It turns out Paul and Belle will be around for John Black (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena Evans’ (Deidre Hall) wedding anniversary. Of course, November 8 will also mark the 59th anniversary of the show itself, so Days will have multiple reasons to celebrate.
It’ll be great to see Belle and Paul again, but DOOL fans might be wondering how John’s absence will be explained.
Drake Hogestyn passed away from pancreatic cancer in September, so he’d stepped away from the Days studio for his medical battle when these anniversary scenes were filmed.
Hogestyn’s final episode has already aired, which means John obviously won’t be on-screen for this family celebration. That’ll have to be addressed in some way, so we can start making predictions about how Days writers will work around missing John.
DOOL’s already been coming up with excuses to keep John off-screen – like the recent farm trip that he took with Timothy Robicheaux (Dick Van Dyke).
However, John may actually be in Salem for his anniversary with Marlena. It’d be simple to have the main party happen off-screen and claim John’s hanging out with the grandkids afterward.
Then again, John might be grabbing dessert from The Bistro or spending some extra time with Timothy at his facility. It shouldn’t be too hard to work around John’s absence in a respectful way.
Meanwhile, Marlena can do some reminiscing with Belle and Paul. There’ll no doubt be some romantic John and Marlena flashbacks, so their love story will still be highlighted on this special occasion.
Once Belle and Paul return, Marlena will have a chance to celebrate with them and think back on all the wonderful years John’s given her. It’ll be a nice mini tribute to Drake Hogestyn until his passing can be properly acknowledged down the road.
Days of Our Lives spoilers say John should get a real funeral eventually, so we’ll be sure to give you updates as more news comes in on Hogestyn’s future memorial. CDL will have other big Days of Our Lives spoilers, predictions, updates and news to read up on, so stop by often.