About Marlena as a mother. To me a real mother is there with open arms and makes you feel like you are loved more than anything else in the world. That has to be a real knack when a woman has more than one child, but they do it. My mother always makes me feel loved, pampered, special, adored, and she prays for me every day of her life. When she sees me, her eyes light up, but she is that way with my brother and sister and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. That to me is a talented mother. Marlena is warm with Belle, but she is so awkward and even cold with Sami and I've scarcely seen her with Carrie, but when she is gone, it is not, I can hardly wait to get home to see the children, it's always the man. Marlena is more a woman than a mother. She has no warmth at all with her grandchildren. The few scenes we've seen her with Will or Claire, it is a brief hug and then she is all Marlena again. I'd like to see Hogan take Marlena into the maternal arena. To me, she is the most fun and the most loving when she is in the kitchen doing something. It would be great to see her with Claire and Will making cookies and talking about whatever they would find fascinating.

Marlena has loved more than one man. But what she said today was important. John has been insecure about Roman since 1997. Everyone's reminded him that Roman & Marlena were in love and happy, that they share children. And despite Marlena reminding him that she chose HIM and she is in love with HIM, it's always been on the back of his mind (thanks to Brady, Roman, etc). She made it clear to him that after everything they've been through, everything SHE's been through, that she searched everywhere to find where 'home' was, and she saw him and she found it right away ("Amazing how easy it was to find").

Thanks for filling me in on this. I missed so much after John arrived as the Pawn and could scarcely stand him so quit watching. It was August 2004 before I started watching full time again.

I think she sucks ass. If she was my mom, I'd kill myself.

Oh, if only DNA could be reversed. LOL!

Off-topic, looking at Abby in Drew's banner. She looks so much like Missy. It's uncanny.

Awesome today. Hogan is doing amazing so far.

Marlena/John was nice and, in regards to her comment, John is her true love. Let's remember Marlena thought John was Roman for years so she really has loved him for the longest of any of her past loves. He is her true love. She was only with Don for a few years (can't remember exactly) and the real Roman for about 5 years in the 80's and maybe 3 years in the early 90's. It's no contest but it's all in the wording so I had no problem with what she said. In regards to her mothering, her only mistake has been with Sami. She was there for her quite bit in the late 90's but in recent years she has been MIA. Basically since 2003 she has slighted Sami alot. I don't think she is the worst mother but she is human. She has been tortured more then any other character and most of the times she wasn't there for her children wasn't her fault but some of the things with Sami were her fault but that is about it.

I loved Belle/Carrie talking because they both are going through the same things with Lucas and Philip. I loved when John and Marlena came in. It was like a big, happy family. I like that Marlena is going to be there for her family now and is trying to be strong and no longer needy.

Beemer and Bradnt were fantastic. Loved how he played Shawn while he standed outside Belle's room. He really is doing a great job with Shawn's downward spiral. Brandt was great with Lauren today. Koslow shined again and I just loved those scenes. Philip was angry but didn't go over the top and I like how Kate just blabbed about Victor. Philip throwing the plate and banging his fists on the table were great ways of getting the attention of the restaurant and added alot to the scene. I just loved when Philip told Shawn about Victor and took off. Victor/Kate were hilarious and the car crashing through the house was awesome. That last scene with Shawn was great until the SFX. Seeing the mansion again was good too. Philip's last scene with Claire was well-done and heartbreaking.

Sami, EJ, Lucas, and Will were hilarious. Loved Maggie in on it and the cheese and hooker. I loved Lucas's line about the cheese. Just great scenes here.

I am just loving the whole show right now .

In regards to her mothering, her only mistake has been with Sami. She was there for her quite bit in the late 90's but in recent years she has been MIA. Basically since 2003 she has slighted Sami alot. I don't think she is the worst mother but she is human. She has been tortured more then any other character and most of the times she wasn't there for her children wasn't her fault but some of the things with Sami were her fault but that is about it.

And a lot of that has to do with the way Reilly writes. He writes storylines and traps the characters involved in those storylines with little interactions with other storylines. I remember when I started watching in '96 (still can't believe it's been 10 years) and I had no idea Marlena was Sami's mother. I remember when Austin hit Sami with his car and Carrie called Marlena to come to the hospital. I asked my mom why Marlena was called. Why would she care? My mom then told me that Sami was Marlena's daughter. I had no idea!

