WHEN MARLENA EVANS WON’T LET GO ON DAYS OF OUR LIVES SOMEONE ENDS UP POSSESSED OR STABBED
TL;DR: Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) has assured her granddaughter Rachel Black (Alice Halsey) that she’s “not going anywhere” as she investigates the girl’s repressed memories about shooting EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel). Days of our Lives history tells us that when Salem’s resident psychiatrist digs her heels in and refuses to abandon an issue, things are about to get MESSY. VERY messy! From chasing John’s memories to confronting the devil itself, Marlena’s stubborn streak has a decades-long track record of causing chaos.
The Current Crisis: Rachel’s Dangerous Secret
The stakes couldn’t be higher this time around. Rachel shot her uncle EJ, but the traumatized child has repressed the memory. Her mother Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) took the fall to protect her daughter, and now Rachel’s grandmother Marlena is gently probing to see if the memories are resurfacing. According to recent spoilers, Marlena is alarmed when Rachel has a memory flash involving EJ, and she fears the girl could face “total recall” of that fateful night.
When Marlena picked Rachel up from therapy, the psychiatrist assured her granddaughter that anything discussed in therapy stays confidential. Unless there’s a fear for Rachel’s safety or someone else’s safety. Then Marlena questioned Rachel about her motivations for telling Thomas DiMera about his father Chad and Cat Greene’s relationship. Rachel, sweet and innocent Rachel (who has lied about everything from escaped snakes to Ava Vitali’s kidnapping), played the traumatized victim card perfectly.
And Marlena? Here it comes! She promised she’s “not going anywhere.” Cue the ominous music, because that phrase has historically been a harbinger of doom in Salem.
A History of Dangerous Persistence
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and examine some of the times Marlena’s refusal to let something go turned into a full-blown disaster.
The John Black Memory Crusade
Perhaps the most infamous example of Marlena’s stubbornness came during John Black’s amnesia saga. After Stefano brainwashed John into becoming a ruthless DiMera businessman with no memory of his past life, Marlena absolutely REFUSED to accept that her John was gone. She spent months – no, YEARS – pursuing various schemes that would restore his memories.
When Philip Kiriakis gave her a disk that supposedly contained the key to unlocking John’s memories, Marlena became obsessed with it. She begged John to view it. She pleaded. She insisted. And when John destroyed the disk (with prodding from the equally shady Ava), did Marlena accept defeat? Absolutely not. She found the broken disk, took it to Dr. Rolf, and when he refused to help out of fear of John’s safety, she turned to Roman Brady for assistance.
The woman literally could not let it go. John repeatedly told her he would never be the man he used to be. He begged her to accept reality and take him as he was. And in the end, Marlena even filed for divorce—but she STILL couldn’t stop trying to “fix” him. Her persistence bordered on obsession, and it put multiple people in dangerous situations.
The Charlotte Taylor Catastrophe
Speaking of John’s memory issues, let’s not forget when Marlena’s determination to help John recover his past nearly got them both killed. Dr. Charlotte Taylor claimed she could help John, but she really wanted to murder Marlena out of some twisted revenge scheme.
Despite mounting evidence that Charlotte was dangerous and unhinged, Marlena refused to back down. She continued to push, to investigate, and to dig deeper into Charlotte’s methods and motivations. When Charlotte finally snapped and came at Marlena with a syringe full of deadly drugs, the confrontation resulted in John being stabbed instead. He had a stroke and could have died. All because Marlena couldn’t leave well enough alone.
Did she learn her lesson? Spoiler alert: She did not.
Fighting the Devil (Twice!)
Perhaps nothing demonstrates Marlena’s refusal to quit like her battles with literal demonic possession. The first time the devil came for her in the 1990s, she fought back with everything she had. When it returned in 2021, Marlena’s initial response was pure denial. “I refuse to believe the devil has returned to Salem,” she declared, even as the lights flickered and supernatural events unfolded around her. Linda Blair practically walked in the front door and she was still acting as if June Cleaver was going to make a casserole for dinner!
When Doug Williams was possessed and told her the devil had come back for her after twenty-five years, Marlena’s response was to argue with a demon. She refused to accept the reality staring her in the face—or rather, speaking to her in a deep, demonic voice through her dear friend Doug‘s body. The devil even had to threaten Doug with Marlena’s pain before Marlena would acknowledge what was happening.
That’s dedication, folks. Stubborn, potentially dangerous dedication.
The Stefano DiMera Obsession
Throughout her decades in Salem, Marlena has faced off against Stefano DiMera more times than anyone can count. She was kidnapped and held captive on his island. She was drugged with mind-altering substances. She was possessed by the devil partly due to his machinations. She was trapped in his basement, programmed, brainwashed, and tortured.
