Two Faces, One Soul

"Wilson is the new half on WilSon!" read the Soap Opera Digest headline.

With a heavy heart, the fans bid farewell to Chandler Massey, who brought life to Will Horton for nearly four years and single-handedly transitioned the viewers into DAY's gay storyline.

Many fans are sad to see him go, but still support the show and are excited to see Guy Wilson take on the role. Others are swearing to never watch the show again because apparently "there is no WilSon (and no show) without Chandler."

Um...no!

Yes. He was a big asset. But the show must go on. The storyline must go on. And after all, this isn't the first character to switch actors in the middle of a storyline. And this won't be the last.

Characters like Cameron Davis and Taylor Walker lost their actors without notice and had to be replaced immediately. Characters like Gabi Hernandez and Will Horton were switched to accommodate   a different storyline and to take the character in a new direction.  This is where Chandler Massey got his break.

Some actor switches are the result of a character coming back and the show is unable to get the original actor. Abby Deveraux was on in 2006 and came back as someone else in 2011. Philip Kiriakis left in 2002 and returned as a different face in 2003. (And then the reverse happened in 2006 and 2007). Brady Black was one actor in 2004 and then another in 2008.

To see a chart of these recasts view my Tumblr posts Here

And Here

The famous couple, Shelle, was played by four different combinations of actors. Originally, at Salem High it was Kirsten Storms and Jason Cook. Then, Storms left and Charity Ramher stepped in for two seconds. Then, they cast Martha Madison as Belle alongside Cook. These two were the ones who were involved in the infamous year-long paternity secret regarding their daughter Claire. Jason Cook played the man in love with his best friend's wife and secretly wishing Claire was his. Until..the secret came out. He was!

Unfortunately, that's all Cook got to play. He found out he was the father, had a fight with the step-father, Philip (the replacement, Kyle Brandt), and then was recast!

Brandon Beemer was thrown into the middle of a love triangle and a custody battle. And then started the last version of Shelle, Madison and Beemer.

Interestingly, the custody battle included another recast. When Philip reappeared for the hearing in 2007, Jay Kenneth Johnson, the original Philip, returned to the role.

So, the award for most recasts in a storyline goes to...this one!

If Brandon Beemer can transition into a 7-year supercouple role in the middle of a paternity reveal and still carry the story with the support of the fans... then, I think Guy will be fine.

The key to a recast is keeping the character true. If the new actor doesn't have the same motivation in the scenes, or the same demeanor, or the same chemistry with their scene partners, then the recast fails


The transition must be seamless, so much so that it doesn't seem like a different person.

If the fans don't like it, then it tanks. In the world of soaps, this kind of thing happens all the time, and the fans deal with it. We pretend it has been the same person all along. Like nothing has changed.

Within the two actors, the characters themselves stay the same. Although they may have two different faces, they have one soul.

Don't Forget

"You wanna forget dad? You wanna replace him with this joke of a relationship? Fine. But just don't ask me to respect it."

JJ Deveraux called out his mother on Days. He admitted that he is infuriated at her being able to jump into a relationship so quickly after the death of her long-time love.

Jack and Jennifer have gone through the soap opera ringer. Although they became a supercouple and shared many romantic and happy moments, it seems as though they could not escape tragedy. A brief look-back at the couple's history reveals more bad times than good (all leading up to Jack's tragic death).

Interestingly, after almost two decades in a tumultuous relationship, filled with love and heart brake, and then more love, Jennifer moved on rather too quickly.

JJ did not JUST criticize his mother; he ALSO criticized Days' storyline.

Many fans were understandingly upset by the demise of an unstable, but beloved character. Everyone expected Jennifer to be in mourning. Therefore, her love-life would be put on hold.

At first it seemed as though Daniel would respect her mourning period. But as we all know,  respecting someone's space makes for boring daytime!

SO, naturally, after the whole fiasco with Nicole, the Dannifer ship set sail once more! Yay!

But, wait...didn't the love of her life just die?
Oh, no. Don't worry. We are using the excuse that, "Jack would want me to be happy."

Days of our Lives, like many soaps faced with the aftermath of having to kill off a major character, try to play the progressive card. We are all about the future. We are moving forward and are not dwelling on the past.

HOWEVER, most of the best soap opera storylines, including Days', are based on dealing with or dwelling on events from the past.

JJ brings storylines about teenage rebellion, drugs, mom-son tension, and children-based relationship problems,  by revisiting the emotions surrounding his father's death.

In fact, many Days' deaths inspire other storylines. They usually involve the fallout or the aftermath in the lives of people who were close to the person who died. Characters' reactions to deaths evolve into stories of their own.

One of the most heart-braking death's on Days was Zack Brady's. As Hope Brady screamed in disbelief and agony, clutching Bo's arm until she wailed at the top of her lungs in the middle of Salem University Hospital after Lexi informed her that her youngest son was brain-dead, those of us watching at home felt our hearts break and reached for tissues.

Zack's demise, however, was the beginning of a storyline that would tear a family apart. Hope would go on to blame Chelsea and blame Bo for her son's death. Chelsea would later gain back Hope's trust when she saved Bo's life by donating part of her pancreas.

Ciara's birth would bring both happiness and bad memories for Bo and Hope. Their relationship would constantly be suffering from the old wounds from Zack's death. Somehow, he always was the source of their marital problems. Even six years afterwards, in a session with Marlena in 2012, Bo and Hope admitted that the "Zack issue" had never been resolved.

In 2010, Hope had even gotten addicted to medication, became a serial killer, nearly had an affair,  got sentenced to prison, and escaped from prison( while uncovering a conspiracy), all originating from issues surrounding Zack's death.

UNLIKE JACK, Zack's death was not forgotten.

Another plot-important death was the supposed murder of Tony DiMera in 2009. Now, Tony has been off and on the show for almost thirty years, ending when he fell off the staircase on the pier and was skewered by a sharp, broken pole after a fight with Philip Kiriakis. Days made sure that Tony would be remembered!

Thus, Stefano started a DiMera-Kiriakis war!

The war between the families officially began when Stefano accused Philip of murdering Tony. Stefano ordered a hit on the young Kiriakis and his shooting stirred up a lot of drama.

The DiMera-Kiriakis feud consisted of turf wars, hit men, business project theft, culminating in a truce in 2011 when Maggie got shot in the crossfire.

Even Will's blackmail is a good example. EJ, Stefano, and Nick have all blackmailed Will about his shooting EJ in 2007. Will's past actually came back to haunt him!

 EJ recovered and now he and Will are on good terms. Seriously, it's old news, six years ago...and yet we are still talking about it!

JJ is determined to ensure that his father's death is not forgotten. Like Zack Brady, Tony DiMera, and many others, his passing should generate stories and not simply be accepted as part of the past.

So, soaps may be pressured to keep things fresh and move on to new storylines. But the most entertaining, are those that are rooted in past events.

Besides, JJ has a point!

"You mourned dad for, what, eight months before you jumped into the sac with this guy?"

Take some time to dwell on your past, Jennifer. It may lead to some great plot twists!

 Because Jack Deveraux refuses to be forgotten.