Soap Hub Performer of the Week for DAYS: Bill Hayes

DAYS laid the foundation for success long before their debuts, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who would argue that Bill Hayes, as beloved Doug Williams, – the recipient of Soap Hub’s Performer of the Week award for Days of our Lives – and Susan Seaforth Hayes as his longtime lady love Julie weren’t the catalysts for the ascension to storied new heights.

Bill Hayes – Performer of the Week for DAYS

As of late, the DAYS’ beloved couple have wanted for actual story, Bill in particular. But the tide changed, when Doug began to exhibit out-of-character behavior – like locking his darling Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) inside a walk-in freezer – and other moments of senility.

For a time, the couple ignored the warning signs – and then Doug failed to recognize either Tom or Alice Horton (the late MacDonald Carey and Frances Reid, respectively); “Oh my, why can’t I remember them,” he asked, fear and regret clearly visible on his countenance, his voice breaking. “What is wrong with me?”

Julie assured her husband that they’d address the problem post-haste. During a subsequent consultation with DAYS Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans), Doug got down to brass tacks: does he have Alzheimer’s?

Unable to provide that answer at present, Kayla set off to order a battery of tests, leaving Doug and Julie alone in the exam room. “My love,” Doug promised, “I know who I am, and I know who you are. Even if I forget our names, I will never, never forget how much I love you.”

The aforementioned tests, coupled with Doug’s passing an oral exam, seemed to indicate that all was well, which was most welcome news…but how to explain Doug’s sudden groping of Paulina Price’s (Jackée Harry) derriere?

At Kayla’s suggestion, Doug sat down with Dr. Marlena Evans Black (Deidre Hall) for a therapy session. With doctor/patient confidentiality firmly in place, Doug confessed that, “I’ve been insisting to Julie that I’m just fine. But, down deep, I can feel it – there is something wrong with me. I say and do strange things, and I don’t know why. I just pray that you can help me.”

Afterward, Doug had something else to get off his chest – he didn’t accidentally lock Julie in that freezer; “I locked that bitch in there on purpose! …It was the most fun I had all week.”

Furthermore, he claimed that he wasn’t really Doug. With his voice taking on a familiar, demonic tinge, the man sitting across from the good doctor chided, “It’s been over 25 years Marlena. But did you really think I wouldn’t come back for you?”

We wouldn’t presume to speak for Bill Hayes, but there is no doubt in our minds that he’s enjoying the hell out of this Days of our Lives storyline- pun VERY much intended! Kudos, and we can’t wait for whatever fiery fun comes next on DAYS…

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.