Days of our Lives’ Ben Weston Deserves the Second Chance He’s Getting — Here’s Why

Credit: Image: Jill Johnson/JPI

Reforming daytime villains and viewers’ reactions.

Ben’s innocent introduction

When Ben Weston (Robert Scott Wilson) arrived on Days of our Lives in 2014, he was a seemingly innocent young man who took a job as a waiter at Club TBD. Viewers eventually learned he and his sister Jordan Ridgeway (Chrishell Stause) had long been on the run from their estranged father Clyde Weston (James Reed). So when Ben turned out to be the Necktie Killer, who was responsible for several beloved characters’ deaths, viewers were shocked. Years of abuse by his father, including witnessing the murder of a family pet, had caused Ben to have a psychotic break. Ben was eventually remanded to Bayview for treatment, and later after escaping, sent to prison.

Ben in jail

Ben’s redemption

When Ben escaped a third time and revealed to Salem that Will Horton (Chandler Massey), one of his victims, was alive, people were stunned. Will had amnesia, and Will’s mother Sami (Alison Sweeney) tried to convince Ben to re-enact Will’s murder to jog his memory, but Ben couldn’t do it. The incident was the trigger that caused Ben to realize he had changed and needed help. With Marlena Evans’ (Deidre Hall’s) direction and guidance, he was able to get on medication and was eventually deemed sane and released. However, not everyone in Salem was immediately convinced he was better, and even viewers remain divided over whether Ben is worthy of this second chance.

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A deserved second chance

I feel Ben has earned his second chance, and here’s why. First, he did the work and got better. A number of characters across soap operas have suffered from some sort of mental illness and been able to recover. General Hospital’s Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and his struggle with bipolar disorder is one of the most well-known examples, and this fan-favorite mob boss has killed more people than Ben without much remorse. Ben at least has shown remorse and knows he can never make amends fully for his past. Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) on Days of our Lives is another character who has a long history of murder, but in the end, became a family man. Other characters started as villains and were redeemed. On One Life to Live, Todd Manning (Roger Howarth) gang-raped Marty Saybrooke (Susan Haskell) and went on to become one of the show’s most popular characters. General Hospital supercouple Luke and Laura’s (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis) relationship started off with Luke raping her. Young & Restless’ Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) has done terrible things over the years and still has a fanbase that loves him, though Adam is far from a good guy.

ciara and ben sit on bed days of our lives

Soaps are not real life. We watch them for escapism and entertainment. We also love stories where good triumphs over evil, which includes the redemption of characters we loved to hate once upon a time, or just outright detested. Vote in our poll and let us know if you think Ben deserves this second chance, and be sure to subscribe to Soaps.com’s newsletter to keep up with the latest news. Also view our gallery of other controversial soap storylines below.

1/21

Within the first years of its debut in 1965, Days of our Lives shocked viewers with a story of love and incest. Marie Horton, a young biochemist, began working at Salem University Hospital where she met and fell in love with Dr. Mark Brooks. However, Tom and Alice started to feel Mark wasn’t a stranger, and after some investigation discovered Mark was <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/49701/you-know-youre-in-a-soap-opera-when/">their son Tommy Horton</a> Jr, who was believed killed in the Korean War. However, after saving another soldier during the war and sustaining injuries, he was given reconstructive surgery on his face. The injuries also left him with amnesia. Marie and Mark were devastated to learn they were siblings.

3/21

On Passions, Chad Harris and Whitney Russell fell in love as teens, and faced a lot of disapproval from Whitney’s family. Later it was revealed that Chad was Eve and Julian Crane’s child from a long-hidden affair. In spite of the fact that they were half-siblings, they couldn’t fight their passion for one another, even having a son Miles. Many viewers were disgusted by the incestuous love story. By the end of the series, it was revealed Chad was not Eve and Julian’s long lost child, proving there was no blood between them. Sadly though Whitney and Chad never got their happily ever after as Chad was killed by his own father Alistair Crane.

4/21

Passions crossed more boundaries with the character of Vincent Clarkson, who turned out to be the intersexed child of Eve Russell and Julian Crane that Julian’s father Alistair hid away for years. As The Blackmailer, Vincent tormented half the town and committed awful murders. He also seduced Chad Harris-Crane, who at the time he thought was his uncle, and later his own father Julian (while disguised as a woman named Valerie), and became pregnant and gave birth to his father’s son. For many Vincent was a problematic portrayal of the LGBTQ+ community, and for others the incestuous storylines were too much.

6/21

When the Salem Stalker began murdering beloved residents of Salem on Days of our Lives, fans were shocked by the many brutal and violent murders playing out on screen. None was more horrifying than the murder of Alice Horton, the matriarch of the entire show and an original character and cast member since day one. To add insult to injury, she was killed with a poisoned donut, the donut being her signature dish. Viewers were outraged, and fortunately, all the deaths turned out to be elaborate hoaxes.

