Days: Will is Dead

On "Days of Our Lives", the character of Will (Guy Wilson) was murdered by his friend Ben (Robert Scott Wilson). Ben had already killed two women on canvas (Serena and Paige) and Will was the latest victim as he figured out what Ben had done. Below are my thoughts on this development.

Will's actual death aired on Friday, October 9, 2015 less than 2 months shy of 20 years as the character was born during November sweeps 1995. Will was a character much of the audience saw grow up on canvas. While he was aged slightly over the years, it was a lot less severe curve.

Having Will "die" and not have a "faked death" is rather surprising. If Days wasn't happy with the actor playing the part, he could have been recast. Bringing Will back someday after a presumed death could always happen obviously. It wouldn't be the first time. That being said, usually if someone dies as part of a serial killer story they don't return. The big exception to this was when Marlena was offing everyone and they went to an island.

Regardless of Will's sexuality, the character's death is something that people are upset about. Some people are angry because the character is gay, while others aren't happy due to the family ties the character has in Salem being both a Brady and a Horton.

What we don't know yet is if Days is intentionally eliminating the gay part of the canvas. There are some viewers who find the show homophobic due to this happening. My feeling is if they drop Christopher Sean's Paul and no longer have any gays on canvas getting upset is justified. Will wasn't killed because he was gay, so the on screen story isn't about that sort of hatred.

Days of Our Lives is problematic. It is far from politically correct and there are stories that are offensive. If you've watched it for a time, you probably see that. Look at how many characters on canvas have been crime victims. In the real world, most people don't intentionally fall in love with people who are violent criminals. As fans who watch a soap, at times we do that when we come to love a character. So while I get the outrage, on a program like Days, I've come to expect to be offended. Perhaps I'm too picky and cynical, but that's how I see it.