BAD BOYS
Patch Johnson & Luke Spencer  
  MAKE GOOD

By Alison J Waldman
SOAP OPERA UPDATE
Premier Issue....Feb 8, 1988

As originally written, his character was never meant to be much more than a
thug- a bad guy conveniently written into the Day of our Lives storyline to
do the dirty work for  syndicate kingpin Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston).
Who then would have guessed that Stephen Nichols' portayal of Patch (Steve)
Johnson would become an audience favorite? That the character would evolve
into one of the most complex, intriguing and unconventional soap opera heroes
of the past decade. In fact, Nichols is on the brink of inheriting the mantle
left by Anthony Geary.

Geary abdicated his throne as the "King of the Daytime Drama" when he left
General Hospital a few years back. Geary's prime time outings since his
departure from GH have been disappointing; but then Luke Spencer was a a hard
act to follow. He broke the mold of the square jawed, square shouldered soap
hero. And then Patch came along, a character who could easily have been
Luke's blood brother if one considers their backgrounds and love stories- not
to mention the destinies of the actors themselves.

Like Tony Geary, Stephen Nichols got his shot at stardom in a borderline role
which could have quickly run its course had it been cast with an actor
lacking the talent and charisma to keep the viewers fascinated.

Stephen Nichols' Patch Johnson joined the cast of Days soon after villain
Victor Kiriakis loomed into the storyline. Patch was a seedy, low life, a
hired gun, willing - and at times, anxious- to do whatever nastiness was
required by his boss.  He chased his best friend, Bo Brady (Peter Reckell)
and his love, Hope (Kristian Alfonso) to Miami, where among other bits of
evil, he threatened to pour acid on her pretty face. A few episodes later,
Patch was called upon to blow up the Bradys' fishing boat, which he did with
no regrets.  And finally, he began his liason with Kayla Brady (Mary Beth
Evans) by trashing her apartment in Cleveland. Hardly the kinds of activities
that would engender the adoration and sympathy of the viewing public, but
despite his despicable  nature, there was something which piqued the
curiosity of the viewer.

Luke Spencer also started out as an out and out bad guy. Luke, for all his
later heroics, was originally in the mob. He ran a disco controlled by the
evil Mr. Smith. And who will ever forget that his love affair with Laura
(Genie Francis) began when he raped her!

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
But in both these character portrayals, audiences saw beyond the two
dimensional stereotypical bad guy. There was a vulnerability to Luke Spencer,
a remorse, a feeling that he wanted - more than anything - to start his life
over again, to mend his ways. And in Patch, that vulnerability is even more
pronounced. Even very early on in the development of the character there was
a bitterness and sorrow to Nichols' Patch. His name for example, was Steven
Earl Johnson, but to most people he was Patch- a cruel, demeaning nickname
given  him because he has only one eye.

Steve's eye was put out  in a knife fight with Bo when they were both in the
Merchant Marines.  They were best friends, both in love with a Swedish girl
named Britta (Amy Stock), although she was involved  only with  Bo.  When she
cheated on him by sleeping with Steve, Bo caught them in bed together and a
vicious fight ensued. Years later, after learning that Britta had deceived
them both, Bo had to bear the guilt of knowing what he had done to his
friend, and Steve would be scarred for life, not only physically, but  also
psychologically. How ironic it is that in his fantasies, Steve always sees
himself without the patch. In his own imagination, he is the man he wants to
be- clean, unscarred, handsome and upright.

LOVE UNLOCKS THE DOOR
The depths  and complexities found in the Luke Spencer and Steve Johnson
characters were revealed most dramatically in their love stories. More than
any other factor, love is the key ingredient in these characters' growth from
simple hoods to intriguing heroes. Luke was transformed by his love for Laura
Baldwin (she was married to Scotty [Kin Shriner] at the time, remember?),
leading him to change his ways. Steve Johnson and Kayla Brady are a romantic
duo as unlikely as Luke and Laura. Steve was an abandoned child, left in an
orphanage  after he tried to kill his father, an abusive parent and wife
beater. Kayla Brady is the product of a loving and supportive family,
practically the quintessential girl-next door. What could these two ever have
in common?

As the Days writers have worked it, Kayla and Steve are a classic case of
opposites attracting. She sees in him the good, the soft, tender side, the
heart he hides from almost everyone else. The song, "If your heart comes out
tonight," has become their theme, and it epitomizes Kayla's attraction to
Steve. Kayla represents all that Steve has felt he's lost in his life. Loving
her, Steve can become whole again.

THE ACTOR'S CRAFT
As played by Stephen Nichols, like Tony Geary's portrayal of Luke, all the
depth, vulnerability and complexities of Steve Johnson havebeen revealed. The
actor's craft in the success of this role cannot be overlooked.  Nichols uses
the painful elements of Johnson's childhood and adolescence as fuel for the
character's destructive, and very often, self-destructive, pre-Kayla history.
Moments in the development of the character have called upon the best of
Nichols'  skills, like a scene not too long ago when the injured Patch needed
to be nursed by Kayla, requiring her to remove his eyepatch to clean the
wounds.

The fear, apprehensions and embarrassment about his physical appearance were
vividly and dramatically realized by the look on Nichols' face. His
expression captured all the conflicting emotions churning beneath this man's 
maimed exterior and touched the viewer in a way rarely achieved in soaps.

WHERE DOES HE GO FROM HERE?
Considering the success of Anthony Geary, and now Stephen Nichols, you might
imagine other shows plotting similar characters. Could another soap opera
write a storyline about a bad guy turned good, cast against type, and create
similar success? It's conceivable, of course, but the taste of the viewing
public is not so easily programmed. How often have seemingly sure fire actors
been put into shows, only to fizzle out in storylines that have failed to
connect with the audience? A Luke or Patch are happy accidents- the rare
combination of actor and role that clicks with the viewer and makes the
character arresting and irresistible.

The success of Stephen Nichols' characterization of Steve Johnson is assured.
He has won over viewers and critics alike. It is now up to the Days team to
navigate the sometimes treacherous waters of daytime drama to maintain the
integrity of the Steve Johnson character, as his romance with Kayla
intensifies and his low class hijinks are replaced by his high risk heroics.
Perhaps they need only remember what happened to General Hospital when Luke
Spencer became of all things, the mayor of Port Charles!

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