Entertainment Weekly.com Blasts Days' Utterly Awful John and Marlena Send Off
By Jamey Giddens on January 24, 2009
I'm saving my thoughts about John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena (Deidre Hall)'s tired ass exit from Days of Our Lives for the next CBS/Days Podcast, but here's what Entertainment Weekly.com's always entertaining Nicholas Fonseca had to say about it:
I'm saving my thoughts about John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena (Deidre Hall)'s tired ass exit from Days of Our Lives for the next CBS/Days Podcast, but here's what Entertainment Weekly.com's always entertaining Nicholas Fonseca had to say about it:
Days’ sendoff for the pair was a rush job, a pathetic train wreck that all but wrapped up a year-long storyline in about 20 minutes, but I can’t say I was surprised. The series has always treated its departing cast members with astonishing flippancy, and we longtime fans have come to expect this sort of masochistic abuse each and every time. I’m especially peeved that the Days brass couldn’t even figure out a way to give Hall and costar Alison Sweeney—who has arguably been Hall’s strongest, most effective scene partner since her arrival in 1993—one final scene. What a disgrace. "
It oughta be against the law for Dena Higley to write out so much as a shopping list.
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Comments
21 November 2008
17 min 3 sec
It was thoughtful, cheap and pathetic -- just like everything else on 'Days.'
5 November 2007
2 hours 45 min
Jamey, can I join you on your rant? And make sure Luke has the bleep button too. LOL
10 December 2008
1 year 42 weeks
You know how Mike letting one 'slip' was a big shocker to everyone? THANK GOD I am not on DC podcast -.- the Bleep button would be used, and if you know me that is shocking lol.
But seriously the fact that they call that mess a exit is just utter crap, IT WASNT EVEN A SEND OFF! THERE WAS NO SENDING OFF.
ARG I am beyond pissed, and the little scene on Monday that follows it up was just as bad.
(its Bo/Hope/Kayla/Steve toasting them getting back together and may John get better and return soon.) SERIOUSLY THATS IT! we got no extra scenes or anything.
I really believe that if you were one of the people that said you were going to vote with your remote I think the final scene made sure of what your vote would be.
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A.K.A. ssjohn
5 November 2007
2 hours 45 min
What happened to being wheelchaired into the sunset? I never even saw one in the room. GL, here I come!!!
4 April 2008
8 weeks 1 day
When I heard that DOOL hired DH as its head writers, I said a little prayer for the show. I have been a dedicated viewer of OLTL since I was a little kid, but she almost single-handedly ruined that show for me during the time she served as its head writer. I had little doubt she would do the same thing to DOOL if given the chance.
I realize it was not her decision to get rid of John and Marlena, but good grief, it should not be THAT hard for DH to write them a proper send-off. They are such iconic characters, it could practically write itself. But maiming John and sending him impotently hobbling off the show? That sound exactly like something DH would do.
15 October 2008
4 weeks 7 hours
OMG was that really it?
All I can say is poor fans of this couple and poor Dee & Drake. They deserved better and hopefully they will move on to something bigger and better.
6 April 2008
3 years 19 weeks
Dena Higley is the soap opera antichrist!
Sorry, but it's true. This is the 2nd soap she's been allowed to smother. Inasmuch as she delights in ruining my Days, I'm going to wage an open jihad on her on every board I can find. The woman should have her Writers' Guild card removed, shredded, and torched.
I can't wait for the podcast. Jayme, I hope you give it to her with both barrels!
12 February 2008
5 hours 35 min
The way they was rushed them off was like Drake & Dee were going on vacation and would be back in 3 weeks. This was complete & utter bullshit!
***///My life as a soap fan is on life support, waiting for a miracle...\\\***
6 September 2008
45 weeks 6 days
cant *WAIT* to hear you go ***OFF***!!!
dont hold back!!!
That Higley Hag made me turn off my favorite soap, OLTL, for years.
I was shocked anyone hired her after that debacle!
www.nornsisland.com
3 December 2008
5 days 4 hours
It was pretty bad. And dull.
I am not a big John/Marlena fan - I loved John/Isabella - but for two long-term characters with a huge established fan base, they deserved MUCH better than they got as their final scenes.
-------------------------
Long live the revolution! Gay pairings in soap operas:
http://gaydaytime.proboards52.com/index.cgi
=D
10 December 2008
1 year 42 weeks
I have been watching since 06, I have seen 0 really big storylines for J&M that are really worth talking about, I am not their biggest fans, I like them, glad to see vets on but I could really take or leave them.
