DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[koos]

I'm pretty sure Wayne's Roman is at least partly responsible for my love of plaid. Too bad it looks like shite on CM.

[titan1978]

Yes!  And the possibility that they also could have reunited again.  The only real competition to John.  I also think as an audience member, having a viable (Wayne’s) Roman gives John strength too. Something to prove, or react against.  The depth of what he lost was more present when Roman was there too.  John lost a family, his love again, his identity.  Everything.  Once Roman was gone, or back but played by a nonsense recast, John just existed as a version of the Roman he played.

 

Roman Brady deserves better.

Edited January 18, 2020 by titan1978

[victoria foxton]

Days of Our Lives 2003-2004 Salem Stalker--Interviews

[DRW50]

 

[Khan]

 

I look at Josh Taylor's Roman with Lauren Koslow and Dee Hall and think it all would play so much better with Wayne Northrop's Roman and DH's Hattie (who I definitely think should be revealed as Marlena and Samantha's long-lost twin), and JT's Chris Kositchek with LK's Kate.

 

Anyways.  I agree, @titan1978.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Khan

[KMan101]

 

Yep, it would be so much better this way! I hated seeing them throw Roman under the bus when they didn't have to. But JER was single minded at times and didn't see a 'place' for Roman on his canvas. I disagreed with it then. Of course he then used Roman as angst in 1997 and Wayne was on Port Charles. I'm also furious Wayne finally returned and it was for that Alex North bullshit.

Edited January 19, 2020 by KMan101

[Khan]

I've said it before, @KMan101, and I'll say it again: I don't believe JER enjoyed writing for DAYS.  I think he just liked being a HW (instead of a Co-HW or associate/breakdown writer) of a soap opera, period.  And yes, there is a difference, lol.

 

I've said (almost) all this before as well, but I think it's still do-able, even with their ages and DAYS' general craziness (and piss-poor budget):

 

1. Bring back WN as Roman.  (WN has said he's willing to return -- but only as Roman, not as that godawful Alex North (who could easily be tossed into the sea of forgetfulness) or another new character).  No elaborate explanations, justifications or motivations for the "un-casting" either.  Just have him appear again as Roman during a normal episode and carry on.

 

2. Wait a month (or so) and have Josh Taylor return as Chris Kositchek.  Again, no elaborate explanations or nudge-nudge-wink-wink allusions to the fact that he was Roman not too long ago.  (JT could maybe change his hair color temporarily, like Judi Evans did when she first came back as Adrienne after playing Bonnie, but that's as far as anyone would need to go).  Just have Chris walk through the door at the Brady Pub one afternoon; and have Abe, John, Marlena, Roman and whoever else glad to see him again.

 

3. Use Chris' reason for returning to Salem after all these years -- a new business venture, perhaps?  Something to do with his background as an engineer -- as a way to put him and Kate in each other's orbit.  (Maybe Kate could go to work for him, sparks fly, etc).  Conflict can arise from two sources: Lucas, who never likes any of Kate's men (lol); and Chris' own reluctance to begin a new romance after the implosion of his marriage. 

 

3a. Mary Frann's dead, and so I'm reluctant to bring back Amanda Howard; Mary Anderson was murdered ages ago; and as for Savannah Wilder...well, do we really need or want Shannon Tweed back, lol?  So, let Chris' ex-wife be someone he met, married and divorced during his years away from Salem.  Get a "name" actress to play the ex-wife.  She doesn't have to be a permanent character, but she does have to be there to try and win back Chris and inadvertently learn/reveal the Big Secret That Will Tear Lucas and Kate Apart -- namely, that Curtis Reed, and NOT Bill Horton, was his biological father.  Kate will turn to Chris, Lucas will turn to the bottle, Chris' ex-wife will turn to stone, etc.

 

4. Repair the damage JER and others have done to Roman over the years by allowing WN's natural qualities (his down-to-earth charm, his easy-going sense of humor, etc.) to shine again w/ others, especially in scenes with DH/Marlena.  It's not like redeeming a serial killer (hi, Ben!), so just let Roman BE Roman for a change. 

 

5. Throw in a healthy dose of Roman/Marlena flashbacks to remind (for older viewers) or explain (to newer ones) why the two were such a big deal BITD, as you tease the possibility of a Roman/Marlena reunion.  (Perhaps, John and Marlena could be on the outs for some reason, with it looking like John MIGHT end up with Hope -- not Hope as Princess Gina, but Hope as Hope, or as some post-injection Gina/Hope hybrid).  At the same time, leave open the possibility of Roman ending up with Hattie, with the conflict coming from Hattie's insecurities (she's still afraid that Roman's only interested in her because of her resemblance to "Doc" -- fears that are elevated, now that he and Marlena are growing closer again). 

 

5a. Since a(nother) Bo Brady resurrection doesn't seem likely, there's a chance John/Hope, which DAYS has been threatening to pull the trigger on since the George W. Bush administration, could ignite, for lack of a better word.  (I certainly believe "Jope" would go over better than "Rope," lol).  True, "Jarlena" will always have their fans.  If written properly, however, with no one's character assassinated all to hell, then a scenario where John ends up with Hope and Roman reunites with Marlena could work. 

 

5b. Scenario #2 -- where (in my wildest dreams) "Marlena" turns out to be a resurrected, brainwashed Samantha and the REAL Marlena Evans turns up -- also could work.  In this scenario, Marlena Samantha could remain with John, who knows a thing or two about living someone else's life.  He helps her reconnect with herself, they fall in love in the process; and Roman gets back his Doc, who has been away since '87.  Again, if written the right way -- and I do believe even okay writing can cover up a multitude of sins, such as the fact that Dee Hall has a tough time playing Marlena, let alone Marlena and her twin(s) -- it could satisfy the "Jarlena" fans as well as the Roman/Marlena ones.

