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I Know Something You Don’t Know: Chad (Billy Flynn, l.) extracts potentially life-altering intel from Clyde (James Read).
On Days of Our Lives, Chad returns from Montana with big news: He tells Julie that Clyde has been captured and claims Abigail is alive.
“When he talks to Julie, Chad is just like, ‘I think it’s bulls–t,’” recounts Billy Flynn (Chad). “But he said it, so obviously Chad has to listen to it. Yet, it’s Clyde, and he is an awful human being. He’s a snake oil salesman. But at the same time, ‘What if?’ ”
Albeit torn, Chad admits there’s a small part of him that wants to believe it. “There’s a part of him that has to believe it,” stresses Flynn. “Again, ‘What if?’ Even if there’s a one percent chance [Clyde’s telling the truth], if it’s your wife, you’ve got to [take it seriously]. And it wouldn’t be the first time that somebody’s come back from the dead.”
Later, Chad confronts Clyde, who agrees to give him more information. “I actually put a lot of work into that scene, because it was really hard to adapt to it,” admits Flynn. He explains, “The scene was kind of awkward to begin with, as if Chad was begging. There was no strength in it, but I worked really hard on it with our producer and found a way to make it what it became.”
What it became was a display of raw, heartfelt honesty. “Once Chad goes and has this conversation, I wanted him to be very vulnerable with Clyde as a man, as a husband and as a father,” elaborates Flynn. “Because scenes are always written where Chad’s chest is all puffed up and it’s, ‘Tell me or else.’ But nothing ever happens with the ‘or else,’ which drives me nuts. I don’t like that approach. The scene was written like that with Clyde, and I was like, ‘It’s not going to work.’ So I found a way to go into it very uncomfortably vulnerable. That makes Clyde [more open].
“This moment with Clyde is not like any of the other moments Chad’s had with him,” continues Flynn. “He does give a little piece of information at the end, and Chad chooses to believe it, because the circumstances of that conversation are so different. When you see the scene, you’ll understand why. He chooses to believe the information based on the encounter that they have this one time, which is different than all the other experiences they’ve had together.”
Following that key conversation, Chad informs Julie that Clyde offered up more information about his “late” wife: Namely, that there’s a safe deposit box in Chicago and the contents inside will prove Abigail is alive. Why does he confide in Julie? “Not having a fear of judgment, maybe,” rationalizes Flynn. “He’s not going to fear that she’s going to judge him negatively for thinking something so crazy.”
Thomas interrupts, revealing that he overheard their conversation and asking what they meant. “They’re short scenes,” notes Flynn. “Chad and Julie end up telling him that Abigail’s alive in their hearts. It’s not a very big moment, but it’s enough for Chad to go, ‘Okay. We’ve got to be really careful with what we do here and how we [proceed].”
After putting Thomas to bed, Chad admits he can’t help but get his hopes up about Abigail. And, later, Chad and Julie plan to get answers in Chicago the next day.
“Julie is on board. She goes with Chad. She’s his wingman,” says Flynn, noting that Chad is determined to investigate. “It starts with, ‘We’ve got to see where this next breadcrumb leads. We’ve got to follow the breadcrumbs.’ If nothing comes of it, then nothing comes of it. But Abby would look for Chad, so he’s going to look for her.”
Yet, Chad hasn’t given any thought to how the possibility of Abigail being alive could change his life. “He’s not thinking that far ahead,” surmises Flynn. “He’s just in the moment trying to do whatever the next thing is. He’s going to follow [the leads]. He thinks that it could be true, but he’s not letting himself live in that world yet.”
