It was a rare sight indeed. Jackée Harry’s usually unflappable Paulina Price was stunned. Some might even say flabbergasted. And it’s for her handling of the scenes in which her character listened, processed, and learned, that Soap Hub awards Harry Performer of the Week honors.
Jackée Harry – Performer of the Week
After overhearing her daughter discussing the kiss that she shared with prospective business partner Allie Horton (Lindsay Arnold), Paulina had some news for Chanel: “I’m very disappointed in you.”
But, it wasn’t because of this kiss itself. No, Paulina was disappointed that her baby girl didn’t think she could share the truth about her sexual orientation with her own mother; with a self-described “very straightforward, modern woman.”
Color her shocked when Chanel (Precious Way) then insisted that she wasn’t a lesbian. “Then why were you swapping spit with this girl,” Paulina wanted to know.
Could be because Allie was a lesbian, “trying to recruit you? You know, like, for her team?” Nope, Allie’s not a lesbian either. Hmmm…” this is getting a wee bit confusing,” came Paulina’s reply.
Chanel explained that sometimes she kisses boys..and sometimes she kisses girls. “Oh, well, so you’re bisexual,” Paulina deduced. Nope. It was three strikes, and Paulina was out.
“What are you?” she implored. Fluid, came the reply. A detailed explanation of the concept followed. And though she listened intently, Paulina was still a bit confounded.
“Back in [the] day, you were either gay or not gay. You know…it was black or white.” She then segued the conversation into one about the use of a person’s preferred pronouns. She swore she didn’t have a problem with it, but she did struggle with the concept. “I met a “they” the other day, and I’m, like, I’m looking for all the other people.”
Paulina and the girls – and dinner companion Abe (James Reynolds) – were able to laugh, good-naturedly, and her faux pas’, and when Chanel thanked her for understanding, she smiled and admitted that, “I’m doing my best baby, I’m doing my best.”
And while that was Paulina’s best, that was Jackée Harry at her finest. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.