Marlena’s grief was heartbreaking to watch in the Tuesday, June 3 episode of Days of Our Lives. Marlena’s friends and family tried to comfort her in any way they could, but were also grieving for John.
The Grief Begins
Marlena (Deidre Hall) probably wanted to delay having to share her grief for a little while longer, but ultimately, she had to come out of her bedroom and face it. Belle (Martha Madison) couldn’t believe she didn’t get to be by John’s side when he passed away. But his health quickly took a turn for the worse, and so here they were. She had to hear that he died from Brady (Eric Martsolf). As soon as Marlena entered the main room, Belle went to her and hugged her, and the grief from everyone felt so palpable.
Meanwhile, Marlena’s emotions run the gamut throughout the entire episode. There were times when she showed anger, like with EJ (Dan Feuerriegel), who suddenly dropped by. She showed patience with the people who visited, even though you could tell she didn’t want so many people around her. And when she heard about Bo (Peter Reckell), she was happy that he had woken up. After all, it was a miraculous event that happened courtesy of her husband. But at the same time, while Bo was awake, she had lost her husband. Her face showed the conflicting emotions.
The hug between Marlena and Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) was especially poignant since Julie recently lost the love of her life. But as is what happens in these situations when someone dies suddenly and so unfairly, there was an awkwardness to some of these visits. And there were decisions to delay telling family members what happened, letting them sleep before they heard this shocking news. Plus, Marlena, the therapist, actually expressed interest in going back to work, but Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) had to remind the good doctor that distractions weren’t going to help. She needed rest and to spend time with her family and friends, and she needed to take care of herself and let herself grieve.
It was beyond emotional to watch because it felt and looked so real. And Deidre Hall—well, she was simply amazing in Tuesday’s episode. She had us in tears, feeling Marlena’s every emotion, especially that voicemail message at the end.
John’s Impact Already Felt
Everybody has been saying what a good man and a hero John Black was. And Belle immediately took this to heart after EJ dropped by Marlena’s townhouse so early in the morning to give his condolences. He wanted to be there for Belle, but he didn’t think about what his presence would mean to the others, like Marlena, who despised him.
Belle grabbed him and took him to Horton Town Square, where she invoked her dad’s memory and his goodness. EJ, in his best comforting voice (he really tried to make the effort), told Belle that he loved her. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get the same response back. Instead, Belle had a wake-up call or an epiphany or whatever you want to call it.
She said her dad would want her to make the right decisions. And what they were doing was probably not that. She wanted to respect his wishes, and she walked away. So is this the end of Belle and EJ for good? What do you think about that?
