Daytime diva Eileen Davidson has two huge plot twists coming up on both Y&R and DAYS, but will either make the most of her Emmy-winning talents?
Despite the fact that longtime soap opera actress Eileen Davidson is practically everywhere (from The Young and the Restless' Genoa City, to Days of our Lives' Salem, to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Bravo, and every place in between), daytime fans want more. And luckily, they'll be getting it, as the actress has major storylines brewing on both Y&R and DAYS. But will either be worthy of Davidson's talent, which has been lauded by critics and viewers alike? Read on to find out.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs its season finale on Tuesday, March 24, and while the rest of the TV world can't stop talking about the slapping-trash-talking-train-wreck-galore of a reality series, the soap opera community can't stop talking about Davidson's daytime alter egos, Ashley (who's got a decades-old secret about to blow) and Kristen (who's about to return to Salem after having stole Theresa's embryo). Amidst the buzz, the actress took time out to chat with TV Insider about both upcoming stories and how she feels about the lackluster writing both series have given her in recent months.
Though it doesn't seem to have the "whoa baby!" power that The Bold and the Beautiful's Maya/Myron storyline twist provided, the storyline about Ashley's secret should be juicy. After all, it's dealing with the age-old knowledge that Ashley isn't really an Abbott, which could spell trouble for the businesswoman. "That's something we haven't talked about on the show for 30 years and only Jack [Peter Bergman] and Victor [Eric Braeden] know. Ashley's father wasn't John Abbott [Jerry Douglas]. She's the result of her mother's affair with that pro golf guy, Brent Davis. And John died never knowing the truth," she reminds fans,. "Revealing [this secret] would be saying that the Abbotts aren't as honest as they try to promote themselves, that the family is a faade, a sham, and that Ashley has never even told her own daughter, Abby [Melissa Ordway], the truth about her grandfather. Victor could use this as a divisive tactic to get under Abby's skin and turn her against Ashley, to create doubt within the Abbotts and break them apart."
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Y&R plans to air a juicy flashback involving Ashley's true paternity on Wednesday, April 8. But that's not the only exciting thing coming up for Davidson's CBS alter ego. The romantic quadrangle between Ashley, Stitch (Sean Carrigan), Abby and Victoria (Amelia Heinle) will be heating up -- finally. "I'm glad they waited because what's coming up is much more interesting and unexpected than what I first thought it would be," Davidson says, adding that just when viewers think they know where the story will go, it dives off in several different directions.
Meanwhile, DAYS viewers may also think they know where Kristen's story will go when Davidson returns to the soap in mid-April. After all, the last time the character was seen, she secretly stole Theresa's (Jen Lilley) embryo and disappeared. However, fans may not get the long-lasting fallout they hoped for, considering Davidson is only back for a measly ten episodes. "I was surprised they only wanted me for that long," the actress says, teasing that she hopes some of fans' questions about the stolen embryo storyline are answered. "Kristen did go to a lot of trouble to make that happen. It's not like she can just come back to town and say, 'Hi!'"
Though, considering her last three months on the show are generally considered to have been a waste of Davidson's talents, one can never be sure. However, the actress takes partial blame for the lackluster DAYS writing. "To be fair, I did tie their hands a little because I only wanted to work a certain amount of days per week and a lot was going on in my personal life at the time," she points out. "Plus my previous storyline, when Kristen had sex with the priest, was a hard act to follow."
But still, it's not the only time fans have thought both DAYS and Y&R haven't utilized Davidson's talents in the best of ways. But what does the Emmy winner herself think of that criticism? Does she agree that she's sometimes been wasted on both shows? Check out TV Insider's full article to find out.
What do you think of the recent writing for Davidson on both Y& R and DAYS? Do you feel her talents have been wasted? How would you like to see Ashley and Kristen's futures pan out? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below, on our message boards, or by submitting Feedback.
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