Marlena saying her life didn't start till she met John is kind of unhealthy behavior.  I would say the thing she loved most about John was that she could take care of him since he had so many years of angst trying to figure out his identity, etc.   While Don and Roman, she and them were on equal footing without the need for her to care for them or for them to care for her.

1 minute ago, Soaplovers said:

While Don and Roman, she and them were on equal footing without the need for her to care for them or for them to care for her.

Idk. Don was that big, blustery, blowhard type that probably felt the need to take care of his wife 😂😂😂

4 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

Marlena saying her life didn't start till she met John is kind of unhealthy behavior. 

Poor Sami and Eric!!

2 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Idk. Don was that big, blustery, blowhard type that probably felt the need to take care of his wife 😂😂😂

Yes, DJ died because Marlena dared to work through her pregnancy in Don's mind.  Whatever, Don.

Just now, carolineg said:

Yes, DJ died because Marlena dared to work through her pregnancy in Don's mind.  Whatever, Don.

😂😂😂

I wonder how Don would've reacted to John if they had ever met.

3 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

😂😂😂

I wonder how Don would've reacted to John if they had ever met.

I always wished Don would have returned so Marlena and Don could have a hilarious conversation about how it was reasonable to not be able to tell the difference between your spouses.  Whoops!😂  At least Sam was Marlena's twin....

18 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I always wished Don would have returned so Marlena and Don could have a hilarious conversation about how it was reasonable to not be able to tell the difference between your spouses.  Whoops!😂  At least Sam was Marlena's twin....

Or at least talk about where he went after he mailed that letter 😂😂

46 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

Marlena saying her life didn't start till she met John is kind of unhealthy behavior.  I would say the thing she loved most about John was that she could take care of him since he had so many years of angst trying to figure out his identity, etc.   While Don and Roman, she and them were on equal footing without the need for her to care for them or for them to care for her.

disagree on all counts

To me it's obvious that what Marlena meant was that she was already a complete person within herself before meeting John; but after meeting John her life blossomed to a new level she hadn't known before.

I don't think she was bound to John as back and forth caretakers. I think she and John were true equals.

Roman loved Marlena in his own way but he was somewhat patronizing at times.

1 hour ago, Soaplovers said:

Marlena saying her life didn't start till she met John is kind of unhealthy behavior. 

I understood it very differently as well. I wouldn't have piled on, but @janea4old and I were clearly composing our posts at the same time (great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ).

To me, she was saying that their love was an awakening.  Obviously, she loved Roman and their twins, as well as Don.  But, John revealed something to her that she had never seen before.  I actually think it is a lovely, and very optimistic, idea to think that one's third marriage could be special because you met each other at a specific time in your life.

Not to be crude about the departed, but John was trained by the best, and he rocked her world.  Think about it, before Kristin met him, she was just a mild-mannered social worker.  And< I doubt Roman and Kate are doing whatever Doc and John did with those strawberries and cream.  If we translate soap dialogue into reality, that is probably what Marlena meant.

Of course, John was only her third husband if you don't count Eugene and 

Spoiler

Alex North

(aka the husband nobody mourned).  If you choose that definition, John was also her 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th husband.  However, I believe it was @carolineg who reminded us that in polite society, friends just say Happy Anniversary, and don't mention the years in between.

Edited June 2Jun 2 by j swift

Yeah I just took it as the life Marlena truly wanted and needed started with John that day.  She lived a life before with loves and happiness, but found her soul mate in John.  Besides, I don't expect Marlena to get into semantics of her previous loves with her husband that clearly has little time left.

And, yes, @j swift in Salem you just say Happy Anniversary whenever you multi time married friends decide what day they want to celebrate it lol.

14 minutes ago, j swift said:

I actually think it is a lovely, and very optimistic, idea to think that one's third marriage could be special because you met each other at a specific time in your life

🤎

13 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

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

Thanks for the tip. I'm not even there viewing-wise yet and as I told my co-worker who grew up on DAYS today, I'm just not ready. So I know I'll be a mess when I get to the episode. 

 

2 hours ago, Bright Eyes said:

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!

Love all of this.

3 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

Thanks for the tip. I'm not even there viewing-wise yet and as I told my co-worker who grew up on DAYS today, I'm just not ready. So I know I'll be a mess when I get to the episode. 

 

Love all of this.

I’m watching it tonight. I’ve been watching the new episodes simultaneously as I catch up in May 😂 I had to see John’s send off in real time.

1 minute ago, Antoyne said:

I’m watching it tonight. I’ve been watching the new episodes simultaneously as I catch up in May 😂 I had to see John’s send off in real time.

Lol. I understand. For me, it's just John and Marlena are the couple that introduced me to DAYS and Young Me had such a crush on him since I saw his attractive self at Maison Blanche. And whether I regularly viewed or not, I always tried to stay checked in to how they were doing. Also Drake always was a cool man in interviews so I know today's episode is going to hit where it hurts.

 

I know I will have to watch eventually. Work, life, and internet connection are setbacks without me stalling. And I can say that I'm stalling somewhat. At least...like GH episodes on my system...I have some time before they get deleted, but I'm going to be a sobbing mess. 

John and Marlena's love story is over.  As I started watching in 1993, and they became my favourite couple because of storylines like The Affair, Maison Blanche, The Possession, Aremid, and The Secret Room - just five straight years of amazing stories.  The funny thing is, in all of those stories, John and Marlena were never truly together, but I was fine with that because I knew how much they loved each other - Deidre and Drake just had so much chemistry and made it so believable.  

Deidre was fantastic today, especially in that last scene where Marlena told John it was okay for him to rest now.  I agree with @j swift, that having a body for Marlena, and everyone else, to say goodbye to was the right choice, as well as just having Marlena there alone as John dies.  

Marlena: John, I love you so….

John: I love you too, Doc.

Marlena: I need you to listen to me.  You have put up the bravest fight I have ever seen. The thing is I….I know you’re weary, I know you’re suffering…..If you need to go, it’s okay. I know that you’re worried me, about the children….You have given us all the love we will ever need. We will always have you in our memories. We will always hold you in our hearts. So…it’s okay if you rest now. You can rest now.

 

Bo and Hope are my second favourite couple, so for them to be part of this episode made it even more special.  I loved the inclusion of Zack - in the flashback and in the family scene at the Brady Pub.  John dies and Bo wakes up.  Two great love stories intertwining and showcased (loved the flashbacks!) in today's very emotional episode.  

 

Great recap @Bright Eyes

 

To clarify, we could argue about the necessity to have John Black speak while in hospital, but the body created an opportunity for people to touch him, and move around him.  Even though I never totally suspended my disbelief, I appreciated their creative choice to form a visual representation of loss.  Certainly there were other ways to tell this story, but it will stay with me because those production choices enabled these performances.

However, with disdain, I note that Days has found an odd middle ground between a flashback and a montage.  I define a flashback as least a couple of rounds of dialogue, if not a whole scene.  And a montage would be a visual snippet without much dialogue.  But, these were often just a single line, or an entrance.  It felt like a bit of a tease, and made me wish that Peacock had curated a playlist of John Black's Greatest Hits, like they do for some Bravo shows or SNL characters.  OT - but they have yet to maximize that platform.

Edited June 3Jun 3 by j swift