The way the actors, the characters and the viewers were treated was unforgivable in my opinion and Dena Higgly should NEVER be allowed to write again.
Remember people this is the woman who helped with John in the early days, she knew the pawn storyline and yet she SCREWED John and Marlena over.
I know i was harsh on James E. Reilly, but seriously I would take Sami talking to her self for a whole episode then having to put up with this crap one more day.
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A.K.A. ssjohn
20 January 2008
1 year 21 weeks
Crap, it happened already? I'm so out of the loop. Hopefully SoapNet will give me one more chance to catch the not-so-great goodbye.
4 May 2008
1 year 41 weeks
Pathetic. But I didn't expect anything better from the eff-ups running this show. At least their exit is sort of attracting mainstream attention for its crappiness.
22 May 2008
2 hours 36 min
Dena Higley...soap killer.(How is she still working...and WHY?)
What a non-existent send off...I kept flipping from GL hoping to catch some John & Marlena on the screen and honestly, it wasn't til about the last few minutes of the show I actually caught the preacher the kiss and that was it. Damn disappointing and disrespectful way to treat vets & fans.
I swear, its like they WANT daytime to die.
28 March 2008
5 weeks 10 hours
The send off was beyond pathetic! And my favourite part is how I'm sure Hackley thought she was softening the blow by having Bo, Hope, Steve and Kayla on the next day - cause Lord only knows the next time you'll see all 4 of them on again. I bet all the vet air time last week, guarentees us lots and lots of Melanie time coming up! Honestly, this show is a complete disgrace. And I can't believe there wasn't even a goodbye phone call between Marlena and Sami - seriously, you think they could do something to give the character screen time with the only child of hers still in town!
20 November 2008
3 years 42 weeks
We have around 8 months to go before they leave Australian screens so I'm still enjoying my fix of J&M, I was tempted to watch the last ep online but am extremely glad I don't have to yet.
4 August 2008
6 weeks 4 days
The send off was HORRIBLE! I keep reading that there is this belief that Days is getting better. I totally disagree! What could have and SHOULD have been a proper send off for two characters who have been a couple since the 80s was a total disgrace! The entire episode should have been dedicated to the couple from start to finish. I didn't need to see Daniel screw Chloe again (I think I'm in the minority about this being a hot storyline. I think Daniel is a whore and I don't care who he hooks up with because the next time a woman gets sick, he will bed her...yawn), I didn't need to see Kate and Lucas discussing Sami (Boring. Sorry, but didn't Kate agree a while back to stop complaining about Sami? What happened to honoring history? Oh, I forgot who writes this show.), and Nicole fantasizing about killing Sami (Really lame. We get it, Nicole doesn't like Sami, yet she will raise her kid? Consistency please! I think the storyline is ridiculous!).
What should have happened: John proposes to Marlena and she runs home to get ready and Hope and Lexie swing by to help her prepare. They reminisce over previous weddings and Marlena discusses how this will mean the most to her. Brady and John bond again and sends him to buy a cute and romantic gift for Doc. They gather at the hospital with a few friends (Bo, Hope, Steve, Abe, Lexie, Kayla) there for their "best" friends (Really, Chloe and Nicole are better "friends" than these people on this show and that's a SAD statement!). Really, Roman was not needed (Why not fire him? If he didn't take over for Abe, they should have written him off of the show. He has NO purpose! And I will only consider Wayne Northrop the one and ONLY Roman Brady so goodbye Chris, er, Roman!), but since he was there, maybe he could have managed to arrange a heart to heart talk between Sami and her mother as she hightails it out of Salem instead of the convent scenes with Nicole. As they put John in his wheelchair and get ready to leave the hospital, a nice romantic song with a montage of their previous scenes goes on. The show then ends with Drake and Deidre addressing the fans and thanking us for the time we've shared with them. What's wrong with that? HONOR the couple's history. Honor the fans who have stood by the show and watched this couple ripped to shreds and ushered off the show. It's so sad. They deserved so much more. WE as fans deserve so much more. Can we get an excellent executive producer and headwriter to come in now, please!?!?!?! We've waited long enough!
30 October 2008
3 years 14 weeks
It was a terrible send off. There isn't an excuse for that. However, the Dena bashers are also Ejami fans. They would not have their now viable couple if Dena had not whitewashed EJ beyond any belief. All the characters had to be written around that and any writer trying to redeem EJ would have had to done the same thing. Lots of people, not including me, wanted characters like Nicole and Chloe back. When you want non-core characters back, you have to be ready to see them a lot. Especially if they are younger.
