♥ Holy Cow!
The Shocking Revelation
Of John's Past On DAYS
Could Destroy The Hopes Of
The Women Who Love Him...
The News - John Black: Collared! What Will Happen Now That DAYS' Man Of Passion Is A Man Of The Cloth?
The revelation that John Black might actually be a priest - via Celeste's cryptic innuendo and information he uncovered in Stefano's computer files - leads him on a mission this week on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. John is determined to disprove his past, which he is convinced is a ruse orchestrated by Stefano.
"John believes he can easily disprove this ridiculous story," says Headwriter James E. Reilly. "He thinks, 'Me, John Black, Don Juan...I'm a priest?' To him the idea is so absurd. He believes Stefano has really crossed the line this time in doing something stupid."
"John's in complete denial," says Drake Hogestyn (John). "He can't believe he would ever go in that direction. It goes against everything in his core. He was married twice. He has two children. He has these tremendous feelings of lust and passion. If he ever made a conscious commitment to celibacy...that's not something even Stefano could brainwash out of you. That's something that would be emblazoned in your soul. John has none of these feelings. Therefore, he believes this all has to be some sort of bad trick...some sort of nightmare. It's not real. It's Stefano's work - again! I firmly believe that's John's point of view right now."
John arranges a meeting with the bishop of the diocese where he supposedly served as Father Black. "Bishop Andrews tells John that a priest named Father Black did serve there many years ago, but he vanished without a trace," explains Hogestyn.
When John asks the bishop if they keep pictures or fingerprints on file of the men in the order, he says they do. However, the photo is missing from John Black's file.
According to Hogestyn, "John thinks, 'Perfect, Stefano. He doesn't miss a trick. He found a guy who disappeared off the face of the earth...a man who had no family, because Father Black had no family. Therefore, no one can trace him down. Stefano gave me this priest's identity, then, he conveniently slipped inside here and stole the photograph out of the file. All right. I'm not Father Black.'"
Positive that he was never a priest, John can't wait to tell Kristen the good news, so he heads to the retreat where she's been trying to come to terms with her feelings for John, her marriage to Tony and the possibility that John may be a man of the cloth.
"Kristen's been praying...asking for guidance," says Eileen Davidson (Kristen). "She is hoping against hope that John is not a priest, but her instincts are telling her he is. She wants some sort of miracle to happen...for the heavens to split open and for John (to be a free man).
"Since Kristen is extremely religious, this is a real dilemma for her," she stresses. "If John is a priest, it goes against everything she believes in to be with him. It's like a mortal sin."
The pressure continues to mount on Kristen. Celeste arrives and warns her to stay away from John as he is a priest. Then, Tony shows up and begs his wife for a second chance. "Kristen loves Tony. He's steadfast, consistent...John's life is so all over the place with Marlena, his past, his this and that. There's no consistency, although there is great passion and desire. Kristen thought she'd met her soul mate with John. If that proves not to be true, she'll be pulled back to Tony," Davidson says.
Visitor number three is John, with the good news that he is not a priest. They can be together after all. They can get married. Although Kristen is thrilled when John tells her the result of his meeting with the bishop, she can't forget Celeste's warning, and her doubts return. Finally, John convinces Kristen that they were meant to be together. "I tell her to look to her heart, that all the answers are right there," says Hogestyn.
At that point, Kristen recalls an earlier talk with her old friend and confessor, Father Francis. He told her much the same thing. Convinced it's some sort of a sign, Kristen agrees to leave the retreat and reconcile with John. But on their way out Father Francis spots the twosome, and for the first time focuses on John. "John Black!" he calls out. "You know me?" asks John. "Yes," the priest responds. "I taught you in the seminary."
"John calls him a liar," says Hogestyn. "He's sure Father Francis has been planted there by Stefano to carry on this lie that he's a priest."
Kristen knows better. She explains that Father Francis is her confessor. She's known him all her life, and knows he would never lie. "Kristen is devastated," says Davidson. "She knows then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it has to be true. John is a priest."
