Fashionista Diaries), and for a while dumping traditional soap programming either entirely (which was the case with Another World) or to weekends only (Ryan‘s Hope and Port Charles), and making several other unfavorable schedule changes only to change a lot of them back. So I have to say this was a really nice surprise. It seems they can have a marathon of classic Days and the ABC soaps when they can, examples including: Days’ 40th anniversary, General Hospital’s Luke and Laura special marathon, the classic All My Children marathon that aired back in 2005, and the Ryan’s Hope marathon on St. Patrick’s Day a couple or so years back. I hope we get to see more classic stuff like this in the future. They’ve got a vast library of ABC shows that go back to the early if not mid-late ‘70’s at least, and from what is known, every episode of Days of our Lives exists in full. They also air The Young and the Restless, but considering how CBS won’t allow GSN to air any classic episodes of The Price Is Right, and according to a Soap Opera Digest article earlier this year they also won’t let AOL put older episodes of As The World Turns and Guiding Light on the Procter & Gamble classic soaps page. So I doubt we’ll see SOAPnet air any classic Y&R, at least for a while. I hope I’m wrong and that we see a marathon someday. I’d think they’d be able to make a deal with Sony but I can’t say for sure. I advise for SOAPnet to please use some of the classic episodes available more in the future when special occasions arise. Thanksgiving or Christmas would be an absolute perfect time to have one.