I agree Drew. He wrote the Sami/Marlena relationship very badly both times except when he used it to continue the Sami/John war he seemed to like.

Loved how he played Shawn while he standed outside Belle's room.

In his first two or three scenes, Shawn said nothing. It was all facial expressions and emotion, but portrayed SOOO much. I kept thinking the whole time how happy I am that we didn't have to watch Cook doing that....Brandon is a great find!

And speaking of Sami and John, I'm liking that Hogan is slowly ending Sami's hatred for John. I think it's the best way to go to have it slowly decrease. It shouldn't be done overnight and forgotten. Sami will always feel hatred for John. He slept with her mother and broke her father's heart. The way she acts is the problem. She acts like she is still a teenager with her hatred. A grown woman can have a hatred for someone and still act like a grown woman. I think that's what Hogan is doing.

When John bailed Sami out of jail on her wedding day and they were joking around, I got a little worried. I thought he totally forgot about her hatred for him, but then yesterday, Belle mentioned how hard it must have been for Sami to call John. Sami is starting to realize John loves Marlena and may be the right man for her after all. Growth in Sami. It's going to be different to see and I can't wait. Alison Sweeney deserves it!

In his first two or three scenes, Shawn said nothing. It was all facial expressions and emotion, but portrayed SOOO much. I kept thinking the whole time how happy I am that we didn't have to watch Cook doing that....Brandon is a great find!

Beemer has the facial expressions down packed. He does them so well. He can seriously do a whole scene without saying a single word and the scene will come off powerful. It's rare and DAYS is lucky to have this great find.

What was GH thinking throwing him away? Once again, GH's loss is DAYS gain. The GH/DAYS wars have started again. I wouldn't be surprised to see Billy Warlock, Wayne Northrop, Christie Clark or Austin Peck appear in Port Charles. GH always likes to get the upperhand. I love it!

This show is really coming on strong. I really liked everything about today's show. It flowed so well. KB adn BB were just wonderful today. Don't know if I would have driven my car into my grandfather's mansion, but I understand his anger. Also loved what Philip had to say to Kate. She still doesn't get it. If she knows so much about making her childern happy, why do they all disown her when they find out what rotten trick she played on them? The only reason why the [!@#$%^&*] was crying was because she got busted....AGAIN.

Yes, Marlena has not been a good mother to Samantha, but damn, Samantha is a grown woman. She needs to start taken responsibility for the crap she's done, and maybe that is what's happening. Also, for the first year he was in Salem, John and everyone else thought he was Roman Brady. The evidence was there, even if it was stupidly changed seven years later. She still feels he is the love of her life, so I see why she made that statement, and maybe she will finally start being a mother to all of her children. If some on this board don't agree....tough.

The show really has a chance to become Number 2, especially if B&B keeps going the way it is. The last 3 months have been wonderful, and now I can't wait to see an episode of Days. Tomorrow's show looks great as well, and it's only the middle of the week.

Totally off the wall tangent:

A wild, but interesting thought popped into my head at work this evening. What if Willow is Lauren?

Aren't they played by two different actresses?

I don't think we've seen Lauren yet, have we? I don't know. With my schedule the way it is, I seem to always miss the last ten minutes of the show or the first ten minutes of the show for the last 6 weeks or so. So, I haven't seen Lauren yet.

Good theory, Matt!

Lauren is on tomorrow's show (Wednesday). I would think we would hear something about this now from the Canadian viewers, right?

We have yet to see Lauren but I doubt they are the same person. I don't think Willow is even on tomarrow but I think Lauren is so who knows. It would be interesting.

I totally agree about Sami/John. When he bailed her out in August, I remember loving the scene but also worried that they already dropped the hatred. I am glad it was acknowledged on yesterday's show and that it is very slowly peetering out. I remember from 1999-early 2000's, Sami and John were civil. I think she trashed him once to Marlena when everyone learned he slept with princess Gina on the submarine but she was pretty fair to him most of the time during that period. I just want her to be civil. I know she will never forgive him about what happened with the affair but the way JER wrote it was irrational and thankfully it is starting to be fixed. I do think Hogan has them going in the right direction though.

I can't add anything to this thread ; as you all said, it was a great show. But character-wise, what the HECK is Shawn thinking?! What a PUNK! And what if 'Grandpa' isn't so forgiving and makes him pay out of the BUTT for the repair? What if he's charged with property damage? What an IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!