Abigail and Chad’s love story comes to an on-screen end this week when the characters tie the knot and their portrayers, Kate Mansi and Billy Flynn, leave the canvas.
“This was a hugely popular couple when I came on to the show,” notes Head Writer Ron Carlivati. “When I first got on the show, I wrote their reunion when she got hit by the car and all of that. It’s been a great couple to write for. I’ve had the privilege of being able to write for two different Abigails; both of them are fantastic actresses. And I got to write for two couples, in a way, which was really a great thing.”
The scribe says he began planning the duo’s exit once Marci Miller (ex-Abigail) announced she would not be staying when her contract expired. “The story was not finished,” he points out. “We hadn’t yet found out that the baby was Chad’s. There was a lot to still play. Luckily, Kate agreed to step into the role. But even from the beginning, she agreed to a short-term deal; she only agreed to come back to finish Abigail’s arc. I knew that yes, I was going to play out the truth about the baby coming out and Chad fighting for Abigail and trying to put this couple back together. And the dilemma was then, ‘What do you do?’ because Kate was going to be leaving. You put the audience through the pain and suffering of the couple being torn apart and then you get to watch the romantic journey of them coming back together and you finally give the audience this big romantic payoff and then boom! Abigail goes for some reason? It became a big dilemma for me and for the writers. Do you kill Abigail? Does she say, ‘I can’t forgive you?’ Does she leave town and leave Chad? Yes, we wracked our brains with hundreds of ways that in the end, she goes and he stays, but for me, it was just too unsatisfying of an ending. It wasn’t fair to the fans of this couple.”
So, he went with the happily ever after route. “I decided that this reunion needs to stick and they need to go off into the sunset, at least for now,” explains Carlivati. “So while it was kind of agonizing to make the decision that Chad will exit the canvas with Abigail, I decided that was the best thing for the couple, it was the best thing for the fans and it was the best thing for the show. The way that they exit is very, very open-ended. It’s not like someone is going to die. They leave happy and the door is completely open for them to come back. As much as I’m sure some people will be sad to see them go, I think they’ll be happy to see them go together. It just seemed so unfair to not give them a happy ending. And I just didn’t see how that happy ending would work if Chad stayed in Salem and Abigail left. Of course, I love the actors and I love the characters; they’re important to the canvas. Obviously, if the time is right, the story is right, and the people are available, they’ll be back.”
Mansi says she knew how her story would end before she returned to the soap. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come back,” she shares. “I was so excited when I heard that was going to happen, and I knew I only had a limited time to come back and have that happy ending, but I wasn’t sure how exactly it would go down. I wasn’t sure how they were going to get us there. I loved it. I think it’s really special. Ron did such a great job with it. I think both Billy and I felt that it was a really powerful time because we knew that he was leaving, as well. The wedding scenes were quite emotional. I think that it works really well for the characters and for the storyline.” (See page 8 for more.)
The actress was thrilled with her overall experience the second time around. “It was such a nice, complete arc and I never had that with DAYS,” she says. “In the past, it’s been such a long-term commitment and you never know where the writers are going to get inspiration from and take your character next. This time, I kind of knew what was happening, so that was exciting. I was so happy to see Chad and Abigail get a happy ending and resolve things and have their family. I think the story is a really good message that sometimes when two separate individuals are becoming one, they have to, in a way, divorce their own family and their own dysfunction and meet as two totally new people in order for them to have a chance and work. I think in the past, it’s not what Abigail or Chad has done, and this was a moment they are really saying they are going to go a new way and commit to each other, and I think that’s very romantic and exciting and very sweet. I love a good love story. I really enjoyed playing that. I got to do some really challenging stuff. It was great.”
Mansi says she was touched by the positive fan response to her Salem comeback. “It was so nice!” she enthuses. “Right before I started on the soap, people were always telling me, ‘Oh, the fans are so loyal. It’s like nothing you’ve ever imagined.’ And I knew that, but then when I first experienced it I was like, ‘Wow, they really are.’ But coming back and having that warm welcome, and especially for the story and for Chad and Abigail, it was really sweet and really special and made me feel so good.”
And should the show choose to bring Chad and Abigail home, Mansi would be open to it. “I definitely would come back,” she reveals. “I’m really hopeful to come back for something specific like this. Their story isn’t over yet. There’s definitely more to discover with them.”
