Days of Our Lives ’Casualty’ Issues an Abs-olutely Sexy Plea: ‘Can Anyone Help?’
Saturday, March 6th, 2021
Eat your heart out, Tom Sawyer.
Why… why, yes, Mike Manning, we will pitch in. We’ll all pitch in. Who with a pair of eyes in their head wouldn’t, after the Days of Our Lives alum (RIP, Charlie, you rat bastard, you!) posted an absolutely fabulous — emphasis on the abs — Instagram snap of himself in front of some wood planks.
“Can anyone help me,” he asked, “paint this fence?” (Take a peek at the pic here.)
Ha. The up-and-comer had to have known exactly what he was doing there — keeping interest nosebleed-high in his next move even after his on-screen alter ego was killed off. And perhaps with good reason. It was only on February 26 that he lamented that his first magazine cover coincided with his character’s demise. (And here we’d been hoping that a split-personality storyline could potentially keep him on the canvas.)
But, he hastened to add, he was “excited to share what’s next as soon as I can.”
Ahem, come again?
We had some ideas about what that could — or should — be. However, until Manning’s next role is revealed — and if there’s a god in the soap heavens, there will be one, and one that isn’t written into a corner from the get-go — perhaps you can content yourself by perusing the below photo gallery of suspects in Charlie’s murder mystery.
Most Popular
Advertisement
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
1/14
<p>Given everything that went down between Charlie and Allie in London — not to mention the way he has tried to gaslight her ever since — she’s clearly a prime suspect. It doesn’t help her case that when she mistakenly believed Tripp guilty, she stole her grandma’s gun and took aim at him. Perhaps Allie did the same thing where Charlie’s concerned… but this time actually hit her target. </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
2/14
<p>The apple didn’t fall far from the tree where Ava and her equally unstable offspring are concerned. in recent weeks, Charlie drugged, kidnapped, tied up and nearly strangled his mom. Who’s to say that she didn’t decide it was time to finally teach him some manners? Plus, since the drugs Charlie had been slipping Ava made her an unreliable witness to his past confessions, might they also give her a Get Out of Jail Free card if she pleaded diminished capacity? </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
3/14
<p>You’ve gotta feel for poor Claire. She thought she’d found the perfect guy, only to learn that her supposed soulmate was instead a soulless monster. After tricking Allie’s attacker into confessing his sins — and on tape, no less — Claire saw the truly scary side of her would-be beau. Could having her heart broken push the former firestarter to trade her matches for a gun? </p>
Image: NBC screenshot
4/14
<p>The days leading up to his death saw Charlie being threatened by a whole lotta people, and Belle — never one to sit on the sidelines — felt compelled to join the choir when she found him intimidating Claire. “If you come near my daughter again,” she warned, “I swear to God, I will kill you.” What made this exchange stand out from some of the others was Charlie’s response: “Go ahead and try… I dare you!” Did the miffed mom take him up on that challenge, or is she the kind of person who only responds to a double dare? </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
5/14
<p>Under the best of circumstances, it would be easy to picture John going after the man who has caused his family so much pain. It’s even easier to imagine of late, given that John’s been suffering extreme emotional mood swings thanks to the aftermath of his recent brain aneurysm. Think he’s basically a gentle soul incapable of such a violent act? Tell that to the currently-comatose Jan! </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
6/14
<p>Allie’s temperamental dad has been wanting to do serious physical harm to someone ever since finding out what happened to his daughter in London. While he originally aimed his ire in the wrong direction when everyone believed Tripp to be the guilty party, perhaps he course-corrected when the truth about Charlie came to light. (And let’s not forget, Lucas has killed in defense of a loved one before, having shot the late Franco to protect mom Kate.) </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
7/14
<p>At first glance, this might seem like a stretch. But look closer and you’ll see that Charlie’s former boss still wears his heart on his sleeve where Belle’s concerned. If he thought getting rid of Claire’s dangerous ex would score points with the one who got away, he might very well have taken the law — and a gun — into his own hands. </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
8/14
<p>If there’s one person in Salem who has experience when it comes to shooting rapists, it’s Sami, who did exactly that years ago… and inspired Allie to contemplate doing the same when she believed Tripp to be her attacker. Rafe heading up the investigation into Charlie’s murder could be a good thing for Sami, given that her ex-husband kept quiet after learning she’d shot EJ in the head!</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
9/14
<p>Truth be told, we just don’t see this by-the-books cop going rogue enough to shoot his daughter’s ex. While Salem’s populace is chock full of people who’ve committed horrible crimes — and often gotten away with them — Shawn’s got a surprisingly clean record. But as the son of Hope and her late husband Bo, Shawn has a strong sense of right and wrong… which just might have pushed him to do wrong in order to make things right where Charlie was concerned.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
10/14
<p>We’re not saying Steve is to blame for all things Charlie-related, but the fact is, if the erstwhile Patch weren’t so darned irresistible, Ava wouldn’t have tracked him to Salem and, by doing so, set in motion a disastrous chain of events which has played out over several years. Charlie nearly destroyed Steve’s relationships with true love Kayla, best bud John and elder son Tripp, easily earning himself a place on the dude’s hit list. </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
11/14
<p>Were they separated at birth, this would be a case study in one of the most timeless of all soap tropes, the good and evil twins. Instead, so disparate are these half brothers that they share nothing but the DNA which led to confusion regarding Henry’s paternity in the first place.</p>
Image: Jil Johnson/JPI
12/14
<p>How foolish must Xander feel, given that he offered Charlie the benefit of his not insubstantial wisdom where women are concerned as the intern pursued Claire. Xander also knows from firsthand experience that contrary to popular opinion, leopards can sometimes change their spots. But if he decided that Charlie was less lovable bad boy than outright psycho, Xander’d also have no problem proving that old habits — especially the dangerous kind — die hard. </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
13/14
<p>Lest anyone forget, when Allie needed a gun with which to threaten Tripp, it was grandma Kate’s she stole. Only hours before Charlie took a bulet, Jake’s lady love was fuming about the fact that law enforcement couldn’t do diddly squat — and yes, that’s the legal term — about the attack. “You know,” she spat, “I have half a mind to get my gun and just make him accountable all by myself!” The question is… did the cool, calm or all-fired-up half of her brain ultimately win the day? </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
14/14
