Soap Hub Performer Of The Week For Days of our Lives: Mike Manning

This was a pivotal week for the character of Charlie as his good-guy mask was ripped off to reveal not only is he the one who raped Allie in London and the father of baby Henry, but he’s also the son of one Ava Vitali. He also proved that acorn didn’t fall far from the tree. For that and so much more, the Days of our Lives performer of the week is being awarded to Mike Manning.

Mike Manning — Blowing Us Away

After languishing as a scared-of-his-own-shadow Titan intern and fumbling wannabe ladies man with his eye on Claire (Isabel Durant), Charlie has finally been revealed to none of those things. This week, we learned he is Ava’s (Tamara Braun) son — the one who really raped Allie (Lindsay Arnold), though he claims there are extenuating circumstances.

Not that it mattered to Ava, who wanted to fry him on the altar to save the reputation of the son she prefers, Tripp (Lucas Adams) because he’s the progeny of the man she is obsessed with — Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols). It turns out Ava dispatched him to keep an eye on Tripp and instead he helped himself to a heap of trouble. Ava was determined to get to the truth.

But her poking into Charlie’s business unleashed a dark side to the young man who seemed mild-mannered up to that point. “I’ve never seen you so angry!” a shocked Ava noted. But there was a reason for that, which Charlie quickly, and somewhat sadly revealed. “That’s because you’ve never seen me!” Again, Ava pressed him to admit he was the one who raped Allie and Charlie broke and admitted that he did.

Well, that was all Ava needed to hear (actually, she believed it anyway but confirmation was nice) and she made it clear she couldn’t wait to tell Tripp the truth. Tired of playing second fiddle, Charlie begged her to let it go — after all, Tripp wasn’t going to suffer for it — charges were dropped. Couldn’t she protect them both? As he begged his mother not to turn him, explaining he had a life now — a girlfriend — his lower lip quivered.

Ava was having none of it. She was intent on clearing the name of the son she liked best. As she turned her back on Charlie to answer Tripp’s knock, Manning shocked us as the switch was flipped in Charlie — darkness in his eyes as anger engulfed his face — he grabbed a vase and struck Ava. That was the moment we could see how Charlie was capable of violence against Allie.

But as quick as it took over, he was back to normal — albeit incredibly creepy — as he got on the floor, covering his mother’s out-cold body, talking to her, explaining himself. While deeply sinister, it provided one of the most freakishly compelling moments we’ve seen in Salem in ages.

Charlie now has his mother tied up — is giving her a taste of her own medicine for once and we are so here for it. Congratulations to Mike Manning for his expert turn to Charlie’s dark side, and we can’t wait to see more of it! Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.