When Father Francis produces a picture of Father Black and it is an exact likeness of John, Kristen's heart sinks even deeper. Yet, John still refuses to face the facts, "even though all the nails are being pounded into the coffin," says Hogestyn. "Every step he takes, he gets deeper into it, but John just won't accept it."
For that reason, Davidson notes: "Kristen has to turn her back on John. Until he takes responsibility for his past, they have no future."
"John still needs more evidence," explains Reilly, adding that he will "find another piece down the line. John will be a priest. It's a truth...well, part of it, but there's a lot more to come.
"Years ago - for reasons we still have to uncover and which are going to be a major story for John - John had to be brainwashed," continues Reilly. "Stefano had to get rid of John and his memory, but he couldn't kill a priest. There was something about that. He wouldn't go that far. There's something to be uncovered there. The big question is, 'Why did Stefano brainwash a priest?' So the mystery isn't over yet. There's a long way to go." (And, yes, it will involve the return of Joseph Mascolo as the diabolical Stefano.)
In the months ahead, Reilly says viewers can expect a major story involving John's priesthood with Hogestyn in a collar. But John Black won't remain a priest. "John will investigate all avenues," Reilly continues. "He will try to leave the priesthood, because he believes that once he's free he and Kristen can get back together. But Kristen will never encourage him to break his vows because of her own background. John will have to free himself in such a way that Kristen will accept it. So he'll have to go through the proper channels. In doing so John will uncover and learn things that are going to (influence) his outlook for himself."
In the meantime, Davidson doesn't anticipate seeing "Father" John and Kristen redefining their relationship to just friendship. "They have a real attraction for each other. So I don't know if that's possible," she admits.
Heaven-Sent Story For Deidre Hall:
Deidre Hall (Marlena) doesn't foresee John's ties to the church altering John and Marlena's future relationship on DAYS OF OUR LIVES.
"I'm not (Headwriter) Jim Reilly. I'm not (Executive Producer) Tom Langan," says the actress. "But my fantasy is that (John being a priest) will change nothing between them...that it will only deepen their relationship. John and Marlena have always had such a profound love story. It is a passion that includes a deep love and compassion."
While Kristen's strong Catholic views have forced her to completely forsake John, Hall doesn't believe Marlena's religious beliefs would cause the same reaction. "Marlena is a psychiatrist. She's a Christian living in a Catholic family, and has a deep belief in God," Hall concedes. "But she also practices on the literal side of life. My guess would be that her response to John being a priest would be one of interest and curiosity. It would have no religious overtones to it whatsoever.
"My sense of it is that it's as though you found out that your husband had been adopted or had been orphaned or had some alternate childhood or alternate life experience. It certainly wouldn't change how you felt about him or lessen any of your passion or tenderness toward him. I think Marlena would be a little more empathetic with John and possibly help him more in guiding his own emotions at this time, because that's what she does for a living."
Hall has enjoyed Marlena's part in John's reveal. "I was directed to play that I wasn't as disbelieving as he was of the possibility. It's a lovely notion, because I had to react to his goodness, his generosity, his tenderness and his compassion in a whole new way. Marlena began having a deeper understanding and appreciation of where that genuineness and goodness comes from. It's been a lovely place to come from."
To read Drake's take on the complete history of John Black, click HERE and settle back for a fun ride!
Janet Di Lauro, SOAP OPERA WEEKLY, 9/13/94
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♥ DAYS: Heaven Help Them!
Blind Faith: DAYS Gives New Meaning To The Phrase, "Get Me To The Church On Time"
Priests have fallen in love before on soaps. No show is ever without a love triangle or two. And amnesia is about as routine as the common cold. But despite the difficulty of delivering something new and different on soaps, DAYS OF OUR LIVES is charting new territory with the provocative tale of John, Kristen and Tony.
For months, DAYS fans have been riveted by the Gothic story of Kristen DiMera, a woman tragically torn between two men. For years, she has adored Tony DiMera, the man her father, Stefano, wanted her to marry. Older, brooding and now blinded by an explosion, Tony does not want to lose his wife. In fact, now he's taken up target practice. Is his rival, John, the bull's-eye?
