DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[AbcNbc247]

He did 

[j swift]

So, the party at which Renee was murdered was supposed to be an announcement of their wedding, not engagement?  And, I'm guessing (using soap opera inherited property rules) that Alex got the house because it had been recently revealed that Tony was an illegitimate heir?

[jam6242]

I think Alex married Renee because he had come upon a will of Stefano's that made her Stefano's sole heir.  Renee didn't know about it until after she married him.  So Alex inherited the house because he was Renee's spouse.  Then Stefano came back from the dead after Renee was murdered, canceling that out.

[j swift]

Gotta love an international crime lord who keeps his will up to date.

"Mr. Dimera, you have meeting about mind control prisms at 10:00, and then your estate attorney is here is have you sign the fourth will you had him draw up this year, and Jim, your latex mask specialist, is asking for ten minutes at noon."

[Franko]

No, it was supposed to be an engagement party, but Renee surprised everybody with the news of her and Alex's marriage.

From the old Who's Who in Salem:

Renée was alone and penniless. By now, most everyone she knew had turned their backs to her. But out of nowhere, Alex Marshall took her under his wing. He gave her a suite at the Salem Inn and comforted her. Renée was confused by his sudden attention but didn't give it much thought since he was the only person she had left. A week later, Renée finally received her divorce papers and signed them. Now a free woman, Alex charmed her off of her feet and asked her to marry him. In the short time they'd spent together, Alex had proven to be caring and sensitive with her. With no hope of getting a better offer, Renée innocently accepted his proposal. They were hurriedly married by a Justice of the Peace but they didn't announce it to anyone. Days after the wedding, however, Renée went into Alex's office to look for some papers. In his desk, she found what appeared to be a handwritten will from none other than Stefano. In this will, written shortly before his death, Stefano left everything to Renée! Now understanding why Alex had married her, Renée vowed revenge. Keeping the will's existence a secret, Renée moved back into the mansion and began organizing an extravagant engagement party for her and Alex. Daphne was happy to have her back and immediately began trying to get Renée back together with Tony. Daphne's unusual insistence made Renée suspect that she, too, knew about the will. On the day of the engagement party, Renée confronted Daphne with it. She knew that Renée was the sole heir to Stefano's fortune. She'd known all along. Believing that this was the only reason Daphne had ever befriended her and supported her, Renée turned on her.

That evening, the elegant party was held on the grounds, with much of Salem present. Once everyone arrived, Renée made her grand entrance. She then announced the reason for the party. It wasn't an engagement party because she and Alex, to everyone's amazement, were already married; it was to announce Stefano's last will and testament. Renée made a speech detailing the duplicitous nature of the people who had surrounded her. One by one, she picked those people apart with harsh words in what would be a speech to remember. She related to everyone how Alex had tricked her into marriage knowing that she would inherit everything, but she also assured Alex that their marriage would be annulled right away. She then turned her attention to Daphne, the friend who had presumably betrayed for the same reason as Alex: her money. And then came Tony, the only man she ever loved who ultimately rejected her. And then Julie Williams, David's mother; since David was not present at the party, she directed the anger she held against him toward Julie, claiming that their marriage had failed because he put work over their relationship. And finally, Anna, the woman responsible for her ultimate rejection by Tony. Recalling over all of these events caused Renée to finally end her speech and run upstairs in tears. One by one, each of the people targeted by Renée went upstairs, the last of them being Tony. Moved by her words to him, Tony decided that he wanted her back. They made love in her bedroom and decided to get married. Tony then returned the party. Moments later, Delia, the maid, screamed that there had been a murder. Upstairs in her bedroom, Renée's lifeless body lied on the floor. She had a knife stuck in her back and a raven's feather in her hand.

Also, I've said it before, but I'd love to know why Megan Hathaway also was revealed to be Stefano's daughter. If the writers had any regrets about closing the door to the idea of a female DiMera, they must have been short-lived, since Megan only lasted from 1984-85.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Franko

[dolphziggler]

 

You're right! I'd forgotten that they had actually tied the knot. My bad. 

