Days of our Lives’ New Ava Is Totally Working and This Is Why

The days of crazy Ava – you know, kidnapping Kayla, blackmailing Steve into having sex with her, and masterminding lots of other diabolical plots – appear to be over on Days of our Lives. The character’s kinder, gentler, and, above all, significantly sane. The new Ava is totally working, and this is why.

Days of our Lives: Calm, Yet Unpredictable

Sure, actress Tamara Braun is a master at bringing the crazy to any storyline. She can play wild and unhinged better than anyone. But her obsession with Steve (Stephen Nichols) was getting old and tired. For the sake of daytime longevity, the soap’s writers had to reel her in; temper that devious side, and get her under control.

Yet, this new tamed version of Ava remains intriguing, mainly because Braun keeps her wild side hovering beneath the surface. The edge is always there, so you never know how far she’ll go if she’s pushed. It keeps the character interesting and unpredictable; the perfect recipe for success.

Mother Love
Another thing that makes the new Ava so appealing is her genuine love for her son, Tripp (Lucas Adams). The parent-child bond is one of life’s strongest. It totally grounds Ava and makes her more relatable.

She’s already proven she’ll do anything for Tripp, like the day she saved her son from a gun-wielding Allie (Lindsay Arnold) and threatened to blow her away if she didn’t back off. Then there was the day she forced the truth out of Charlie (Mike Manning), so she could clear Tripp of the false rape charges against him. The new Ava is first and foremost protective of her #1 son, Tripp. (Sorry, Charlie.) And she’ll go all out for him.

Keeping It Real
On a simpler note, the former mafia princess is now being depicted as a normal woman who just wants to lead a normal life. She’s developed a solid friendship with Nicole (Arianne Zucker). She’s content having given up the big bucks of the Vitali crime family and is living happily with Rafe (Galen Gering) in the modest Hernandez house.

Watching Ava cook up homemade Italian meals for her new roommate has not only shown an appreciative side of her, but also a nurturing one. Plus, the pair’s close proximity is sure to lead to a romantic pairing between the former felon and the by-the-book cop. It’s a mismatch made in soap heaven and abundant with all kinds of potential. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.