With the squeeze of a trigger, Lani Price Grant rid the world, and DAYS devotees, of TR Coates – a lying, violent dog. And while her character’s action was, in and of itself, praiseworthy, actress Sal Stowers earns Soap Hub’s Performer of the Week award for her masterful handling of the shooting’s fallout.
Sal Stowers – Performer of the Week
In the immediate aftermath of firing a bullet into TR (William Christian), Stowers’ Lani was eerily calm.
When a shellshocked Paulina Price (Jackée Harry) finally managed to choke out, “What have you done,” Stowers whipped Lani’s body around, caught her eye, and declared authoritatively, “If Rey killed my father,” before trailing off, the sentence left unfinished, but the intent clear – she’d resurrect her victim just so she could shoot him all over again.
Upon hearing the grievously injured Abe Carver (James Reynolds) moan, Lani sprang into action. When it was clear that Abe was rallying around, Lani began to profusely thank the Lord; to make sure that adulation was reaching its intended target, Stowers cast her expressive, joyful eyes upwards towards Heaven.
Suddenly, much to Lani and Paulina’s horror, TR revived. Stowers took in the sight, clearly communicating the many emotions being experienced by Lani.
For a moment Lani was still. Then, seemingly snapped out of her reverie by TR’s insistence that he loved her, she pressed her hands to his chest in an attempt to stop the wound from gushing blood.
Lani’s efforts were futile. TR forgave his daughter for shooting him, then breathed his last. “He’s dead,” Lani announced to anyone in the room who cared in a voice Stowers imbued with a mixture of regret and straightforwardness.
What followed was a whirlwind. First, Lani tried to make sense of what had just transpired. She asked Paulina to explain what had gone down prior to her arrival, then revealed that she’d raced to the apartment because she’d learned that TR was the assailant who’d shot her husband and that she’d been confronted by the images of a bloodied Abe on the floor and TR poised to strike Paulina…
With each new piece to the story put in place, Stowers made Lani more excitable, and nervier. Her crimsoned colored hands waved about. “Why didn’t I just arrest him,” Lani wondered. “He wasn’t even armed.”
And while Lani might not be sure why she did what she did, it is clear that Sal Stowers knew exactly what she was doing…putting in an award-worthy performance!
Honorable Mention: Jackée Harry
With steely determination, Harry’s Paulina Price stood her ground, reclaimed her agency, and stared TR down, in a scene that was both deceptively simple and wholly effective. “I’m not that scared little girl you used to beat on. NOT ANYMORE,” she spat at her tormentor. “Go ahead [and hit me] you coward!”
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.
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