DAYS: MARLENA HYPNOTIZES LUCAS
■ After learning that Lucas has been brought in for questioning about Abigail’s murder, JJ confronts him about his sister’s senseless death. Unfortunately, Lucas doesn’t have any answers for him.
“Lucas tells JJ he can’t remember, because he was drinking,” recounts Bryan R. Dattilo (Lucas). “And that makes JJ even more crazy. He definitely gets in Lucas’s face, because he’s hurt as well as angry. This is a huge loss for JJ.”
An irate JJ threatens to beat the memories out of Lucas, “because he can’t get the answers out of the person he thought was going to confess,” explains Dattilo. “Lucas is distraught, mad. I was trying to play a bunch of levels. Mostly, Lucas is frustrated and scared at the same time, because there’s the reality that he might have done it. Also, just not knowing and not having the answers that other people need.”
Lucky for Lucas, Jennifer arrives in time to stop JJ’S attack. However, “Lucas is even more distraught, because he sees the pain that this is causing Jennifer and all the people he loves,” notes the actor. “He cares about JJ. He cares about his sister. To see them go through such pain would be the ultimate punishment if Lucas were to be responsible for [Abigail’s death]. It turns into a very emotional thing all around, because they’re all left with the same thing — the loss of Abigail. And, who would do something so horrible? Everyone is looking to blame someone, including, in a lot of ways, Lucas. Once the focus shifts to Lucas going through the pain of the loss and sharing it with Jennifer, it makes everyone be on that same page.”
Jennifer even attempts to bolster Lucas with her belief that he could not have hurt Abigail, because he loved her too much. “It’s a temporary relief for Lucas,” says Dattilo. “He knows deep down that Jennifer is on his side and believes the same way he believes that he doesn’t have that in him.”
Later, Marlena arrives to hypnotize Lucas so they can all learn the truth about what he did that night. Although hesitant at first, Lucas agrees to be put under. “Lucas knows he owes it to everyone and himself to not only find out who did this, but also to clear his name. He wants to find out who would have done such a horrible thing to the niece that he loves.”
Once hypnotized, “Lucas recalls what truly happened that night,” explains Dattilo. “It’s kind of cool to get the realizations, finally.” But his total recall may prove to yield more questions than answers ....