John is one of DAYS' white knights, and Kristen can't forget the passion they shared. But when it was revealed that John is actually Father Black - a priest - she had to turn her back on him and return to Tony, her husband. Black insists that his "past" is a plot masterminded by his archenemy, Stefano. But Kristen, who is deeply religious, has seen enough proof to convince her that sleeping with John means betraying more than Tony.
Eileen Davidson's (Kristen) years in Catholic school help her understand her character's dilemma - although her experiences didn't make the scenes easier to play. "There are a lot of positive aspects to Catholicism, but there's also shame and guilt involved," she points out. "I've spent thirty-five years trying to free myself from that kind of programming, so when I've had to say, 'I'm so ashamed of what we've shared,' it was difficult. But I like that Kristen is spiritual, and that she turns to a higher source for guidance. (Eventually), I decided I couldn't fight it anymore because Kristen is not Eileen."
Drake Hogestyn (John) has a harder time relating to the characters' religious conflicts. "I was raised middle-of-the-road Protestant," he explains. "I was never confirmed because in ninth grade I was asking questions about the stars and how high the sky was; dealing with things people didn't want to deal with. So I was banished to the upper deck, ended up reading Greek mythology, and lost most of my hearing because of the organ music."
In eight years on DAYS, Hogestyn has played The Pawn, Roman Brady, Forrest Alamain and John Black. Now he's Father Black, and the revelation that John is a priest is an ingenious way to resolve some thorny story questions about John's convoluted identity. (Like, if John posed such a threat to Stefano years ago, why didn't Stefano just kill him?) How does Hogestyn feel about John's situation? "I'm thoroughly confused," Hogestyn laughs, "and am totally trusting that it will work out. It's not that easy. I approach every storyline as if it's my last, so I want to make it my best."
A DAYS spokeswoman reveals that John will pursue every avenue to prove that he is not now - and never was - a priest. She adds, "Tony's faith in Kristen is shaken when he finds a photo and asks her what it is. She lies, and he starts to become suspicious." And Kristen's life will soon be in danger: Which man will rescue her?
Hogestyn says that people in very high places are watching the tribulations of Tony, Kristen and John with a keen eye. "A priest told me that the only person who could nullify John's vows is the Pope himself," Hogestyn shares. "I said, 'Well, maybe we can fly him out (to Los Angeles) to do our show.'"
Roberta Caploe, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 10/25/94
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♥ Flashback Frenzy: Déjà-Voodoo
Some Soap Characters Can't Help
Repeating Their Mistakes...
Others Just Make Bigger Ones!
On soaps, obsession is nine-tenths of the flaw. Condemned like Sisyphus to eternally roll the same rock up the same hill - and never reach the top - too many heroes and heroines just don't seem to grow emotionally from their devastating life experiences. As former flower child Joan Baez once asked, "When will they ever learn?"
Take ALL MY CHILDREN's Erica Kane. She's a sucker for a rich guy with a continental flair - and she always winds up in court having to tell a jury about it. LOVING's Trucker McKenzie can't seem to keep his hands off beautiful blondes who come equipped with battery-operated madmen attached to them. And DAYS OF OUR LIVES' John Black - how many identity crises can one man possibly have?
Sure, these characters all know it's time to get with the program and stop living in retrograde standard time. The trouble is, they just can't get past it.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES Not-So-Identical Identity Crises:
Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore:
Calm Before The Storm...
Thanks to Stefano's brainwashing, John was living the American dream. He'd stepped into Roman's police uniform, pipe and slippers. (He lost Marlena, but Isabella was waiting in the wings.)
Explosive Evidence...
Determined to discover who he really was, John headed for Cancun to find the man with the answers - Stefano. In a showdown in a cave, Stefano taunted John with a satchel that supposedly revealed all. Too bad some of the contents burned-up in the crossfire.
Memory Triggers...
