4 minutes ago, Antoyne said:

When Kristen was good and a social worker, Stefano had already raised her right? Was she just fighting her upbringing at first? And did John know Stefano was her dad when they were an item?

 

Stefano had raised her.  So John's tale about Stefano fell on deaf ears to Kristen because she only knew Stefano as a good person. 

John learned Kristen was Stefano's adopted daughter a few months in I think.  They had some sexy times and John was distraught after learning this, but then Kristen was like I am engaged to Tony, FYI, LOL.  Her introduction was weird tbh, because the show was heavily leaning towards John/Marlena and pivoted quickly to Kristen/John.  I believe someone and NBC wanted Drake with a younger love interest.

And obviously when JER fully took over he was all in on John/Marlena.

Edited July 26Jul 26 by carolineg

18 minutes ago, carolineg said:

but then Kristen was like I am engaged to Tony, FYI, LOL. 

A little awkward that Stefano wanted his "children" to marry each other 😂😂😂

8 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

A little awkward that Stefano wanted his "children" to marry each other 😂😂😂

I feel like John got multiple monologues in about how creepy it was to be fair-and even Marlena and Roman were like that's really weird too.

I clearly remember the rhetoric about Tony being blinded in the Maison Blanche fire and Kristen saying now she has to marry him and Wayne's Roman, was like, but why?  And gave her a full side eye.  RIP Wayne!

Edited July 26Jul 26 by carolineg

Stefano was never a "dad" to them. They used to even be called his wards. Now, of course, Kristen seems to think of him as "father". But, Kristen, the social worker with a heart of gold has evolved so much over the years. In a way a different character.

Another thing that Reilly was doing with "Queen of the Night" began with the adultery when Marlena went to try to keep John from leaving Salem. Reilly thought Marlena was too perfect & he thought she would be a lot more interesting if he dirtied her up a bit. Turned out to be a lot more than just a bit. LOL!! But, she probably was MUCH more interesting. 

On 7/23/2025 at 1:42 PM, Errol said:

Aren't they still using material written by Carlivati? Why do I recall something being said about September being the proper kick-off to their original stories?

 

On 7/23/2025 at 4:41 PM, janea4old said:

What is currently airing now is *not* using anything *written* or *outlined* by Ron.  If they were, Ron would be credited in the closing credits, and he's not.

An actor or actors mentioned at an event (or events) that storylines would be continuing, but it was expressed unclearly, so an inadvertently inaccurate impression was given.

I believe the actor(s) intended to convey that Cwikly/Ford would be continuing and wrapping up storylines that Ron had already set in motion and that might take a few months, but still, it's all Cwikly-Ford's writing since April 24 episode.

For example:  EJ's shooting was already a storyline before Ron left, so  Cwikly/Ford are playing that out for however long.  EJ/Belle was already happening before Ron left, so Cwikly/Ford are playing that out for however long.  And several other storylines.  Etc., etc.
And also Cwikly/Ford said in their April interview "Gwen’s return was in the works before we were hired."

So basically the only *new* story arcs that Cwikly/Ford have written that have aired so far, are John Black's death and funeral and the events surrounding that  (which included Bope and Pandrew).

Now what's airing is what the playing out of all the storylines that were started before Ron left, plus Emily O'Brien's return. -- but all written by Cwikly/Ford with their take on things.  Nothing airing since April 24 was written or outlined by Ron.

I think that's why the actor(s) at the event(s) said Cwikly/Ford's new ideas will start airing in the autumn.

 

On 7/23/2025 at 11:34 PM, te. said:

I think you're misinterpreting what they mean with outlines - stuff like the "Who shot EJ" storyline would've been discussed in the writers room considering they dropped clues and such before Ron left. Same thing with Gwen's return - likely she's tied to the hospital funding plot (I don't know this for sure, so it's not a spoiler) and if that's the case it was probably discussed before Ron left. 

So yes, they're probably using ideas and "outlines" that were put into motion before Ron left. That he's not being credited doesn't mean they're not staying true to the projected resolutions, though they're likely setting things up for their own storylines (hence certain characters just leaving that I'm sure wouldn't have left if Ron was still there). 

 

On 7/23/2025 at 4:09 PM, Errol said:

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that when their material started airing that it would initially be to clean up the former head writer's material, with their original stories kicking off in September. Clearly, I misread or misremembered, cause I can't source it at the moment.

This came from person/persons who attended a fan event/events with DAYS actor/actors (on zoom and/or in person).
The information was relayed by event attendee(s) who posted about it.  I do think they posted as accurately as they were able.
I think October was mentioned, not September, but either way, in the autumn.

As I had mentioned, the currently-airing storylines are Cwikly/Ford playing out what had already been set in motion by Ron before they started.  Plus Cwikly/Ford specifically said that Gwen's July return had already been arranged before they took over writing episodes that began airing late April.  I said that the only *new* stuff they wrote was John's death and funeral and the surrounding events with Bope/Pandrew.