Did any of this make Marlena back off? Did she ever think, “You know what, maybe I should stay away from anything DiMera-related for my own safety”? Not even once. Time after time, she dove headfirst into DiMera drama, convinced she could outsmart the Ploenix. Sometimes she succeeded. Sometimes she ended up in a coma being taunted by Stefano while he withheld the antidote that could save her life.
Her sister Samantha’s ghost even had to visit her during one coma to tell her to “hang on and fight for John.” Because apparently, even death itself couldn’t convince Marlena to give up the ghost.
Why “Not Going Anywhere” Is a Red Flag
So when Marlena looks at Rachel—a child who has already proven herself to be a skilled manipulator, who has lied repeatedly, who has trauma that runs deeper than the Mariana Trench—and she promises she’s “not going anywhere,” we should all be extremely worried.
Marlena’s track record shows us exactly what happens when she decides she’s not going anywhere:
1. She pushes boundaries that shouldn’t be pushed
2. She ignores warning signs that everyone else can see
3. She puts herself and others in danger
4. She refuses to accept reality until reality literally possesses her or stabs someone she loves
5. Things spiral completely out of control before they get better
Rachel is playing the long game here. She’s convinced everyone—including her therapist and her incredibly perceptive grandmother—that she’s just a traumatized little girl who doesn’t remember shooting her uncle. But spoilers suggest Rachel might be conning everyone, and Marlena’s determination to “help” her granddaughter could backfire in a spectacular, dumpster fire sort of way.
The Professional Ethics Problem
There’s also the sticky issue of Marlena being WAY too close to this situation. She’s Rachel‘s grandmother. She has a vested interest in protecting the child and the family. She’s already admitted to both Sarah Horton and Kayla Johnson that she’s pushed ethical boundaries in other recent storylines. Now she’s counseling her own granddaughter about a shooting that involves her step-grandson? Naughty, naughty!
In any real-world scenario, Marlena would be required to recuse herself from Rachel‘s case due to this massive conflict of interest. But this is Salem, where professional ethics are more like professional suggestions, and Marlena‘s history shows she’s never been great at recognizing when she’s too personally involved.
What Could Go Wrong?
Everything. Literally EVERYTHING could go wrong. If Marlena pushes too hard, Rachel‘s repressed memories could come flooding back in a way that traumatizes the child even further. If she doesn’t push hard enough and Rachel is indeed conning everyone, the girl could continue her pattern of manipulation unchecked. And, if Marlena discovers the truth – whatever THAT means – and tries to protect Rachel, she could end up complicit in covering up a crime. If she tries to force Rachel to confess, it could destroy their family.
Kristen took a murder rap for her daughter! She confessed to shooting EJ to spare Rachel from having to deal with the consequences of her actions. That’s a massive sacrifice, and it was made specifically to protect Rachel‘s mental health and future. If Marlena‘s persistence undoes all of that, the fallout will be nuclear.
The Pattern Never Changes
After nearly 50 years on Days of Our Lives, Marlena Evans has established herself as one of soap opera’s most iconic characters. She’s survived demon possession, plane crashes, serial killer accusations, kidnappings, and more mind control scenarios than should be legally allowed. She’s brilliant, compassionate, and deeply caring.
She’s also stubborn as a mule who has a psychology degree and a savior complex.
Every single time Marlena has promised someone she’s “not going anywhere,” it’s been a prelude to chaos. She doesn’t know when to step back. She doesn’t recognize when her involvement is making things worse. She operates from a place of love and a genuine desire to help, but she’s also got that Brady–Evans determination that refuses to acknowledge defeat even when defeat might actually be the healthiest option.
So yes, Marlena has promised Rachel she’ll be by her side no matter what. She’s committed to helping her granddaughter, to protecting her and to getting to the bottom of these memory flashes. And based on five decades of history, that promise is the most ominous thing we’ve heard on Days of Our Lives in weeks.
Buckle up, Salem. When Dr. Marlena Evans digs her heels in and refuses to abandon an issue, someone always ends up in danger, someone’s secret always explodes, and the body count (metaphorical or otherwise) always rises. Rachel‘s repressed memories are about to become everyone’s problem, and it’s all because Marlena has dug in her heels and promised she’s here for the long run.
ATTENTION Soap Slueths! Called a twist before it happened? Predicted a paternity reveal? Got the gift of soap prophecy? Send your track record to [email protected] and let’s crown you the prediction QUEEN/KING!
