Daytime TV Performer of the Week: ‘DAYS’ Star Eric Martsolf Shines as Brady Agonizes Over Daughter Rachel

As Brady Black on Days of our Lives, Eric Martsolf has played a variety of romantic and action-adventure storylines. However, it’s his performances last week as a caring and devoted father that has earned the Daytime Emmy-winner our Performer of the Week honors.

When Rachel (the terrific Lorelei Olivia Mote) complained of stomach pains, her father, Brady, was not only caring and concerned, but he was also cautiously optimistic that his daughter was well enough to still go to school.

That all changed when Rachel’s condition worsened and she was diagnosed with a ruptured appendix.

Brady’s more or less a single dad these days as Rachel’s mother, Kristen (Stacy Haiduk), is currently on the lam. No parent can be both “mother and father” to their child, but Martsolf brings what comes off as an extra layer of protective concern in scenes where Brady is parenting his daughter. The DAYS hero is aware that he needs to shield Rachel from some of her mother’s well-intentioned machinations.

Martsolf also plays that Rachel has been a troubled child ever since she accidentally shot her half-brother, EJ (Dan Feuerriegel). The actor portrays Brady as hyper-aware of Rachel’s history and needs but at the same time, he knows that Brady can’t overdo it as that’s going to ultimately do more harm than good.

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Additionally, Brady knows the pain of not having a mother as his birth mom, Isabella (Staci Greason), died less than five months after he was born. Brady can relate to Rachel’s longing and Martsolf is keenly aware of that in his performances. A real-life dad of twin sons, Martsolf plays Brady as a father who has been called upon to step up and he meets that challenge with strength and love.

Loving parents don’t want their kids to see them concerned so Brady did his best to hide his understandable fear from Rachel when he called for an ambulance and when he was at the hospital discussing Rachel’s condition with Dr. Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey). At the same time, viewers could see the feelings of helplessness and terror Brady was experiencing as he grew more and more concerned with Rachel’s well-being.

Rachel writhed in agony and asked what would happen to her pet snake, S’mores, if anything happened to her. “Baby, S’mores is going to be fine, and you are going to be just fine,” Brady assured his daughter.

While Sarah gently explained that an appendectomy was a common procedure, that only did so much to allay Brady’s concerns. He’d been doing his best to calm his daughter, but when Sarah confirmed that an operation was required, it was as if he’d been kicked in the gut.

Martsolf played Brady as a father who would have changed places with his daughter in a heartbeat if he could have.

Peacock

A surgeon was going to literally cut into Rachel, but what cut into Brady’s heart, figuratively, was hearing his daughter cry out for her mother, knowing that summoning Kristen to the hospital wouldn’t be as simple as sending her a text.

The more that Rachel asked for her mother, the more Brady’s anguish and helplessness leapt off the screen.

At times, Brady’s protected Rachel from her mother, but we saw him make the decision that Kristen needs to be by their daughter’s side.

Bravo to Martsolf for delivering a powerful performance as a loving father, who wants nothing more than for his child to be safe.

Days of our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock