Jarlena History - 1991
Written by: Ms. Goldie
RoJohn and Isabella are still not on good terms, and he starts spending time with Dr. Whitney Baker. He used her as a cover while he was investigating, and also he protected her because someone was stalking her.
After struggling for months, RoJohn realized that Carrie needed her mother. He reluctantly allowed her to leave Salem, and move in with Anna.
Isabella was bothered by the amount of time RoJohn seemed to be spending with Whitney. February 14, 1991 a surprise dinner was arranged for RoJohn and Isabella at his home. They almost made love, but Whitney called, and said she was being followed. Later when RoJohn was frustrated that she'd slipped away from her guard, she replied that she can't have a guard with the nature of her work (well that sounds familiar).
RoJohn had Whitney stay at his home for protection, and Isabella accused him of wanting the other woman around because she reminded him of Marlena. In April 1991, RoJohn arrested Johnny for harassing Whitney, and blackmailing Tanner. Two weeks later he arrested Lawrence Alamain for raping Jennifer, shocking his sister Kimberly who had started spending time with Lawrence.
There wasn't a lot going on for RoJohn in the first half of 1991. He and Isabella were still arguing in May 1991, because she wanted to open a private investigation firm, and he was adamantly opposed. He asked her to move in with him after they made love, but she refused. He was involved in police work and family matter, but no single storyline stood out.
The week of June 1991 was significant because Kimberly discovered a letter at Lawrence's home which mentioned that Lawrence's younger brother died in a drowning accident. This will be significant for a future John Black storyline (Romulus). The first week of August RoJohn decided he was going to ask Isabella to marry him... that was also the week the viewers found out that the mystery coma patient in San Cristobal was Marlena.
Marlena's return was something Roman and Marlena fans had been pinning their hopes on for years. It didn't quite happen the way they wanted. When Marlena woke she had no memory of the previous years, and she was shocked to realize it was 1991. During a storm she escaped where she was being held, and stowed away on an airplane. She slowly made her way towards Salem while viewers watched an oblivious RoJohn plan his future with Isabella.
Once in Salem, Marlena watched with heartbreak as her husband proposed to his girlfriend. She met, and had a brief conversation, with Sami and Eric. They had no idea who she was. She made some calls to the police station, and later left a note on RoJohn's door asking him to meet her at The Continental Bar. He assumed it was from Isabella, but when he arrived all he found at the bar was a strawberry. He'd already been informed that a woman had called the police station looking for Captain Brady, which was the rank he'd held five years earlier.
The night of RoJohn's engagement party to Isabella, Brian Schofield saw a mystery woman outside the Brady home. RoJohn went to investigate, and ended up on the pier thinking of Marlena. When he heard her voice calling "Roman", he paused. He turned around, and as she stepped out of the mist, she said, "It's Marlena."
It's a reunion that Jarlena fans have watched over and over. He kissed her as if they'd never been separated, and then he had a moment where he wasn't sure what to do, which was so reminisant of those moments during The Pawn and The Pawn Revisited when he became overwhelmed emotionally. Marlena remained calm. She took him back to the shabby room she'd been renting so they could talk.
In Marlena's room RoJohn learned that Marlena had already been in town for five days, and he didn't understand why it took her so long to find him. She explained that when she was taken Sami and Eric were still toddlers. She was worried about how they would react to her. RoJohn realized that if she'd seen the children at the house, then she'd seen Isabella. She told him she saw him give Isabella the ring, meaning she witnessed the proposal.
She explained how she made her way back to Salem, and then she told him that she had no memory of the previous five years. She simply woke, and all of that time was missing. It was as if she'd only seen him the day before. RoJohn was torn because waiting at him home were his family, and friends, as well as Isabella. As much as he wanted her, he stepped back, saying, "I can't, Doc... it's just... it's just... it seems, seems... it seems wrong... it just seems crazy. It's a crazy situation!"
Marlena was the one who suggested that RoJohn go home. She lied to him, saying, she'd be alright, and I will never understand why he agreed to leave her there. But that man literally said, "I'll call you tomorrow." RoJohn leaving Marlena there made no sense, but he did it.