John was haunted in his dreams by a wolf's ring and the code name Romulus.
The Greatest Test...
Isabella nearly bowed-out when Danielle Stevens arrived from Europe, claiming to be John's ex-wife. (OOPS! This is wrong. Danielle did arrive from Europe and searched for John, but when she found him, she made the announcement that he was her husband, John Stevens, not her ex-husband like this article states.) Luckily, John and Isabella's love survived the hoax.
In The Name Of The Father:
Calm Before The Storm...
Widower John was happily raising his baby son, Brady, and hoping to build a new life with Kristen.
Explosive Evidence...
A detour to New Orleans (where he was held captive by Stefano) sent John searching for answers again. The real lowdown was hidden on a computer disc at Maison Blanche. (OOPS! This is wrong. The secrets to John's life were on a laptop computer, not a computer disc.) A fire nearly foiled John's search (again), but Tony saved the day and went blind.
Memory Trigger...
John was fixated on a St. Christopher medal, but didn't know why. He feels haunted by a former "marriage."
The Greatest Test...
If John is indeed a priest, what chance does Kristen ever stand?
SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 10/25/94
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♥ DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Not-So-Identical Identity Crises
Roman Holiday:
For years, a tall, dark, handsome stranger thought he was Roman Brady. Surprise! One day, the real Roman came back from captivity in the Tiburon Islands, and faux Ro had to give up his credit cards, three children and a wife named Marlena. Later, he found out he was rich Forrest Alamain, but he preferred the name John Black.
Roman Collar:
For years, this same tall, dark, handsome stranger thought he was John Black. One day, he heard bells - the kind that ring for Sunday mass. He'd have to forsake everything he held dear, because everyone would soon be calling him "Father."
SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 10/25/94
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♥ Sweeps!
Murder Attempts, Misunderstandings...
Mended Fences, Marriages
And Assorted Miseries
This Month On Daytime...
The News - Storm Warnings - DAYS' John And Kristen Fight Mother Nature And Tony's Rage:
Tony discovers that being in the right place at the wrong time this week on DAYS OF OUR LIVES could destroy his marriage when he spies Kristen and John in a heated embrace.
Kristen heads to Smith Island to pick up some of the kids from the Horton Center. After getting all the kids off the island, Kristen fights her memories of the time she and John spent there together. She is stunned when John arrives with the news that he can get out of the priesthood. Meanwhile, Tony is trying to find a boat to take to the island so he can tell Kristen his sight has returned. Tony instead finds Stefano, who learned from Celeste that Tony almost killed John before hearing that John was a priest; he also knows that John and Kristen are alone on the island. Hoping to prevent Tony from seeing the two together, Stefano convinces Tony to wait for Kristen in town.
Despite John's convincing argument about not wanting his old life back, Kristen refuses to be the temptation that draws him away from his calling. That's easier said than done, however, when the two find themselves trapped on the island because of an imminent storm, and old feelings resurface. Fate maneuvers Kristen into John's arms, and he kisses her. And neither is aware that at that very moment a horrified Tony is watching the scene through a telescope from across the lake.
SOAP OPERA WEEKLY, 11/15/94
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DAYS: Tony Gets His Sight Back
And Sees John And Kristen
In Romantic Embrace...
Tony Sees John And Kristen During An Emotional Moment:
DAYS' hottest forbidden love comes to a dangerous turning point this week when Tony gets his sight back and John finds a way to leave the priesthood.
Earlier in the week, Stefano managed to keep Tony, who has his sight back, from getting to the island where John caught up with Kristen. But even at a distance, Tony sees more than he can bear.
John has found a way to be released from his vows as a priest. He's completing some paperwork and is optimistic. He tries to convince Kristen they can be together again. John's overcome by his passion and wants to make love to Kristen there at the Horton cabin where they shared lovemaking in the past.
But Kristen insists she will not be the reason he leaves the priesthood. She's going to stay with Tony. Ironically, Tony sees the two together from a distance, but cannot hear Kristen's words.
