Soap Hub Performer of the Week for DAYS: James Reynolds

Family ties are more than mere blood – a fact that DAYS has made clear, time and time again, but perhaps never more so than in recent scenes featuring James Reynolds, the recipient of Soap Hub’s Performer of the Week honors.

James Reynolds – Performer of the Week

Reynolds’s alter ego hasn’t had much pep in his step as of late – and that’s not just because he underwent major surgery a few weeks back. No, the ever so slightly slacked posture and the gentle shuffle are but a few of the ways that Reynolds conveyed Abe Carver’s burdened soul.

Reynolds brightened considerably when presented with the handsome tyke playing Abe’s grandson, but his joyful expression darkened as it suddenly dawned on Abe that he wasn’t holding his biological namesake.

Eli Grant (Lamon Archey) quickly assured Abe that, “Hell no,” he is not considering a new moniker for Carver. Furthermore, he wanted Abe to know that he is, not was, is the greatest father-in-law a man could ask for.

Those words clearly struck a chord with Abe. Reynolds issued a smile – an ever so small one, but a smile that belayed an oh so grateful man.

Some of Reynolds’s best work was conveyed in a likewise wordless fashion – here is a man that can do such much with a mere look, a nod of the head – but his analogy filled heart-to-heart with Sal Stowers’s disillusioned Lani Grant was a true sight to behold.

Abe had something of great importance to impart: DNA doesn’t matter. Only the love that you feel for someone matters. To illustrate that, he retold a not so classic fairytale – The Curious Case of the Two Roman Bradys. And to make sure the message took root, Abe insisted, “As far as I’m concerned. You are now, and you always will be my daughter.”

It was those pitch-perfect scenes that cemented Abe and Lani’s status as a forever family, and it was DAYS and James Reynolds at their very best.

Honorable Mention: Tamara Braun

With just a few choice words, and a (sorta) menacing lackey – codename: The Nanny – by her side, Braun’s Ava Vitali had two law officials so shaken that they agreed to follow her orders to the letter. This is one lady that you wouldn’t ever say no to.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.