091 THE MARDEVIL (reviving a soap opera’s weirdly religious moment)

In late 2021, the soap opera Days of Our Lives revived its most iconic and beloved and controversial storyline: the possession of Marlena, aka the Mardevil. We review, with memories of childhood summers, wild Days plotlines, a debate in the comment section, and a sociological theory of possession.

Highlights from the 1994–1995 Mardevil plot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOhSYgDMLmw 

John Black casts the devil out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sToK0mCv3DU&t=1556s 

Days bringing back the possession story, with a vibrant user comments section:  https://ew.com/tv/days-of-our-lives-binging-back-possession-storyline/ 

The Devil comes back for Marlena after 25 years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F11iqh7_eDc&list=PLNmiY2SJ3AKOFk7ULhfHITURjKNIFsHL5 

The second exorcism of Marlena (2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q9N3m6nSTQ; https://youtu.be/bnIEjymVdUM 

An update on the recent Mardevil plot revival: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/days-of-our-lives-weekly-recap-mardevil-coming-get-his-due.html/ 

Further updates on the current Mardevil plot revival: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/days-of-our-lives-sneak-peek-mar-devil-overplays-her-hand-ben-ciara.html/ 

Deidre Hall brings holy water to set: https://people.com/tv/days-of-our-lives-deidre-hall-uses-holy-water-filming-scenes-where-character-is-possessed/ 

Marlena Evans on fandom.com: https://daysofourlives.fandom.com/wiki/Marlena_Evans 

The Deidre Hall website: https://deidrehall.com/ 

Notorious and ridiculous Days plotlines from which we quote: ​​https://bit.ly/3eGO8jm; https://bit.ly/3zcVJiQ 

Book review on possession: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0048721X.2021.2024744?needAccess=true