DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[Khan]

I realize John's forcing Marlena to keep the penthouse ("I'm Isabella's father, and I think that falls under child support") is something that's SUPPOSED to make him look heroic and manly; but, AFAIC, it just makes him look like a Class-A dick.  And if she decides not to stay at the penthouse OR at your loft, John, what are ya gonna do?  Are you gonna threaten to sue Doc for full custody of your love child?  Great balls of fire, Rhett Butler, I DO believe I'm gettin' the vapors!

Oh, well.  At least Dee's looking fab in her newest pink outfit.

[carolineg]

Yeah, it is sort of a dick move, but it is very John.  I would take that penthouse too, though.  I think I am more put off by the fact the show acts like Marlena (a well known Dr.) couldn't just go out and buy or rent her own apartment.  I assume Marlena wasn't planning on living at the Hortons the rest of her life.   They don't even change Belle's birth certificate until right before John/Marlena's wedding in 1999, so I am not sure what rights John thought he had lol.

[Khan]

That, too.

But it seems like whether we're talking about John, or Roman, or Don, or even Stefano, Marlena always attracts men who think "taking care of her" means controlling her; and Marlena, who's supposed to be this modern, forward-thinking woman, always swoons for it, when she's proven she's more than capable of taking care of herself (demonic possession notwithstanding).  That's so jacked up, and DAYS is jacked up for never addressing it.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Khan

[carolineg]

I actually think John is her least controlling mate.  He actually seems to respect her and her career and gives her a lot of credit for 'saving' him.   Roman and Don were always dicks about her job.   And then I am not sure if John has some residual control issues because he still has some of Roman's memories?  I think in the 90's it was worse because Marlena spent so much time waiting for John to dump Kristen and getting kidnapped and possessed John had to rescue her often.  I have more of a problem with Marlena sitting around like a damaged woman because she cheated on her husband just wishing and hoping John would wise up a leave Kristen.  It was the 90's not the 1950's.  

[Khan]

That reminds me of an exchange between two characters (both louses) on KNOTS LANDING:

"It's not the 1950's, just tell him we're sleeping together!"

"It's not the 1960's either!"

Anyways.  You're right.  Marlena shouldn't have been sitting around, punishing herself for the affair, or waiting for John to leave Kristen.  Let her focus on her children and rebuilding her practice; and if a reconciliation with Roman (or a returning Don) was out of the question, then let a new man enter her life (and no, Stefano DiMera and Alex North are not what I mean, lol).

Edited February 28, 2022 by Khan

[carolineg]

Seriously.   I know it was bad and awful and Roman was a decent guy and Sami was traumatized.  But John/Marlena had sex twice.  They weren't meeting at a local hotel for years.  It was an impossible situation but JER made Marlena out to be this sad woman who needed John to be with her and she wasn't allowed to have a life of her own.   Meanwhile John was out impregnating women all over town and living his best life.   I don't know of any soap character who got more [!@#$%^&*] for an affair especially since 1. she wanted to tell Roman all along 2. she thought Belle was Roman's kid 3. her daughter Sami is a psycho who still blames her life problems on an affair that happened 30 years ago.  Idk, stuff happens.  Marlena spent 4 years celibate to make up for her sins.

[victoria foxton]

 

  

[carolineg]

It seems like a lot of Renee/Lee clips are with Marlena.   Is that just what is available now or were Marlena/Renee/Lee that close?  

[victoria foxton]

From what i've read. Marlena was close to both of them. 

[yrfan1983]

Most of these clips are originally from ‘a 80s “Marlena cut” YT channel that was shut down

[Dion]

I think Marlena was the person Lee trusted enough to tell her secret that Renee was her daughter by Stefano. And Marlena was there for Renee during the strangler storyline and became a sort of mother/sister figure after Lee left.

When Renee told off the entire town for making her miserable, she specifically pointed out Marlena and Chris as her friends to - i guess - let them and the rest of the town know that her attack wasn't aimed at them.

[carolineg]

That's what I figured.  That seems most of what's "left" out there.  I was just curious how 'close' they were.

[Khan]

Just one of the many reasons why I hated JER's writing and wanted him gone from the show.  I mean, maybe such misogyny was present during the Sheri Anderson/Maggie DePriest/Leah Laiman/Thom Racina years, too, but it just wasn't so obvious, or so off-putting.

[carolineg]

Yeah.   I loved JER's Days at the time, but the whole story made Marlena AND Kristen look sad.  Marlena for being afraid to go after what she wanted because of guilt and shame and Kristen for doing everything to keep a man who just wasn't into her.  I love Drake/John as much as anyone, but he's not worth it lol.  But Bo and Austin were in similar situations as well.  I think John was the worst because he wasn't upfront about his feelings at all and Bo/Austin at least were pretty clear on where they stood with Billie/Sami.  John was framed as the ultimate hero (which I do think he is), but was actually just causing massive chaos and ruining lives under the guise of being 'noble'.  Just extreme misogyny as you said, but I don't think I noticed it much at the time. 

But I do think there was a lot of misogyny in the 70's/80's too.  Roman, Bo, Steve, Don, et all were all very dismissive of their mates careers and there was a lot of manhandling going on back then.   Early/bad Steve was pretty rough with Kayla.  John/RoJohn basically kidnapped Marlena before we knew he was Roman.  Jack's a rapist.  Tony's a rapist among other things.  Don/Marlena have a sex scene after they split up that's borderline rape.  Idk, JER made things extra weird, but it was always around.

[Khan]

And I am sick to death of it, too.  I am sick and tired of Samantha Gene Brady getting a pass to behave like a total, spoiled bitch, because, once upon a time, her mother had the audacity to love someone other than her father.  Never mind that that man had been more of a father (figure) to her than her own OR that what John and Marlena did doesn't even come close to what Sami, the so-called "tragic heroine" of DAYS, has done over the decades, or the lives she has destroyed.  I mean, where does SHE get off?

I could understand why Erica (AMC) or Delia (RH) or Reva (GL) behaved the way they did, because they operated from places of real, genuine want and pain.  But Sami is like GH's Heather: there's no credible, psychological basis for their villainy.  They're both just self-centered, narcissistic bitches; and in Sami's case, she's just a bitch for no [!@#$%^&*] reason that would make any sense to any writer who wasn't a hack like Jim [!@#$%^&*] Reilly.

As far as I am concerned, the poorly developed, poorly motivated nuisance that is Sami Brady can STAY gone.

That was the trouble with JER's writing.  Everyone was so focused on the big watercooler moments - "Oooooooooo-wee, did you see Carrie the slug the hell outta that bitch Sami!?" - that no one ever stopped and really took a hard, serious look at the messages he was sending out with his writing.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Khan