Edited March 9, 2022 by dolphziggler

[Soapsuds]

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[carolineg]

So I have a question that maybe someone can answer or maybe not.  While I was talking about Belle being born out of wedlock I was thinking about Roman/Marlena/John's marriage legalities.   Roman/Marlena got married in the Catholic Church then John (as Roman) got "re-married" in the Catholic church.  It was nullified I assume when Roman came back?  I guess my question is how did Roman/Marlena get married in the church in the first place because they both were previously divorced.  Just because they didn't previously marry in the catholic church?  Does that make Carrie illegitimate in the eyes of the church?  And with the Alex North retconned back story are all Marlena's kids illegitimate because she never divorced him and therefore never was married to Roman at all? 

[victoria foxton]

 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2022 by victoria foxton

[Dion]

This is a very interesting set of questions so I looked up https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/legitimation after seeing your post.

My understanding from that is that the Alex North retcon would not - on its own - make Marlena's kids Illegitimate in the eyes of the church as Marlena did not remember her marriage to Alex and thus her subsequent marriages, provided they met certain criteria, were entered into in good faith and would thus be considered putative marriages.

How the other marriages - to Don and Anna - effect this I cannot be certain. I don't think Roman and Marlena would be allowed to marry in the church even if their previous marriages weren't in the church so perhaps they both magically got Catholic annulments offscreen lol. In any case, Carrie would likely considered to be the result of a putative marriage and thus still legitimate in the eyes of the church.

Belle is a bit more complicated. Not entirely sure what the deal is there. I think she would have been considered the legitimate child of Roman up until physical proof (I guess the DNA test?) was presented that John was her natural father and then possibly made legitimate when John and Marlena married in 1999. If we assume she was legitimate at the time that Marlena was revealed to have been married to Alex then her status would not change.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Dion

[carolineg]

Thank you for such a detailed response!  I know Roman was the legal father until John/Marlena got married because there were scenes where Roman/John had the birth certificate changed finally.

As far and RoJohn/Marlena weren't they married in good faith as well?  I wonder how that would hold up.  John was allowed to marry Isabella at St.Lukes but I don't think John/Marlena actively pursued an annulment for that marriage.  At least not onscreen.   I know Marlena/John did intend to get married at St. Lukes in 1997, but I presume that was okay since Roman/Isabella were dead/presumed dead.  It's not like it truly matters I have always just been curious about how that would all work.  

[Franko]

I'm now imagining Marlena and John enrolling Belle in school. I assume things are easier now for unmarried and older parents, but that could have been an interesting thing to explore if '90s DOOL had any interest in reality-based storytelling. Can you just imagine Marlena (or Susan!) being the hit of the mommy group?

[carolineg]

Lol!  It's weird because they referred to Belle as Belle Black I think after her and Roman divorced, but then never changed the birth certificate until 1999?  I guess they couldn't since Roman wasn't around to consent even with DNA tests?  Or they just chose not to because everyone knew the true paternity?  It seems like a slippery slope considering all the times Marlena/John's lives were at risk, but Belle was in John's will as of Aremid.  And I know Marlena got custody of Brady if John died in the gas chamber, so I guess just no one cares about biological ties in this.   But I, think, theoretically, if Marlena died Roman would have had a solid case to get custody of Belle because of the birth certificate. 

I assume Marlena would totally be the hit of the mommy group.  She could have brought Belle, Brady and her own grandson Will at the same time lol.  I think Susan would have been really popular with the kids not the moms.

[Khan]

You know, these issues you've brought up, @carolineg, would have provided some good story.  It's just a shame that the show we're talking about is DAYS and not RYAN'S HOPE.

[carolineg]

I never expected Days to play that even though JER heavily laid into Catholicism. It's a much more mundane topic than Devil Possession.  I just think there's an argument that Roman/Marlena's marriage is as much in good faith as RoJohn/Marlena's marriage and they could have played the details of Belle's paternity not being disclosed on her birth certificate if they kept Wayne on through the Possession or any times Marlena was kidnapped.