The bad seed
When Chase rapes Ciara, it’s not because he’s evil like Dad…
Long-running soap Days Of Our Lives makes it crystal clear that what Chase (Jonathon McClendon) does to his ex-stepsister Ciara ( Vivian Jovanni) on Monday 15 April is rape. The interesting aspect of the story is how the show’s writers lay out, stepby-step, why Chase does it. He might be the son of a killer, but Days hasn’t given Chase the easy way out of being born evil. The real problem is how eager he is for permission to take what he wants. Here are five actions that take Chase down that dark path…
Andre (Thaao Pen1 ghlis) is out to destroy Ciara’s family because her mother Hope (Kristian Alfonso) murdered his dad Stefano (Joseph Mascolo) early this March. Andre deliberately manipulates Chase into becoming his weapon when he tells him, “So much has been taken away from you. You need to stand up for yourself. It just would be so tragic for you to lose what little you have left. You don’t want to lose Ciara, do you?” And on Monday 15 April, he advises Chase to “befriend every ugly impulse, control it and take all that energy, put it into a worthy goal”. That goal? Andre tells Chase, “You can win Ciara.” And when Chase complains that he’s gotten nowhere by being nice to Ciara, Andre replies, “It’s not about nice, no matter what they say. You got to be a strong man. That’s what a woman wants. She wants to know that you will do anything to be with her.” Every word dehumanises Ciara, making her something that is owed to Chase to overcome his status as a victim. Andre then directly tells Chase to ignore what she says. Chase has ignored all cues that 2 what Ciara feels for him is familial, not romantic affection. And now when she takes his hand while she apologises for accusing him of being like his father Aiden (Daniel Cosgrove), who tried to murder Hope on their wedding night in January this year, it’s a sisterly gesture. When he sees it as his chance and tells her that he loves her, she takes her hand away and looks at him nervously before telling him, “Yeah, Chase, but not like that. You are like my brother.” Instead of paying attention to 3 what Ciara is saying and doing, Chase tells her what she is thinking, which is simply a projection of his own thoughts: “Those aren’t the feelings and you know it. Not for either of us. Admit it,” he insists as he moves in to kiss her. Chase ignores Ciara when she asks, “What are you doing?” and tells her, “What you want, what we both want!” Ciara doesn’t immediately leap 4 out of the kiss and grab a tongue scraper. But she soon says, “Chase, stop. We shouldn’t.” And when he ignores her, “No, I don’t want to talk about this,” and, “I’m not ready,” she leaps right off the sofa and tells him, “Stop! I want you to stop!” But Chase tells her, “No you don’t!” and dumps her back on the sofa. Her words aren’t about feelings to him, they’re just obstacles. Sick of being told no, Chase over5 powers Ciara and puts his hand over her mouth. Even though she’s crying, he tells her, “This is what we both want. I love you.” All that matters to Chase at this point is what he wants, which is not love and it’s not Ciara as a person, it’s Ciara as a goal – just as Andre prompted him. Ciara pleads, “Please! Stop!” one more time as the screen goes black.