Susan Lucci United Cerebral Palsy's Third Annual Women Who Care Luncheon Tavern on the Green 5/6/ 04 ©Jennifer Graylock/jpistudios.com 310-657-9661

9/21

Days of our Lives also aired a controversial abortion storyline. At the time Mimi’s character learned she was pregnant with Rex Brady’s child, and feeling she and Rex weren’t ready, Mimi choose to abort the baby. The storyline rattled some viewers because of the heavy presence of the Catholic church and religion on the show, and also because Mimi did not tell Rex about the abortion. Others were angered when Mimi was said to be left infertile after the abortion, which they felt was playing in to untruths about the safety of abortion.

11/21

On Days of our Lives, EJ DiMera had been lusting after Sami Brady for a while, even though she was in love with Lucas Horton at the time. Sami and Lucas went to the mountains on a ski trip, but the cabin’s roof they were staying in collapsed, trapping Lucas. Sami went for help and found EJ DiMera trying to skip town. He agreed to help Lucas if she drove him through a police roadblock, but later upped his terms and demanded she has sex with him, or he’d let Lucas die. She agreed. Fans at the time were torn between whether it was rape or a deal, and was a bone of contention amongst viewers. Eventually, it would later be written as EJ had raped Sami.

12/21

One Life to Live viewers were appalled when Marty Saybrooke was ganged raped by Todd Manning and his fraternity brothers Powell Lord and Zach Rosen as part of Todd’s revenge scheme against Marty. For some the storyline was too much, others felt it was impactful and it remains one of the most remembered storylines of the show. Surprisingly, Todd, who was meant to be a short-term character, became popular with viewers, and the show set out crafting him as a complex and flawed character who sought redemption. Some viewers claimed the character was only redeemed because of his good looks.

13/21

Bold and Beautiful stirred up a bit of controversy when a drunk Thomas Forrester had sex with Caroline Spencer after she had mixed pills and booze together and was visibly impaired. The debate of whether it was rape or not was sparked among viewers, which was complicated by the fact that Thomas did not know she had taken pills prior. The show wrote the story as Caroline feeling violated, while Thomas believed it was consensual. In another twist the sex led to a pregnancy, which was initially kept from Thomas, turning him into a victim and gaining sympathy.

James Franco as Franco on General Hospital

14/21

For General Hospital fans, Franco may be the show’s most divisive character. Initially introduced as a short term crazed serial killing artist played by James Franco, the character not only was a killer, but was obsessed with Jason Morgan, let Sam McCall believe he had raped her, and set events in motion that led to Michael Quartermaine being raped in prison. When the show brought the character back with Roger Howarth in the role, they set out to redeem Franco through the old brain tumor made him do it storyline. Franco also revealed he never touched Sam, only made her think he raped her, and he never meant for Michael to be raped in prison. Many fans still have not forgiven Franco and never will.

Maya breaks bad news on Bold and Beautiful

16/21

Days of our Lives also angered some of its more conservative viewers by having Will Horton go on a journey of self-discovery and coming to terms with the fact that he was gay. For some, it was too much of a departure from the character, who had a relationship and child with Gabi Hernandez. When the initial storyline was leaked, some fans went online with the phrase “No gays on Days” in protest. The soap persisted with the romance, and Wilson has become one of the show’s most popular couples.

17/21

Young and the Restless was one of the last soaps to dip its feet into a gay storyline, though years earlier had teased one involving Katherine Chancellor and her friend Joann. When Mariah Copeland began having feelings for Tessa Porter, and they began a full-fledged relationship, some fans wouldn’t stand for it. Mariah and Tessa had shown no signs of being lesbians, both involved with only men, and some felt the story was being done for political correctness and keeping up with the times.

20/21

Matt Clark was Nick Newman’s high school rival, and the two fought over Sharon Collins. However, Matt took their high-school rivalry to new heights as an adult. He returned to town after years away with plastic surgery and a new identity as Carter Mills. He set out to torment Nick and Sharon, framing Nick for selling drugs and almost raping Sharon. Even on his deathbed, suffering fatal injuries from a car crash, he pulled out his breathing tube to try and frame Nick for his murder. The scene was incredibly disturbing for many.

Ben asks Will to be best man Days of our Lives

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Days of Our Lives

Days of our Lives’ Ben Weston Deserves the Second Chance He’s Getting — Here’s Why

Ben’s innocent introduction

Ben’s redemption

A deserved second chance

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<p>Young & Restless also riled viewers when Ashley Abbott decided to secretly terminate her pregnancy by Victor Newman in 1987. The storyline came at a time where the country was in heated debates of the legalities of abortion, and abortion clinics were coming under attack by vigilantes. </p>

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