Saturday, April 5, 2014

DAYS: Why Will and Sonny's Wedding Mattered More Than You May Think

Sonny Kirirakis and Will Horton wedding photo.
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: JPI Studios/ Howard Wise
DAYS OF OUR LIVES couple Sonny and Will, affectionately known as "WilSon" to fans, got married this week, and a lot can be said about the first male same sex couple to get married on Daytime TV. Sonny and Will get to kiss, they get to have sex, and now they get to marry just like any other couple on soaps. But beyond that milestone, this wedding represented something different. Once upon a time in a soap opera land far, far away, a wedding meant something. A couple "earned" their wedding. They didn't meet, have sex, fall in love, and then get married in three months. What always made soap operas unique was viewers having the chance to see relationships develop slowly. How can you care about something, if you don’t have the time to invest in the relationship?

Will and Sonny have been through it all, and now they get their payoff. What makes this wedding extra special are the relationships between the characters that are connected to Sonny and Will. Marlena, ostensibly the heart and soul of DAYS, was the perfect person to officiate the ceremony. We saw on camera months of Marlena and Will bonding during his coming out process, as she helped him cope. She saw him through his darkest days.

We have seen years and years of Will being effected by the problems of Sami and Lucas. When Sami apologizes to Will for the negative impact she has had on his life, we know what she is talking about. We watched it. The little "rivalries" between the mothers of the grooms over who got to give the first wedding toast, means something. We have seen Sami and Adrienne for months fighting over their "boys."

The history between Marlena and Kate goes back 20 years on the show. The differences between the two are obvious, and Will comforting Kate, assuring her she is just as special to him as Marlena, means something. I can’t say enough about the performances of Alison Sweeney, Bryan Datillo, Wally Kurth, Judi Evans (who deserves another Emmy for her reaction shots to Will and Sonny wedding), Lauren Koslow and Deidre Hall, And let's not forget to mention Guy Wilson, seamlessly stepping into a role made famous by Emmy-winner Chandler Massey, and Freddie Smith. Both Guy and Freddie radiated love as Will and Sonny.

Peggy McKay deserves special recognition as Caroline, a character suffering from Alzheimer's. At first, worrying the family that her speech she was giving was going off track. Ultimately, she remembers a gay couple who came to the pub who weren't able to be open about their relationship. Comparing them to Will and Sonny, who have the love and acceptance from all of their family members, caused the tears to flow.

You look into the audience full of characters we have known for years. With all of the outlandish plots this daytime drama has been known for, they have retained the family bonds that have made DAYS OF OUR LIVES. How long have we known Victor, Maggie, Hope, Jennifer, Abe, Caroline, Lucas, Sami, Justin, and Adrienne? There is also something very touching about a marriage between Sonny, the son of "super couple," Justin and Adrienne, who had their own gorgeous wedding in Greece, and Will, the son of Lucas and Sami, who had their own fairy tale ceremony.





Some may say that the term "super couple," is outdated. But who doesn't want to believe in the power of all consuming love? At their best, soaps have always been about respecting their history, while moving forward into the present. DAYS succeeded with Will and Sonny's marriage. The wedding was certainly groundbreaking, but I say it's a return to classic storytelling. I connected to the emotion surrounding this wedding, less because of who was getting married, but more because of the journey and their loves ones who got them there.



What did you think about Will and Sonny's wedding? Sound off below. I would love to hear your thoughts.

13 comments:

  1. Many weddings these days are just plot points for a shooting or some other crazy event. The better weddings in recent years have been the ones that were interrupted (like Patrick & Sabrina on GH). I loved that DAYS took a few days to celebrate a happy occasion like this. You nailed it with the "earned" comment. The super couples I watched growing up took a few years to overcome obstacles before finally getting married. And when they did it was a happy family affair. I'm sure new problems will find Will & Sonny soon enough but, for me, this week's wedding episodes were perfect.

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  2. I loved their wedding I think it was amazing and beautiful. Also made a lot of fans of the couple tear up considering we have been waiting a while for this to happen and now it has I couldn't be happier to be a fan of this couple who has touched many lives and encouraged a lot of people its okay to be comfortable with being gay because everyone deserves to be happy :)

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  3. The fact that both Daniel/Jennifer and Eric/Nicole are both talking about marriage about 4 minutes after reuniting is symptomatic of the way soaps generally approach wedding these days, and the point made here that Will and Sonny have been working towards this for quite a while is a really key one. And all the great little moments between the different family members were just really, really fantastic. Taking three days to cover this wedding gave it the room it deserved to breathe and allowed for better storytelling. Very well written and well acted. Kudos to Days!

