Soap Hub Performer of the Week for DAYS: Arianne Zucker

Over three glorious episodes, actress Arianne Zucker – the recipient of Soap Hub’s Performer of the Week award for Days of our Lives – evoked a gamut of emotions from her devoted audience. We despised her character for breaking Eric Brady’s heart, and yet we wept for, and with her; and boy did we cheered her on as she stuck the proverbial knife into her rival’s back.

Arianne Zucker – Performer of the Week

Nicole Walker Brady spent the early part of her evening at the Brady Pub wrapped in the arms of her beloved husband, whose praises she sung – but after Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) maliciously maligned her character, Nicole was forced to admit – using only three incredibly powerful words – “I’m so sorry” – that she’d betrayed her husband.

Zucker afforded Nicole a moment of unabashed grief, then it was time to ready herself for battle with her meddlesome sister-in-law – and when Sami Brady DiMera (Alison Sweeney) dared lace her venomous tirade with biblical scripture, Nicole pointedly recited a favorite of her own: “Let she who is without sin, cast the first stone.”

Nicole’s subsequent discourse with Eric Brady (Greg Vaughan), though certainly volatile, was a measured exercise in restraint. No histrionics here; just a woman thoroughly conscious of her trespass – “I degraded myself with a man who abused me.”

She was desperate to get her better half to recognize his own – YOU chose to spend the first year of our marriage, 8,000 miles away from me. Our home, and our family, and our relationship was spent on social media, and months went by where we didn’t even get to touch.”

When it all was said and done, the couple had decided to part ways –  permanently. He’d return to his missionary work; she’d remain behind with her daughter in the apartment they never really got to share.

Morning came, as did the self-pity; but opportunity soon came a-knocking. Nicole’s step-son, Philip Kiriakis (Jay Kenneth Johnson), had in his possession a letter, penned by Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk), which contained a blow by blow of Sami’s affair with her ex-husband Lucas Horton (Bryan Dattilo).

Off to EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel), Nicole ran. He wasn’t pleasantly surprised to see her, but he was even less pleased by what he was presented with…

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.