9 October 2007
3 weeks 16 hours
I sure hope Luke bought that bleep button!
30 October 2008
3 years 14 weeks
There is more that I should say. It isn't fair of me to lay a lot of blame on Ejami fans. I am at fault too. I have been on record as enjoying John's sarcastic comments throughout the year. The persnona that wasn't the John I love still entertained me and I did not say that it should have stopped immediately. I also did enjoy the Brady family interaction after Shawn's death and Bo's pancreatic illness. So I have to concede that I got what I asked for also.
15 October 2008
4 weeks 7 hours
I am so torn. I want to turn off this sorry excuse for a show, but I have to admit the Sami & Nicole storylines are really good. That Dena Higley needs to go and stay away from Daytime forever, but damnit she is some kind of wizard for making me still want to tune in after that pathetic send-off of John and Marlena. I still can't believe that was it.
29 November 2008
2 weeks 1 day
I was never a John and Marlena fan but their send off pissed me off. It was a violently bad symptom of what is wrong with this show, no respect for history, no follow through and no regard for the fans.
John and Marlena fans have put in roughly 20 years of loyal support of their couple and this soap and this is how they treated - John is crippled by a psycho dayplayer for no apparent reason and he and Marlena get married in a hospital bed.
Dena Higley should be banned from the writer's guild and there is a special place in the ninth circle of hell for Ken Corday for blatant disregard for and disloyalty to his parents legacy.
22 November 2007
1 year 31 weeks
I can't wait to hear this CBS/NBC podcast. It's going to be good.
I just really can't believe that TIIC gave those two characters such a crappy ending and it shows how much respect TIIC do not have for Ms. Hall and Mr. Hogestyn.
The soap opera industry will be the ones to pound the final nail into their coffin.
25 January 2009
4 years 16 weeks
WHAT IN THE HELL is wrong with Higley?Would it have been so terribly difficult for that hack to get her ass off her stupid blog long enough to write a proper end for John and Marlena,as a life long JM fan it saddens me they were let go in the first place,but to not give the actors,Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn respect after all there years together and the fans a beautifully wonderful,rememberal ending makes me sick and WTH was Roman doing in the final episode,no explanation behind that at all and JM never got to say goodbye to any of their friends,no Bo and John goodbye,good grief,John and Bo thought they were brother's one upon a time,Marlena didn't get to say goodbye to Sami,her daughter,didn't get to say goodbye to her friends,the whole thing was just one giant slap in the face to JM fans and Dena Higley and Ken Corday as well should be ashamed of themselves,''Days'' can continue to go to soap opera hell for all I care now.
25 January 2009
4 years 13 weeks
What goes around comes around . I would hate to be Corday and Higley. The way they have treated Drake and Deidre/John and Marlena's ending was a slap in the face to two people who have supported this show all these years. It is obvious they don't care what the fans want, but to treat them the way they did and give them 14 minutes and 38 seconds on Friday to wrap up what could have been a wonderful story back to each other without Charlotte. Why hire her when Marlena could have helped John. What a waste!
Jamey, I know you are sick of watching this mess, but I am counting on you to be the voice for the John and Marlena fans who listen each week to the podcast. I know the soap industry is in trouble, but that does not excuse what the writers and Corday did to our couple.
15 May 2008
4 hours 36 min
Jamey honey, this post alone already has me pumped for what you had to say and gives me an idea how you enjoyed the illustrious Dena Higley's sendoff....
28 November 2008
1 year 2 weeks
As a Drake fan I couldn't be more dismayed by this horrible sendoff for such brilliant actors. The ONLY good thing about this show is that Drake and Deidre were able to find a way around the crappy writing and give their fans one last gift complete with REAL tears. These two put the ACT in actors, IMO the "young things" could learn something from these two but thanks to Ken, they won't be given the chance.
26 January 2009
4 years 16 weeks
Not only was John and Marlena's exit shameful and completely disrespectful, but Days also leaves me with the saddening belief that if the show were cancelled today, that ending would be just as unsatisfying. It's like they enjoy sucking.
Oh, and FTR, I find very telling that neither Dee nor Drake has spoken to the press since their firing, they shouldn't have to pander this crap.
20 December 2008
2 years 42 weeks
Please hurry with a pod cast ...I really want to hear Jamey go off about this!!!!!!!