DAYS: June 2025 Discussion Thread

 

As Salem bids farewell to John Black on Monday, the "Days" family and fans say a final goodbye to Drake Hogestyn.

 

From his time as a young man playing baseball in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees to his almost four-decade run as John Black, Drake always did his best. And, while becoming a soap opera icon, he spent almost 40 years at "Days" telling the best stories and taking the younger cast under his wing to make sure they would do their best as well. Thank you, Drake, for the legacy you have left for everyone at "Days." The impact you made on the cast, crew and fans will never be forgotten...and that's a fact.

1 hour ago, JAS0N47 said:

 

As Salem bids farewell to John Black on Monday, the "Days" family and fans say a final goodbye to Drake Hogestyn.

 

From his time as a young man playing baseball in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees to his almost four-decade run as John Black, Drake always did his best. And, while becoming a soap opera icon, he spent almost 40 years at "Days" telling the best stories and taking the younger cast under his wing to make sure they would do their best as well. Thank you, Drake, for the legacy you have left for everyone at "Days." The impact you made on the cast, crew and fans will never be forgotten...and that's a fact.

So beautiful and so sad. 

Proudest dad ever 🌈 #PrideKing #JohnBlack #Jarlena #Days

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— Hall 💜 Monitor ~ Amber (@hallmonitor.bsky.social) June 1, 2025 at 7:33 AM

 

Proudest dad ever 🌈 #PrideKing #JohnBlack #Jarlena #Days pic.twitter.com/VPsfBaORA4

— Hall 💜 Monitor (@aoii92) June 1, 2025

Edited June 2, 2025Jun 2 by janea4old

RIP to our hero, John Black 😥😥

I really wonder why they chose to write this whole ‘John is getting better’ part of the storyline, especially since we all knew what was really going to happen. And I hope we find out the answer someday.

But as tough and as tearjerking as today was, it was also really beautiful. And the acting, even though a lot of it if not all of it was real, was spectacular. The flashbacks were beautiful too. I honestly can’t even describe how much I enjoyed today. 

Having so many of John and Marlena’s scenes be focused on the two of them and their love story was the right decision. It was a fitting end to John and Marlena. And I’m also glad that John and Steve got to have one last goodbye after everything that happened.

As for Bo and Hope and their family, I did think that some parts were a little unnecessary but I really enjoyed Bo’s dream and his reunion with Zack. The acting playing Zack actually did a pretty good job too. Everybody encouraging Bo to fight was really the right decision in this storyline as well. 

As for the final minutes of today, be prepared. I actually have tears running down my cheeks as I write this. 

On May 27, Johnny spoke to Sami on the phone, and learned that Sami and Sydney were trying to fly in from Sicily, but were stopped by a volcanic eruption because the ash had grounded all the planes.

As discussed on the May thread, ash from Mt. Etna in Sicily caused planes to be grounded in summer 2024, so Cwikly/Ford would have known that.  (I just learned that Mt. Etna has been considered "active" with intermittent activity since 2022, including February, April, and May 2025.)

Friday May 30, Will said that Sami and Sydney found another flight and will be here soon.

Well, Sami and Sydney got out just in time, because …

There was (and still is ongoing) a huge eruption of Mt. Etna that began very early Monday morning June 2 Italy time (which would be Sunday night June 1st Chicago time) and a volcanic ash plume had reached an altitude of around 6,400 metres (around 3 or 4 miles high)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mount-etna-eruption-volcano-smoke-lava-live-updates-b2761911.html 

Edited June 2, 2025Jun 2 by janea4old

John loved Sami unconditionally and forever

#Jarlena #DadMoment pic.twitter.com/4TjbNfDCH2

— Susan (@LoveTheDHs) June 1, 2025

Edited June 2, 2025Jun 2 by janea4old

Wait, Sami didn’t get to say goodbye to John before he passed? That’s so sad.

15 minutes ago, asafi said:

Wait, Sami didn’t get to say goodbye to John before he passed? That’s so sad.

Yes it's sad 😢 that Sami didn't make it back in time to say goodbye

but John loved her and his spirit would have felt her spirit with him. He would have known in his heart that she wanted to be there. 🤎

That scene janea posted is my all time favorite John and Sami scene.

I never thought Days would be the soap that I look forward to each day and have it take me on an emotional roller coaster.   Proving that good writing will bring fans back.

I seriously got chills over today's episode, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. Fancy face😭

The only humor I found was the ongoing snipping between Hope and Ciara.  After the heck that Hope put Julie through as an adolescent, it seems like justice has been served that there is rarely a moment of peace between this mother and daughter.

I take back everything I thought about faux-John in the bed.  Marlena needed someone in the room today for that to work.  It would have been odd if she was alone in her bedroom, or he was dead in the bed next to her.  It is a powerful thing to say that her life didn't really begin until she found John.  We know she loved Don and Roman, but this was special and unique.

I always wonder how writers choose a name for a character.  Here's Marlena:

No wonder her sister Samantha went insane, she knew Marlena was the one her parents wished for.

