Mother-daughter relationships, especially the contentious kind, are a beloved staple of the soap opera genre. Days of our Lives has had a storied assortment throughout its five-decade-plus run – Julie and Addie, Lee and Renee, Marlena and Sami, Bonnie and Mimi – and it seems to have found its latest in Paulina and Chanel.
The latter is played by Precious Way. The young actress is a newcomer to the daytime scene – but one would hard-pressed to describe her as green. Way has got her feisty and wholly manipulative character down pat, and it’s for that very reason that Soap Hub is bestowing upon her our Performer of the Week award.
Precious Way: Performer of the Week
DAYS has long been in need of a bad girl. It’s an archetype that’s been embodied by the likes of Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes) and Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney). But ever since Ciara (Victoria Konefal) cleaned up her act and Claire (Isabel Durant) got counseling, there’s been a dearth of like characters. Enter Chanel.
She’s unapologetically spoiled, she’s not above using and stepping on anyone and everyone to achieve her goals, and she’s a gal with very expensive tastes.
Don’t believe us? Just check out her idea of a normal everyday dinner: caviar, filet mignon, cracked crab, asparagus with hollandaise, and chocolate mousse. And the best part, in Chanel’s mind at least? It’s all free! Surely she shouldn’t be expected to pay for her own nourishment…not when Mama can so easily pick up the bill.
Unluckily for Chanel, Paulina (Jackée Harry) was no longer interested in underwriting her extravagance. And when Chanel realized that she was actually in danger of having to support herself, she went on the defensive.
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She decried Paulina’s own habit of casually spending her money, and when Paulina ruefully recalled the blood, sweat, and tears that went into building her real-estate empire, Chanel went in for the metaphorical kill:
“I don’t need to be reminded of how much you worked. I spent my life in daycare and with nannies…I would have rather had you.”
On the one hand, it’s easy to dismiss Chanel’s statement as mere vitriol intended to wound. But with Way’s sincere delivery, it’s also conceivable that Chanel actually means every word. Maybe all she ever wanted was a relationship with Mom. Maybe her actions are an overt cry for help.
Whatever the case may be, it can’t be argued that Chanel’s later interaction with ex-boyfriend Theo Carver (Cameron Johnson) was all subtle seduction and muted manipulation. But what of her episode ending interplay with Paulina? Was she truly depressed at having been rejected? Or was it mind games that she knew her mother would fall for?
She’s only been seen in a handful of episodes, but the obviously talented Precious Way is most certainly a welcome addition to the canvas. Here’s hoping that in future installments, we find out what exactly makes Chanel tick. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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