 

5c. Scenario #2 also leaves "hope" for Hope to be reunited with Bo, who SHOULD be resurrected.

 

6. In both scenarios, therefore, Hattie becomes expendable...and dangerous.  She attempts to murder Marlena and take her place, but ends up in the sanitarium, with Marlena (and Samantha) pledging to support their twin.  BUT --

 

7. If Scenario #1 doesn't pan out, then John can just reunite with Marlena and Roman can find love again with Hattie (I believe Wayne and Dee could sell Roman/Hattie just as well as they sold Roman/Marlena), and Chris/Kate can continue unabated.

 

[carolineg]

I mean, I have always heard NBC thought Deidre Hall was too old for Drake in the 90's and that's why Eileen came in, but I still think NBC thought she was a viable character.  I do think Reily just adored Marlena and played her more front and center than any other head writer would.  And obviously in the end John and Marlena are what the audience wanted.  Again, they were in no rush to pair Marlena with anyone else so why not have Wayne around?  By the time Roman returned in 1997 even if it was Wayne it was too late.  The audience was already way too skewed on J/M's great, soulmate love.

I think it would be interesting if Roman and Marlena tried again, but Belle not being his and all the Stefano craziness that had occurred made them just realize they couldn't recapture what they had.  Roman could have veered off into other stories and Marlena could have been inserted into Kristen/John again.  It could have kept Roman viable as a character and made him less "man scorned/left brokenhearted" like JT's Roman became.  I guess it would limit the crazy Marlena stories if she had a love interest, but it would have been a better ending for Roman and Roman/Marlena fans which did exist.  And I do think Roman was needed during the Carrie/Austin/Sami mess.  Things were too tenuous between John/Marlena/Sami that someone needed to check Sami that she cared about.  And he just looked like a crappy father for being MIA for all that Sami/Carrie went through.  It's hard to believe that a man that lost so much time with his children against his will would just willingly decide to take a super dangerous, undercover mission and not be heard from for 4 years.

[SoapDope]

This has probably been posted before, but I will post it again anyway. Susan Seaforth Hayes flashes back to 1968.

 

 

[Dion]

 

Roman going after Alan for what he did to Sami would alone have probably kept him busy enough for nearly a year, couple that with a (completely platonic but one that stirred up feelings of jealousy in Bo) friendship (and mentor-ship) with Hope that started when she was still amnesiac and calling herself Gina. This would have added more to the Bo and Hope storyline which I've always felt (Jude St Clair aside) Reilly didn't know what to do with them once Hope got her memory back and Lisa Rinna left. Heck, instead of bringing Franco to Salem Kate could have instead tried to push Hope and Roman together only to fall for him herself while still married to Victor.

[carolineg]

Not about him and Hope at all, but, yes, literally Sami/Carrie/Austin drama could have kept him going for years.  Plus, Stefano things.  I would have been okay with him and Billie or Kate though.  Even him and Kristen honestly.  Anna coming back would have been the best.

[Khan]

 

I don't believe the love that Roman and Marlena shared couldn't be recaptured.  Again, if it's set up properly, I think a real, honest-to-golly Roman/Marlena reunion could work.  Just as Roman shouldn't have been thrown under the bus to make John/Marlena happen, however, John shouldn't be ruined -- and his years with Marlena shouldn't be disrespected, if only for fans' sake -- to prop up Roman/Marlena Redux.

 

As a fan of a show that taught me how love is the only thing that sustains us, I have to believe anything is possible.  Otherwise, I've learned nothing from watching DAYS, lol.

[carolineg]

 

Now?  There is too much water under that bridge.  In the 90's?  Absolutely.  They should have made it a Jax/Brenda/Sonny like triangle where there were two root for couples and the audience would be divided. But JER didn't do those types of triangles.  They was always a villain and an eventual destined winner.  I am a firm believer of J&M as the endgame, but I think I would have enjoyed Roman/John/Marlena much more than all the Kristen nonsense.  Not that it wasn't good, but it made John and Marlena both look dumb for a long time.  It also made Marlena look a little pathetic.  Was her plan just to pine away for John the rest of her life if she didn't figure out Kristen's schemes?  Were John and Marlena just going to both be miserable because Kristen and John shared a child (which J&M also shared)?  That makes zero sense lol. Roman would have made sense and been much more organic and believable.

 

I also was never a big fan of the Stefano/Marlena obsession.  Wanting to kill her?  Sure, but being so desperately in love with her was just weird.  He's a supervillain.   At some point wouldn't he just cut his losses?  He could get other women.  Paris was really good and all, but it was never a characteristic I enjoyed about Stefano.  So glad they randomly brought that back currently...

Edited January 20, 2020 by carolineg

[Khan]

 

I, too, never understood where his "Queen of the Night" obsession came from.  (Or is it "Lady of the Night"?  I always get it mixed up, lol).  I certainly don't see it in any clips from the '80s.

 

When Stefano first appeared in Salem, he was obsessed with Julie and in fact had "big plans" for her (according to Pat Falken Smith).  I wish we knew what those plans were and why they were ultimately dropped.

Edited January 21, 2020 by Khan

[Franko]

Maybe Stefano was a masochist. Marlena "killed" him in 1985 and from there on out, he just couldn't help but wuv her. Granted, it was from afar until 1994, but ...