ADDING onto the above conversation:

I forgot to mention that SORASed Arianna Horton began airing around the time that Cwikly/Ford episodes began airing, so her storyline is largely theirs.  Ron didn't write for SORASed Arianna.  I don't know who/how/when her hiring was arranged, but her episodes are written by Cwikly/Ford.

I also forget to mention that the Cwikly/Ford interviews in April mentioned that there would be stuff happening for the 60th anniversary airing in November 2025, but that is expected.
Not going into spoilers here on this nonspoiler thraed,
just making a nonspecific statement.
***SPECULATION*** that whatever Cwikly/Ford writes that airs starting in September or October might be something that plays out for the 60th anniversary airing in November 2025.
Again that's just a GUESS, not a spoiler.

To CLARIFY:  My sense of what was relayed at the actor(s) events:

The actor(s) were MAYBE describing when they themself as an actor would be airing in new storylines.   So perhaps their character's storylines airing April-September as written by Cwikly/Ford -- are continuing their character's storylines that had been started by Ron.

But, on further thought, I doubt that the actor(s) intended to convey that *all* the characters would be playing out continuing storylines until the autumn.  But if the actor(s) said it vaguely, I can see how that impression could have been heard.
 

@te. said  "I think you're misinterpreting what they mean with outlines. <snip> So yes, they're probably using ideas and "outlines" that were put into motion before Ron left. That he's not being credited doesn't mean they're not staying true to the projected resolutions, though they're likely setting things up for their own storylines (hence certain characters just leaving that I'm sure wouldn't have left if Ron was still there)." 


Jeanne Marie Ford (formerly Jeanne Marie Grunwell) has been continuously been with the DAYS writing staff since 1994. Also most of the credited writing team
in the currently-airing episodes is the same team that was present when Ron was there.
We know some of them have since left, but they were at DAYS way back when what's airing now was written.   It's basically the same team except for Cwikly instead of Ron.  So yeah some of the ideas were already discussed amongst the writers, and there would be some continuity,  but Ford/Cwikly can change/redirect it as they see fit.  So it's officially their stuff and not Ron's. 


The Cwikly/Ford interviews in April mentioned only that we'd see Marlena's grief, which is expected and not a spoiler. 

This new stuff airing this week, with Queen of the Night and Stefano, is clearly NEW stuff written for Marlena, in that Ron's episodes didn't have any of that.   I don't think it was anything Ron envisioned, but of course we would never know officially.   I mean, it's obviously the sort of thing that Ron would do, but we don't know.  At any rate, it's officially new stuff from Ford/Cwikly.

Edit to insert:

• Yes the word "outlines" has caused some of the confusion in discussion over the past few months, due to the word "outlines" meaning different things in different contexts.

--------------------

So yeah, to sum up: that's my new *theory* --- 
the "nothing-new-until-autumn" idea is only applicable to the storylines of one or a few actors and not the entire canvas. 
I have ZERO knowledge of behind-the-scenes.
This is only a speculation/theory and I could be wrong.

Edited July 26Jul 26 by janea4old

The thing about Kristen was that her descent into the dark side didn't just happen over night.. but happened over a period of time.  The first sign of Kristen starting that descent was when Kristen hid a letter and/or diary.. another was her miscarriage and her lamenting that now she had nothing to keep John tied to her, then trying to use a mirror to hypnotize John into sleeping with her so she could become pregnant.

Her desperation to hold onto John stemmed from earlier events such as the marriage to Tony, her not believing John was innocent of 'killing Tony', and seeing how close John/Marlena got after the Satan possession story and Marlena believing John was innocent.

That type of gradual story telling is hardly told in this day and age.  Nowadays, Kirsten would wake up evil instead of the viewer being shown the journey to revealing that side of her.

33 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

The thing about Kristen was that her descent into the dark side didn't just happen over night.. but happened over a period of time.  The first sign of Kristen starting that descent was when Kristen hid a letter and/or diary.. another was her miscarriage and her lamenting that now she had nothing to keep John tied to her, then trying to use a mirror to hypnotize John into sleeping with her so she could become pregnant.

Her desperation to hold onto John stemmed from earlier events such as the marriage to Tony, her not believing John was innocent of 'killing Tony', and seeing how close John/Marlena got after the Satan possession story and Marlena believing John was innocent.

That type of gradual story telling is hardly told in this day and age.  Nowadays, Kirsten would wake up evil instead of the viewer being shown the journey to revealing that side of her.

I love that old school method & the fact that it tends to let the writing have the luxury of playing out every single beat of the drama.

There's always intrigue and cool discussions in this thread.  And I love the weekends when we break it down more structurally.  Although, much like Marlena's boudoir, an unwelcome presence threatens our community.  🍃

I agree with @carolineg that the original possession only worked because it was built on John and Marlena’s love story.  And it had emotional stakes under all the genre excess. And I get what @Antoyne ’s saying too: Marlena’s grief doesn’t need bells and whistles to land.