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  4. I completely agree George. DAYS delivered in a way that I can't remember any soap doing in years. Everyone involved should be very proud. I believe THIS is what viewers want to see.

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  5. Peggy McKay deserves a daytime Emmy. As do the writers.

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  6. Great article. Brilliant, beautiful episodes for Days. Even though B&B is on fire right now, Days is ground-breaking, relevant and deserving of the Emmys for best drama on daytime TV and best writing! In the end love is all that matters. This SL wasn't just about same-sex love (as the writer points out so well) but how love overcomes, empowers, impacts ... all of the characters involved in this SL on Days. This show will be on my DVR for a long, long time. I'll even tolerate Dannifer (I cannot believe I'm saying that!) Kudos to Days and all involved for a job well done.

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  7. It was a beautiful ceremony. All four days of festivities were certainly worth watching. The bachelor party, the preparations of the morning of the wedding (nervous grooms getting ready with mothers waiting to walk their sons down the aisle) to the actual wedding ceremony (beautiful and memorable and of course historic) and then the reception with the toasts and first dance and cutting of the cake. The speeches by Caroline (what a story! told perfectly by Ms. Peggy McKay), Lucas (loved it), and Justin (what a funny guy - he should do standup comedy) were perfect for the occasion. The vows by Sonny and Will were very poignant and heartfelt. This was my favorite week of episodes (except for the fact that they had to intersperse the boring storylines for Daniel/Jennifer and that crazy Liam's fetish for Jennifer which interrupted my romantic vibes). I love Will and Sonny, and I am so happy that they finally got the wedding they deserved without crazy Nick butting in!

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  8. Yes, Michael, exactly. I wrote about this on Friday (onelastword.us) and I feel the same way about a return to classic storytelling. For me, I began to watch this storyline because of the same-sex element. I wanted to see if we had progressed any in telling gay stories on daytime since Luke and Noah. Sometimes, I thought we had, and other times, not. However, when it got around to having the wedding and DAYS jumping in with both feet and really telling a seriously great story that wrapped up all of the plotpoints, well, I was blown away. I hadn't seen that kind of nuance on daytime since the salad days of Doug Marland's GL and ATWT. But DAYS took it a step further with these performances. Every single one letter perfect. Peggy McCay and Bryan Dattilo took my breath away, but Guy and Freddie, man oh man: THAT'S how it's supposed to be done!

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  9. Days of Our Lives is my favorite Daytime Drama and I have loved both characters Will and Sonny. And of course I have been watching Days for a long time over 36 years so I have watch the character of Will grow up and come out on the show. Sonny is relatively new character but I have a fan of both Justin and Adrienne for years. I think Days has done excellent job giving us a Gay couple to cheer for and it was only natural to have them marry with the support of their families. Thanks to the actors and writers and producers to allow this to happen.

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  10. I will check that out Mark. There were so many real, human moments. I didn't even touch on the writing for Lucas. Bryan was so good. As Lucas explains the reactions both he and Sami had to Will's coming out, and then the laughter from their family and friends. It was just so real. These were perfect episodes in every way.

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  11. The Will & Sonny storyline is perfect in every way. Never thought I'd live to see the day that a same-sex couple could be portrayed so "normally" and realistically on network TV. A great accomplishment for everyone involved. Wish there could have been something like this 40 years ago!

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  12. Will and Sonny's wedding accomplished many things for me. For one, I agree it's great that we've gotten to a point where seeing a same sex marriage on TV, Daytime at that, is a positive thing. The trail that began with Luke from ATWT has come so far and Days should be very proud of what they accomplished.

    More than that though, this wedding reminded me of what I always loved about the soap weddings of old. Too many times lately special events are used to reveal shocking secrets (like a baby's paternity) or characters coming back from the dead. IT's not often anymore that we get to see a happy event.

    But Will and Sonny Changed that. I loved how much everyone was involved in this. the ceremony and everything involved was steeped in history and it was wonderful to watch Hortons, Bradys and the Kiriakis clan all gathered to help celebrate the love that Will and Sonny have worked so hard to cultivate. Whats even cooler is that both grooms are tied to families who are cornerstones of Salem. Will and Sonny have been woven into the tapestry, and have more than proven why they belong there. Not bad Days. Not bad at all.

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  13. Chuck Asbell
    The Will and Sonny's wedding was fantastic I cried through the whole thing for several reasons
    because of supporting same-sex marriage and because it was a beautiful beautiful touching wedding I thank all the stuff on days of our lives for supporting gay marriage I deeply appreciate it and it helps when stories like this or told.
    sonny you and will do a fantastic job I love watching you and the new will I can't wait to see what happens next and to watch you live your beautiful lives together.
    and again thank you thank you thank you very much for the support of same-sex marriage.

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