The first is the January 25th episode. Will was having lunch with his grandmother at the Brady Pub and Dr. Evans took the opportunity to tell Will that, no matter the choices he makes in his life, she will always love him. The context was his seemingly inexplicable decision to work for EJ, but the subtext was perfectly clear, at least to me since I'm convinced that Marlena knows exactly what's troubling her grandson.
If by some chance she hadn't already guessed that Will was struggling with his sexuality, I think she would have figured it out after the way Will reacted when Sonny showed up at the pub and came over to their table to say hello. Will was visibly uncomfortable from the moment Sonny arrived.
Sonny wanted Will to look at a potential logo that Kareem had drawn up for Common Grounds and told Will that he was going to be meeting up with Dustin and Kareem later to work on it some more if Will was free. Will claimed to be too busy that day, but when Sonny pressed him to name a time when they could get together to work, Will pulled Sonny aside and told him that he was just too busy with his job on the campaign to help out with the coffee house at all. When Sonny offered to work around Will's schedule or even hold off until after the election, Will told Sonny not to wait for him. Sonny wondered if Will had a problem with his friends, but Will insisted that he was just too busy. Sonny told Will to call him when he was less busy and then added that he wasn't trying to pressure Will, adding the key words "about anything."
I think it was perfectly natural for someone as frightened by his own sexuality as Will is to push Sonny away, especially after Sonny's friends had begun to assume that Will himself was out. It's exactly the reaction you'd expect from a guy so filled with self loathing that he'd spit on his own reflection, isn't it? I loved that Sonny knew exactly what Will was trying to do, though, and let him know that he was there whenever Will was ready.
Marlena, meanwhile, had been watching from across the pub and after Will came back to their table she reminded him that if he needed someone to talk to, someone he could trust, she was always there. Will thanked her and then practically ran from the pub.
The next episode that I want to write about was from this past Wednesday. Will had apparently reached out to Sonny, because the episode began with him showing up at Will's place so they could see a movie together. Sonny asked what film Will wanted to see and our Mr. Horton suggested that they take in the final film of a Meryl Streep retrospective playing nearby: The Devil Wears Prada. Really? You'd almost expect someone trying so hard to be straight to suggest an action film, though probably one with some really hot guys in it!
Sonny said that he loved that film, but that he had a date coming up and the guy (Dustin? Someone else? Offscreen romances suck!) was going to want to see that with him. Instead Sonny suggested that they just hang out at Will's place and download a movie.
Will seemed a bit unnerved by the idea and Sonny half jokingly asked if Will was uncomfortable being alone with him. Will pointed out that Sonny's friends had been assuming things about him lately and then wondered how, exactly, someone knew when they were gay? How, for instance, did Sonny himself know? Will quickly added that he was just curious about Sonny because they were friends.
Sonny told Will how he'd always liked comic book superheros and cute guys on TV without ever quite knowing why or even what gay was, but that it wasn't until he was a freshman in high school that he really started noticing guys. He'd even dated girls just so he could hang out with the other guys, who all had girlfriends.
Will asked how that had worked out for him and Sonny said that he'd fooled them, but he couldn't fool himself and that he'd hated lying to the girls he dated and leading them on. He'd hated the lie he was living so much that every time he made a birthday wish during high school, it was always for gay Sonny to just disappear so that he could be like everyone else.
Will asked Sonny what he'd been afraid of the most. Sonny replied that he'd been most afraid of not being able to live the life he'd wanted for himself: a wife, kids, a house with a picket fence. Will agreed that he'd be afraid of that, too, and Sonny told him that the very worst part of the whole thing had been not having someone he could talk to about what he was feeling. He hated to think that there were people out there now going through the same thing.
Will pointed out that not all families would be as accepting as Sonny's had been. Sonny agreed that it wasn't always easy and told Will that his parents, though accepting, had also been sad that he wasn't going to live the life they'd dreamed of for him and worried that he'd never find love. Sonny's brother Alex had a problem with it at first, too, but got over it. Sonny also mentioned his friend Tyler, who hadn't spoken to his Dad for a long time after coming out, but said that they were good now.
Sonny: All I'm trying to say is for me, coming out meant being free. All right man? I mean, no more hiding, no more lying, and no more shame. Once you accept who you are, things just get better.
Will said that Sonny made it all sound as if coming out fixes everything and that he didn't believe that. Sonny agreed that coming out didn't guarantee you a happily ever after, but pointed out that being straight didn't guarantee that either. People have a better chance at being happy if they don't keep secrets.
Will thanked Sonny for sharing and hoped he hadn't minded his curiosity. Sonny replied that Will was his friend and that he could ask- or tell- him anything. There was a pregnant pause as Will seemed to hesitate and Sonny seemed to be expecting Will to come out to him, but then Will tried to change the subject, asking if Sonny was ready to see the movie.
Sonny: There's just one more thing. I wasted so much time being afraid of who I really am. You know, what my parents and my friends would think if they knew the truth. I felt alone. I was afraid and I was alone and I don't want anyone to ever have to feel that, especially a friend. Because I wasn't alone, I'm not alone, and being afraid was a lot worse than being honest.
Excellent scenes. Chandler Massey was right on target with portraying Will's pain and his desperate need to talk about all of this while still trying to maintain that it was all just 'curiosity' about his gay friend. Freddie Smith, meanwhile, was perfect as Sonny tried to let Will know in every possible way that he was there for him and that coming out wouldn't be the end of the world. I was impressed with both of them.
I keep swinging back and forth on whether I want Sonny and Will (already dubbed WilSon by fans) to be a couple (there was real chemistry last week) or just friends. Will certainly needs a gay friend right now more than he needs a boyfriend, and yet if they don't pair these two with each other, will we ever see either of them in a real onscreen relationship? Plus, they'd be pretty damn cute together:
I guess only time will tell. For now, I'm incredibly impressed with the way Days of Our Lives is handling this story, even if it has been a lot slower in unfolding than I would have preferred!