The following day RoJohn went back to the hotel looking for her, but she wasn't there. He found her in the park watching the children. Victor showed up, and in an attempt to hide her, RoJohn sent her back to the hotel. She didn't go right away. Instead she stayed and watched as he did a police talk with children at a summer camp. Isabella showed up, and Marlena left. When RoJohn finally returned to the hotel, he nearly kissed Marlena about three times, but refrained every single time. He was paged for work, and left her there again.
It was only after he went to see Bo in the hospital and confided in him that he finally knew he couldn't keep hiding her. Bo couldn't believe RoJohn was hiding Marlena. That was significant, because Bo lost Hope the summer before. He didn't understand why RoJohn was keeping Marlena "under wraps". RoJohn's overwhelm showed up again. He had no idea what to do. Bo was incredulous, telling RoJohn that Marlena was his wife, she had children, and she had a life she wasn't been able to live for five years, "and you're keeping her under wraps?" When Bo realized that RoJohn planned to keep Marlena hidden until he solved the mystery of where she'd been, he informed his brother that he wasn't being fair to Marlena, or Isabella.
Bo had RoJohn bring Marlena to his boat, and then RoJohn met Isabella at his house to tell her the truth. Isabella insinuated that Marlena allowed everyone to believe she was dead, and RoJohn told her that wasn't what happened. She told him she had to move out, and then asked for space to do that alone. When she leftthe house, she left her engagement ring behind.
When RoJohn returned to Bo's boat, Marlena was concerned about the pain he and Isabella were experiencing. Later, he brought her home, and they had an angsty night together. That was when Marlena's nightmares started - the ones where she remembered Roman being on that island in the Caribbean with her, which couldn't have been possible.
Isabella went to see Victor because he'd told her that he would do whatever it took to end her relationship with RoJohn. She saw Marlena's return as some machination of her father's to end her engagement. Victor denied any involvement.
Marlena underwent hypnosis with Kim, but her memory of seeing Roman didn't change. We saw her reintroduced to her children, and the moment Caroline shockingly ended up face to face with Marlena in her living room. Through it all RoJohn and Marlena demonstrated this painful pull towards each other that was at some points difficult to watch. RoJohn's obsession with finding answers prevented him from making a final decision about his future.
When the viewers were finally shown the real Roman, the storyline took a turn. If Roman was in prison being forced to watch videos of RoJohn and Marlena... then who exactly was RoJohn?
Marlena told RoJohn his fixation with finding the truth about where she'd been those five years was holding him back from making a choice between her and Isabella, but he couldn't let it go. The investigation eventually led RoJohn to decide that he needed to go to San Cristobal. Marlena told him, if he was going, so was she.
The last week of September RoJohn and Marlena traveled to Miami to search for answers. Abe saw Marlena for the first time. This was also when Isabella followed RoJohn to Florida with the intention of telling him she was pregnant.
Sharing a hotel room made the situation more tense. RoJohn was trying to be emotionally supportive to his wife, Marlena, but he still held back from his natural inclinations with her because of Isabella. At one point Marlena rubbed RoJohn's shoulders, and kissed his neck. He flinched, and she stepped away from him. She went to walk on the beach, leaving him in the room alone.
On San Cristobal Roman had escaped his prison, and was forcing a woman who worked for Stefano (although at that point we were unaware of Stefano being a key player) to assist him in his attempt to flee the island in a storm.
RoJohn found Marlena on the beach. He was excited to tell her that the plane was ready to do, and in his excitement, he kissed her. He pulled back, seemingly shocked by what he'd done as he stared down at her. Marlena's eyes lifted, and then he kissed her again. Just as he was kissing her passionately, Isabella came upon them.
Isabella left Miami, and returned to Salem. Back in their hotel room, RoJohn was feeding Marlena a strawberry with whipped cream which really was frustrating because the viewers knew what was coming. Just as RoJohn and Marlena were finally starting to reconnect, Roman would walk out of the jungle, and ruin everything.
October 4, 1991 ended on a cliffhanger with Roman shooting at RoJohn. How many of us screamed? Or was that just me? Roman's shot missed. RoJohn and Marlena fled into the jungle. Roman believed that RoJohn would harm Marlena once he realized he'd been discovered as a fraud.
RoJohn and Marlena ran until they were exhausted, but Roman was following them, intent on hunting RoJohn down, and killing him. He called out, "Doc!" confusing Marlena, then he shot RoJohn. Just as Marlena was about to shoot Roman, he walked out of the trees with his hands raised. She passed out, and he carried her away, leaving RoJohn behind them bleeding on the ground.
