Daytime TV Performer of the Week: ‘Days’ Deidre Hall’s Marlena Evans Bids Final Farewell to Stefano DiMera
Dr. Marlena Evans Black (Deidre Hall) attended the memorial service of the late Stefano DiMera on Days of our Lives last week and paid the supervillain a tribute that both honored their unique relationship and made it clear she was more than happy to abdicate her “reign” as Stefano’s “Queen of the Night.”
As veteran DAYS fans are well aware, Stefano (the late great Joseph Mascolo, who passed away in 2016) was obsessed with Marlena. Viewers needed a scorecard to keep up with the number of times he wanted to kidnap her, make her his mate, and messed with her family.
The Phoenix, as Stefano was known by, had a fascination with Marlena that was taken straight out of larger-than-life romance novels as evidenced by the flashback that showed the two dancing a waltz at a masked ball. (Ah, the days when soaps had those type of grand galas!)
Hall didn’t have Marlena shed a tear over Stefano as she said her final goodbye to him, but she did bring a great deal of emotional gravitas to the scene, given the couple’s complicated history.
“There are so many things I want to say to you,” began Marlena in a tone that could best be described as stoic. “Not just on my behalf, but on John’s [the late Drake Hogestyn].”
Hall had Marlena look away wistfully at she mentioned her late husband’s name. The psychiatrist honored the fact that John might never have entered her life had it not been for Stefano.
But that didn’t excuse Stefano for treating Marlena like an obsession. Putting on her therapist’s hat, Marlena theorized that she wasn’t ever truly Stefano’s main focus. She just represented what he had wanted her to be.
Stefano would have likely hated that Marlena chose to focus on her life with John in her final words to him, but that’s what she chose to do. “He gave me the courage to fight the very devil himself,” Marlena told Stefano.
Next, Marlena said that she hoped Stefano would “rest in peace,” only the tone Hall gave her character made it sound like what she was truly saying was she hoped that the Phoenix would “rot in hell.”
Marlena has a way of taking the high road with her words, but she also manages to get her point across.
© XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
She told Stefano that she hoped that no one would ever have to see him again. “I’m not sure we’ll get that lucky,” Marlena added. “Lucky enough to have you gone forever.”
On that note, a wind blew into the room, blowing out the candles that were on the table with Stefano’s urn and photos.
The eerie moment wasn’t lost on Marlena, who turned her head to look at the Stefano’s portrait, which is hanging in the DiMera mansion living room.
It’s typical of Stefano to try to get the last word in, but that didn’t detract in the slightest from the powerful performance Hall gave as Marlena laid to rest the Phoenix.
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C
It's sad that Days of Our Lives isn't free to watch anymore. Soap Operas and other daytime shows should be free to watch.
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L
I so agree with you.it should be put back on channel 11. That was bull crap when they did that.
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R
Why? They're not free to produce. And advertising isn't paying for it anymore. "Soap opera viewership began a steady, long-term decline in the 1970s and 1980s, accelerating in the mid-1990s and culminating in major cancellations between 2007 and 2012. Key factors included more women entering the workforce, increased cable competition, and the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial, which interrupted broadcasts and fostered a shift toward cheaper, unscripted reality television." This neglects to say, but there was a substantial drop off in viewership after the 9/11 attacks, and soap operas have had a rough time for nearly 25 years since.
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W
I have Bell express vu and it’s on channel 602 , im still watching it there.
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W
Hahahaha! "A long-term decline in the 70s & 80s" 😂 Not.
Days first aired in 1965. My mom started watching it in 1965. When she has me in 1969, she'd plop me on the couch and watch it. I grew up watching it with her. I had morning kindergarten...I struggled to get up early every morning, missed all the good kids shows that were on in the morning, and watched Days with Mom in the afternoon.
When I started first grade, I'd come home and Mom would tell me what happened on Days after I was done playing for the day. Some kids got read books at bedtime, I got DOOL recaps. This continued several years, then came the 80s. The early 80s had a bad job market and Mom was out of work for almost a year. By the time I got into high school (mid -80s), everyone at school was watching either Days and/or General Hospital. If we hurried home, we could see it live, but we always taped it and watched it later. In college I'd call home in Fridays and talk with Mom about what happened on Days that week.
Soaps may have SEEMED to decline to YOU in the 70s & 80s, but they didn't until the 90s. They were EXTREMELY popular in the 70s & 80s. Everyone talked about them. Soap Opera Digest was a HUGE seller in the stores. There were tons of Soap Opera magazines, actually. I mean, Days was only 5 years old in 1970... That's like a week in Soap Opera time.
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L
I think Days of our lives should be put back on regular television. I watched it for years every day since I was a kid.
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G
I used to watch Days every day. Then, it went to Peacock..... But, I certainly remember the days of Marlena and Stefano.
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J
I miss it so much! I haven't seen it since it moved to Peacock. I'd watched it since the 70's. Went through serious withdrawal! My grandma used to fill me in every day after school and I treasure the days I was home to watch it with her. I LOVED Stefano storylines. Anyone remember the beautiful Brenda Benet'? She was wonderful.
Later on,
Stefano and Vivian together we're catnip!
They will always be my favorite villians!
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G
I wholeheartedly agree with comments below. Watched it as a devoted fanfor decades before it moved to Peacock.
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R
God, reading these comments I guess there are a lot of REALLY poor people not watching soap operas anymore. The price of Peacock for a month is less than ONE fast food meal. As of early 2026, Peacock offers three main monthly plans: Peacock Select for $7.99 (limited library, ads), Peacock Premium for $10.99 (full library, ads), and Peacock Premium Plus for $16.99 (ad-free, downloads, live NBC).
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