"At this point, in Kristen's mind, it's a clear situation," says Eileen Davidson (Kristen). "Since Tony admitted his lies about Stefano and the faked death, they've made a recommitment to each other. Tony is her husband."
The actress does not overlook the passion that Kristen knew with John. "There's always that attraction. But it's a very unusual situation. It's a quadrangle: Tony-Kristen-John-God. It's not common for this medium to include the spiritual side of things," she says of television, adding, "At first I wasn't sure about this aspect, but it's grown on me. I like it! It's interesting and even controversial. It shakes people up to think about God's existence and the part God plays in our lives. It's thought-provoking."
Eileen readily admits to her own spiritual side, but points out the difference between herself and her character: "Kristen is much more dogmatic. I'm more free-thinking."
Drake Hogestyn (John) says with a laugh: "John doesn't remember being a priest, but he sure remembers being with Kristen! That felt a lot better than what he doesn't remember, or what he imagines celibacy feels like."
Drake doesn't believe his character accepts the fact that John was ever a priest. "From Day One, everything John has been told has been lies, or based on lies. Everyone he's come up against has been put there by Stefano. Now he's to believe he was a priest because Stefano says so? He's supposed to believe Stefano, a man who lies, cheats, steals and kills to get what he wants? How is John to trust he really was a priest? Stefano has orchestrated his entire life!"
Presently, John is in a totally confused state. "Intellectually, John can no longer believe anything. He can only trust his heart, his feelings," says Drake. "All he knows for sure is what's happening now. He realizes there's something different about his relationship with Kristen. There's such a strong pull. It's destiny - fate. It won't let him go. Any normal man would have accepted by now that Kristen doesn't want to be with him. Kristen was brought up with a deep sense of religion. It would be taboo even with the greatest love. John feels Kristen slipping through his fingers like mercury. He feels such a sense of desperation."
Is there nothing that could make John go back to the priesthood?
"It would take something very powerful for him to step into those shoes," the actor laughs, beginning to spin his own tale. "What if Tony shoots John and he nearly dies. John goes into that tunnel of light, teetering between life and death. A voice says, 'We've been here before when you were three-year-old Forrest Alamain and you drowned. But it wasn't time for you then. And the time is not right yet. You're still needed alive. Come back.' With that kind of religious experience, John could justify priesthood."
Actor Thaao Penghlis (Tony) concurs on one point: "Tony certainly has enough justification to shoot John. Maybe not to kill him, but he needs some release. It's not easy playing a man in so much torment. It just keeps simmering, boiling beneath the surface. It's exhausting."
In some ways, Tony could see more clearly while he was physically blind. With his sight returned, his emotions, especially rage, may blind him in new ways. "It's been a real challenge to play blind," says the actor. "I was also trying to incorporate what was not written: He could see through his other senses. For example, it was hard in the hospital not having lines to say and reacting to the gossip I was overhearing about my wife and another man."
The actor acknowledges it was exhausting to keep the emotions barely visible but quietly expressed. To keep them subdued, he realizes, makes the fits of rage, when they come, all the more impressive. "The confrontation with John let go such rage. At one point while doing it, I thought I had never in my life gone that far," says Thaao. "It was powerful. I was trembling. I was so exhausted I went to Hawaii for five days afterwards."
"It's okay to shout, to cry," Thaao points out. "I don't think Tony and Kristen are boring characters. They're volatile and have great longevity."
But he also points out that the emphasis on the relationship may be disproportionate. "Tony's life has been about so many things. The experience of placing all his focus on this one woman is a little hard for me to play," says the actor. "It takes away the character's strength. I'm trying to bring the awareness of Tony's multifacets to light."
Part of Tony is also very spiritual. While away from Stefano, he's traveled the world, and his own inner regions. For Tony to be pushed to the point of using a gun, of letting loose his rage, exploring his darker side, creates, as the actor says, "quite a moral dilemma."
Exactly what this love story, and many others in Salem, is all about.
Lorraine Zenka, SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE, 11/15/94
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