When Marlena awoke, Roman had her in a hut somewhere on the island. He fully believed that once he told her how dangerous RoJohn was she would turn on him. She didn't. She told Roman that she loved RoJohn, which only served to frustrate him. When RoJohn found them, she was confused, but refused to believe that he was dangerous. She told them both that all they could do was go home to Salem, and figure it out.
Back in Salem, Mr. Patrick was introduced to the twins (Mr. Patrick was the name Roman used the first time he met Marlena. That was when he made a therapy appointment, and scared her to death during the Salem Strangler storyline.) The Brady family was shocked to say the least. It was all very soapy.
The whole time Isabella was keeping her pregnancy from RoJohn. Roman was trying to woo Marlena, but she was in love with RoJohn. RoJohn felt his life falling apart, and strongly asserted over and over again that he was Roman Brady. Wayne's version of Roman was more aggressive in tone, and mannerisms, therefore his continued insistence that RoJohn was a threat came off as arrogant and condescending. Marlena's confusion was frustrating, and watching RoJohn come apart at the seams was painful.
At one point, Caroline tricked RoJohn with a fake memory, and essentially broke his heart when he realized what she'd done. Bo told Marlena, Roman, Abe, Shane, and Isabella that RoJohn felt like everything he'd had was being taken away from him, and while Marlena pushed for empathy, Roman continued to be an absolute ass about everything... and still put the moves on Marlena. All the while Roman and Marlena flashbacks were being pushed at viewers as Marlena hypnotized Roman to try and find the truth.
Despite RoJohn's warning that the ISA couldn't be trusted, Roman called them, because he thought he knew best. After Chief Tarrington's first visit Roman wanted to call everyone, and invite them over to announce he was Roman, but Marlena told him that the DNA wasn't even back yet, and he was being entirely too celebratory. He was so arrogant about it, and then he told her that he wanted RoJohn locked up, and jailed because he was dangerous. He said, "I want him questioned until he breaks." We had weeks and weeks of Roman trash talking RoJohn with absolutely no evidence at all.
October 28, the DNA revealed that RoJohn was not Roman Brady. Roman was a smug ass about it, and RoJohn felt as if his world was turned upside down. The ISA attempted to take RoJohn into custody, and he fought them - disarming two agents, and Roman - before fleeing the house. The ISA ran after him, and in a panic Marlena's started shouting, attempting to go after him as well, but Roman held her back. Chief Tarrington and Roman were only concerned with getting the evidence they needed to prove who RoJohn is working for, since they fully believed he was a double agent. Chief Tarrington was more concerned that RoJohn might destroy evidence. Marlena realized he was speaking of suicide, and so as Roman played super cop, she snuck out of the house to go search for RoJohn.
Marlena found RoJohn on the pier. The same place where she'd found him back in August. She told him that the Brady family spoke, and they all agreed to start calling him John again. He continued to insist he was Roman. They went back to his hotel room (the same room Marlena stayed in when she returned to Salem). Marlena asked him to turn himself in, but he told her he wasn't sure what she was concerned about, saying, "You made your choice. It wasn't me."
She stated that she hadn't made a choice, she'd simply accepted the DNA results. John insisted that the ISA wasn't above futzing up some DNA results to get a conclusion they wanted. But Marlena told him she was worried because the ISA thought he might kill himself. John scoffed, saying he had too much to live for - his wife, his kids.
Marlena was able to get John to agree to return home with her. She called home, and spoke with Roman. He initially refused to call off the ISA agents, but ultimately he had no choice. He agreed, and found himself forced to work with John as they tried to uncover the truth about who had been holding him, as well as Marlena, and what the truth was about John.
During all of this, Isabella has herself fully mixed into an investigation about Victor's death. By mid-November the viewers know that Victor Kiriakis is alive and well. His daughter Isabella does not. Then Isabella does the dumbest thing - she confronts Marlena at the courthouse. She accuses Marlena of stringing Roman and John along. She insinuates that Marlena chose to leave her family, and then just came back "as if your hands aren't dirty". Marlena was a queen and a saint during that scene, and it left Isabella looking jealous and insecure.
Bo, Carly, and Isabella are investigating Victor's death. John, Marlena, and Roman are doing their own investigation. The two merge in Mexico as the clues draw them all together.
Still under construction...