"Days of Our Lives" Primer: Gay Character the Most Normal Thing That's Ever Happened on This Show

Like sands through the hourglass ... something, something.

Okay, I forget the rest, but it's one of the most recognizable openings in TV history. Days of Our Lives has been airing on NBC every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965, and in the 46 years it's been on the air has tackled every subject possible. Except one.

Until now.

Starting on Thursday, June 23rd, DOOL will begin its first coming-out story, as teenager Will Horton will begin his emergence from the soap closet.

"Hi, I'm Will! I'm a blond kid with pouty lips. If I wore striped shirts, I'm sure you'd love me!"*

*ATWT reference.

Before we begin our journey with Will, let's meet the major players in order to initiate the DOOL virgins, but first let's take a look back at some DOOL history.

Maybe we can get an inkling of what to expect by revisiting a couple of the show's most famous storylines.

Oh dear.

Okay, to be fair, all soaps have had their share of lunatic memorable stories.

For instance, Delia kidnapped by a lovestruck gorilla named Prince Albert on Ryan's Hope , the Cassidine weather-control thing on General Hospital, One Life To Live's trip to the lost underground city of Eterna and, of course, killing off Reid on As The World Turns.

I still can't decide which one was the most ridiculous.

But DOOL has to be given props for showcasing (at least) two of the most fantastically batsh*t crazy stories ever to grace the small screen.

It takes either immense courage ... or immense pharmaceuticals to present these with a straight face.

The Devil Made Her Do It

Probably the most infamous story DOOL has ever done is the 1994-95 demonic possession of lead diva Marlena (Electra-Woman herself, Diedre Hall). It hit all the marks: glowing eyes, levitation, Weezie Jefferson-after-a-weekend-bender voice, and yet Marlena managed to look fabulous throughout.

Below you can see what happens when you cross a possessed soap diva. You get ... fake bees glued to your back.

"Not the bees! Not the bees! They're in his eyes! His eyes! ARRGGGHH!"*

Well, did you feel that wrath?

As the storyline progressed, it only got loonier, and in this scene, Marlena pulled another trick out of her crazy bag, and turned from a cougar ... into a panther.

I'm sorry, but how could I not use that line?

Of course, Marlena is eventually exorcised, and everything returns to normal ... until a decade later when most of the cast is murdered by a serial killer.