To distract from the story,

• I started wondering how often Hope and Marlena were on the show at the same time.?
  • I know they shared stories, but it seems like Hope ascended during Marlena's absence, and Marlena re-appeared while Hope was not in Salem. 
• I also wondered how many more episodes Marlena appeared with John, than Don or Roman?
  • Her on-screen marriage to Roman was relatively short.  But, there were a lot of breaks from the show during her marriage to John.  And she and Don were together for at least a few years.

 

Edited June 2, 2025Jun 2 by j swift

I haven't said much about last week and today because I'm just enjoying it that much and soaking it all in. Building up the characters hopes before they pull the rug out from under them doesn't bother me. I think it helps to balance out the wave of devastation of this huge loss they'll be experiencing. I also want to give kudos to how well they are pacing every individual character's turn to have their moment and shine a light on their relationship with John. Never once has it felt forced or oversaturated. 

Carrie was a sight for sore eyes. How I wish things turned out differently and she was a permanent Salem resident. Even if the whole episode was just her meeting everyone, I would have been glued to the screen.

I've never been the biggest fan of Brady, but his reminiscing with John surprisingly choked me up more than I thought it would or even could. Maybe because through the years John also kept the memory of Isabella alive for me, too? Still, so many strong moments, another being Abe hoping to be there standing proudly with John if Theo and Claire ever got married. I pictured it so vividly. That strong a point of view from Abe is so rare, too.

Like someone mentioned above, Roman should absolutely get that moment of thanking John for loving his children, but I bet they're saving that for the funeral. Same with Hope, who has shared such strong ties to him throughout the years. Would it be insensitive if Kate got a moment, too? I could sense a moment like in All My Children when Dixie died and Brooke went to Jamie and acknowledged that she recognized that he was hurting and loved Dixie, too.

Sami missing saying goodbye to John, while all his other children got a moment with him, is actually perfect for her character. How she reacts to that fact, if she's returning, will be a real testament to whether she's truly changed and evolved for the better.

Always happy to see Eric/Greg Vaughan, the constantly beautiful man he is.

It was so interesting how they positioned Johnny with the rest of the group. It made him so relatable to me, because looking outside in at all of them together who have spent so much more time with each other, with John, and especially with the audience, it absolutely would be intimidating and would just add to him feeling like he didn't belong. All these strong character choices are much welcome. Even the small part of Eric needing to pray helps see the characters as individuals. Having only kept a surface level attention on the show during the RC years, seeing Will and Eric connecting with Johnny was new to me. I even forgot Will and Johnny were brothers for a moment. Eric sounded like such an uncle when he told Johnny he didn't give him a chance to say a proper hello. With that scene and the hint of trouble in paradise, I can't help but wonder if Eric could be back in Salem more regularly? (No spoilers please). 

My only real negative is that Chandler Massey is so limiting. I care about Paul the way I should care about Will because of how much stronger the actor is. If ever Will was returning permanently, which I don't think is necessary at this point, I would have to recast.

Anyway, except for that horrible and too on the nose cheap song choice at the end, another wonderfully done episode today. All the Bo material has been just as strong. We have been absolutely spoiled with all these flashbacks with both men. Even if it's been done before, the Bo in purgatory scenes have been a treat just to see Bo again properly and not just lying in bed. I wonder if Drake Hogestyn could have filmed, if they would have crossed paths in their dream states?

I was surprised they didn't just have Scott Shilstone back as Zack, but this new guy was solid, but in no way looked like Bo and Hope's child. When Zack mentioned he was surrounded by loved ones, I was hoping for a line about him meeting Isabella. I did think it was funny that in today's hospital scenes with Bo, Hope and Ciara were dressed much more appropriately. As for Chelsea,  much as I like Rachel Melvin, I understand the choice to have Chelsea there, but not on-screen. I wonder if they even asked her to return or was this always the plan? Still, Bo is finally alive again after all! I was holding out for a hero, it's just so sad we had to lose the ultimate one in the process!

Edited June 2, 2025Jun 2 by Bright Eyes

41 minutes ago, Bright Eyes said:

I wonder if Drake Hogestyn could have filmed, if they would have crossed paths in their dream states?

That sounds like a good idea, but I think Drake was too sick by that point. 

Christie Clark even said that she tried to go see him when she was in California and she wasn't allowed to.

1 hour ago, j swift said:

 

• I also wondered how many more episodes Marlena appeared with John, than Don or Roman?
  • Her on-screen marriage to Roman was relatively short.  But, there were a lot of breaks from the show during her marriage to John.  And she and Don were together for at least a few years.

 

John has to have them both beat. I don't see how he couldn't.

1 hour ago, j swift said:

To distract from the story,

• I started wondering how often Hope and Marlena were on the show at the same time.?
  • I know they shared stories, but it seems like Hope ascended during Marlena's absence, and Marlena re-appeared while Hope was not in Salem. 

 

KA started in 1983 both KA and DH left in 1987.  KA appeared for a few months in 1990.  Deidre came back in 1991 and KA returned again in 1994.  Outside of Deidre's firing in 2009 and KA leaving they always were in one another's orbits. 

Hope was more part of the young crowd in the 80's, but they still shared stories due to Bo/Roman.  I would say both characters had different periods of prominence, but overall it was very equal.

20 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

John has to have them both beat. I don't see how he couldn't.

I would say even someone like Ali/Sami might have Roman and Don beat out as far as episodes appearing with Marlena, but that wasn't really the original question lol