Ellie

Aug 26 2008, 02:50 AM

I've only had a chance to watch today's J&M scenes so far, but I really liked them! As Phoenix pointed out, the flashbacks could probably not be avoided on the first post-Olympic show, but I liked the added twist of having Marlena narrate the 'attack' flashback and describe how afraid she was. Deidre played it beautifully, and you could see the terror across her face as she described what happened. I got choked up as she cried through it. I also very much liked when John awkwardly told Marlena not to cry. Drake is playing this so well; I was picturing a teenage boy dealing with his first girlfriend, as John wiped away Marlena's tears but seemed at a loss as to how to make her feel better other than by telling her not to cry. It was such a sweet, innocent moment.

The subsequent J&M scenes were also very strong. I think it's a fun side to Marlena that she's a good doctor but a pretty bad patient. I also liked John's looking through the window at her sleeping. These 'small moments' are what's necessary to build the emotional connection between the characters.

As for Marlena's being cold to John, that doesn't bother me at all, and in fact I don't think I'd like it if she were to accept him right away. Let's be honest, he's treated her like garbage for the past few months. If she were all of a sudden to accept his interest in her without doubting him, it wouldn't make much sense. This distance on her part is necessary to build her character and ultimately bring them together.