It should have come as no surprise that Deidre Hall – the recipient of Soap Hub’s Performer of the Week Award for Days of our Lives – can make any storyline shine…even the most decisive ones; and yet, we were blown away at how truly enjoyable she’s made Marlena Evans Black’s DAYS repossession.
Deidre Hall – Performer of the Week
For a hot minute, Hall had us doubting that the Devil had actually made the jump from loveable Doug Williams (Bill Hayes) to Marlena; perhaps she was slow to react to the injured man’s predicament because she was scared to come into contact with the tormentor.
Then came those not-so-subtle (but enormously hilarious) hints that all was not well. Take for instance the side-eye that Marlena offered a concerned Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes); it practically screamed, “Giiiiiirl if only you knew what was really goin’ on.”
But the best was yet to come from Deidre Hall. First, there was the revelry that Lucifer indulged in as he checked out his handiwork in a wall mirror. “Ooh. What an absolute sight to behold! What’s it been? About, 25 years? You look absolutely marrrrrrrrvelous Marlena! Why, if I didn’t know better, I’d – I’d think that you made a deal with the…With me!”
Then there was the conversation had with John Black (Drake Hogestyn). When he expressed gratitude that he’d been able to successfully perform the exorcism despite not being a real priest, MarDevil quietly retorted, “Certainly had me fooled about that.”
There were other fantastical touches brought to the table by the actress. From MarDevil’s vicious mastication of her garlic toast to the look of disgust that crossed her face when John admitted he’d initially told Allie Horton (Lindsay Arnold) that Marlena’s battle with Satan had been all been a lie dreamt up by Sami Brady DiMera (Alison Sweeney).
It’s obvious that Hall, like Bill Hayes before her, is delighting in the opportunity to play against type – he got to shed his heroic, leading man image for a time, and she’s getting to forgo Marlena’s niceties and warm demeanor.
Here’s hoping that there are more chills and thrills coming our way – because we know that Deidre Hall will deliver it all with style and panache – and a whole lot of humor.
Days of our Lives (DAYS) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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