But for me, this is exactly why I stay with Days. It knows how to hold grief and absurdity in the same frame. That contrast isn’t new; it’s the show’s texture. It rarely works, because it seems difficult to create and maintain. Yet when Days hits the balance, it lands.

What we saw Friday isn’t a random rehash. It’s a return to the threshold. Marlena, raw with grief, is revisiting the liminal space where her identity was once rewritten. In true DAYS style, Dr. Evans is experiencing grief as disorientation, to demonstrate her true love for John Black.

The possession was never just chaos for chaos’s sake. It followed a psychological logic. First, Stefano hypnotized Marlena and created the Queen of the Night fantasy space—elegant, eerie, and coercive. That wasn’t the devil. That was manipulation under the guise of romance. It was only after her resistance was worn down in that dreamworld that the actual possession took hold.

So when Marlena slips back into that Queen space this week—alone, grieving, destabilized—it doesn’t feel to me like the show is going full “supernatural extra.” It feels like they're revisiting the memory structure of that trauma. She’s not possessed. She’s haunted. Which is what real grief can feel like too.

And maybe that’s the point. We’ve had so much grief in Salem lately—so much real loss—that bringing back things like the Woman in White, Aramid, and Stefano’s shadow isn’t about shock. It’s about reminding us of the weird, the theatrical, the completely bonkers texture that makes this place feel like Days. It’s not just about mourning John. It’s about remembering the whole ecosystem we’ve been watching for decades.

Hopefully, Marlena's lesson through her grief will be that she doesn't need to be saved anymore. She's going to be okay on her own.

Edited July 26Jul 26 by j swift

 

6 hours ago, carolineg said:

I clearly remember the rhetoric about Tony being blinded in the Maison Blanche fire and Kristen saying now she has to marry him and Wayne's Roman, was like, but why? 

Catholic guilt 😂😂

4 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

The thing about Kristen was that her descent into the dark side didn't just happen over night.. but happened over a period of time.  The first sign of Kristen starting that descent was when Kristen hid a letter and/or diary.. another was her miscarriage and her lamenting that now she had nothing to keep John tied to her, then trying to use a mirror to hypnotize John into sleeping with her so she could become pregnant.

All the more reason why revealing that old Rachel survived the explosion in Paris, and was alive this whole time was a big mistake, because her "death" caused Kristen's miscarriage 

10 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

 

All the more reason why revealing that old Rachel survived the explosion in Paris, and was alive this whole time was a big mistake, because her "death" caused Kristen's miscarriage 

Great point! The only thing is it would require someone at DAYS to care enough about time & character & event & story integrity to keep them from writing something that they wanted to write last year because of what happened BITD. 

 

3 minutes ago, Contessa Donatella said:

Great point! The only thing is it would require someone at DAYS to care enough about time & character & event & story integrity to keep them from writing something that they wanted to write last year because of what happened BITD. 

That's why people get fired 😂

28 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

That's why people get fired 😂

And thank god for that!!! Especially since a job like HW apparently needs to have "term limits" apply. 

On 7/26/2025 at 9:47 AM, carolineg said:

 

Correct.  Because the Possession was always built as a love story for Marlena/John.   The throughline that John would do anything for Marlena was the basis of the story.  Yes, it was silly, but it was also romantic and heroic as John would risk his entire life for her. 

I loved that story.

Not really sure why Julie had to rub the fact that she has the necklace back in Gwen's face, but whatevs. At least the necklace is back where it belongs. And, we have a new bookstore set. It's nice that there's a new place for characters to interact and I wouldn't mind Julie becoming the owner of it either. 

I'm still all for Gabi and Tony teaming up to try to get Dimera back from Philip and Xander, even though I think that there's a twist coming up in this storyline, especially because of some of the things that Tony said today. Hopefully, this makes the messy Kiriakis family situation even messier. The only thing I would suggest is that all of these story arcs be a little more tied together, so that one big climax can lead to massive ripple effects across the canvas.

Marlena's scenes with Kayla, and then Julie, were nice too. I'm glad that Marlena has friends to confide in about how she's been feeling lately. That final scene about grief was really sweet. And thankfully, she made it clear that she doesn't feel like she's being possessed. But I do have mixed feelings about another round of Queen of the Night though.

And, we finally saw Steve again! It's been a while lol the new writers haven't seemed to have much of an interest in him, but I like the idea of him working for Gabi to be investigating Philip, Xander and Titan. It adds another dynamic to the mess, and hopefully gets Stephanie and Alex out of that book bubble that they're stuck in.

I think when one is grieving, you tend to flashback to significant moments in your past in order to make sense with what you're feeling in the present.   The possession story was pretty significant for John/Marlena.. and with Marlena grieving John.. it would make sense for her to flashback to a significant traumatic time in your life... and both the Queen of the Night and the Possession experiences did rob Marlena of her identity and autonomy.... and losing John is bringing up those same questions of identity and autonomy because now she's got to figure out who she is without a man in her life.