Swing for the fences! The world is a much better place because of John Black: Days of our Lives Two Scoops for the week of June 9, 2025

John’s funeral was the main push of the week, with Friday’s Days of Our Lives episode showing progression on some of the other subplots. The funeral was a big deal and was incredibly sad. There were quite a few flashbacks, too numerous to add in this article, but what I will do this week is show everyone who got up to share words about John. Eric presided over the funeral, which was totally appropriate considering he used to be a priest, and many of John's family and friends reminisced about Salem’s greatest hero.

Hope eventually had to break the news to Bo in a heart-wrenching scene, and after some cajoling, he talked her into taking him to the funeral. That was wonderful, and he had a nice reunion with Marlena. Hopefully, Bo and Hope will stay on the show for longer than a few episodes.

Of course, the week ended with Xander in Philip’s hospital room, grabbing a pillow, and saying, “Don’t worry. This will all be over before you know it.” Then it looked like he was going to smother him! Oh, the horror! Why is Xander spiraling into such a dark place? If he continues his murderous ways, he'll end up in prison and off the show!

LOOSE ENDS

Cat happened to walk by Shane at the funeral, and in a low voice, she surreptitiously acknowledged his presence by saying, “Director.” But she kept walking, and they didn’t converse. So that means she’s an ISA agent!! How cool is that? Her character suddenly became infinitely more interesting. This would likely explain why she was so comfortable with skydiving. Chad had previously asked her how many times she’d been, and she didn’t really answer except to say that it had been a few times. Does her being a spy mean there’s a different reason why Abigail’s body was missing?

EXTRA SCOOPS

REFERENCES

Mickey Mantle was referenced as one of John’s favorite baseball players. Mantle was a professional baseball player who mainly played center field and was considered one of the best hitters and players of all time. His entire career was playing for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968.

When Belle got up to speak at John’s funeral, one of the things she said was, “And I’m sure you all know that my dad has had a lot of big, epic moments, you know, where he was faster than a speeding bullet or leaping tall buildings in a single bound.” That, of course, is a quote from the opening title sequence to the TV show, The Adventures of Superman, which ran from 1952 to 1958. In it, the announcer states, “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!” Then it goes on where we hear citizens saying, “Look! Up in the sky!” “It’s a bird!” “It’s a plane!” “It’s…Superman!”

At the funeral, Marlena read a poem: “This is the true season of love, when we believe that we alone can love, that no one could ever have loved so before us, and that no one will love in the same way after us.” That’s from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German poet who lived in the late 1700s to early 1800s, and was part of a collection of his works that was titled Goethe’s Opinions on the World, Mankind, Literature, Science, and Art.

Hope had a flashback to a time when Bo was dressed in a Civil War era suit, and Hope approached him after removing a hood from her head, also dressed similarly. She said, “Rhett? Captain Butler.” He turned and looked in astonishment, asking, “Hope?” She responded, “Not Hope. It’s your very own Scarlett.” Which was a reference to the iconic and classic Hollywood film, Gone With the Wind from 1939 starring Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara.

THE FUNERAL OF JOHN BLACK

Eric began the eulogy and officiated the proceedings. Steve brought many of John’s memorabilia and placed them on a table next to his cremated remains. Several people couldn’t make it including Sami, Sydney, and John’s Dad, Timothy Robicheaux, who was played by the venerable icon, Dick Van Dyke. It was explained that he had surgery the day before the funeral.

Eric

Eric’s words and the passages he read were moving and talked about several qualities John had, including devotion, courage, and love. Brady then got up and brought the house to tears singing Amazing Grace. I have to admit, I was surprised at first to hear him sing and then remembered he’s part of the Day Players band.

Shane, Steve, and Abe

Shane, Steve, and Abe got up next and led the charge, explaining that each of them represented three different phases in John’s life. Abe explained that if someone became part of John’s circle, they were there for life. Steve noted that John’s last act was to save Bo’s life, and that it was appropriate considering how courageous he was. Shane contributed the poignant statement, “The world is a safer place because of him.”

Kayla and Roman

Roman and Kayla spoke after that, and it was brought up that for a few years, John thought he was Roman. Roman explained that when the truth came out and John had to stop being someone he wasn’t, John handled it with the utmost grace. Roman was thankful that John had a wonderful hand in raising his kids. Kayla also explained how John became like a brother to them.

Belle

Belle got up to talk and said she always felt safest when she was with her father. She recalled some of his heroism, like dropping everything to go save Eric after he poked the hornet’s nest known as Stefano. She referred to him as Superman, who could do anything, including be there for her when she simply needed a shoulder to cry on. She also remarked that John was a font of awful Dad Jokes and made people laugh all the time.

Paul

Paul spoke next and recalled how he and John bonded over baseball after learning Paul was his son. In a nice, purposely ironic twist, Paul speculated that his Dad was a baseball player in a past life — a reference to the fact that Drake Hogestyn had been a professional ball player for a time. Paul lamented that John wouldn’t be able to attend his wedding to Andrew. In the end, he looked at John’s picture and tearfully said, “I love you, Dad. I can’t wait to play another game of baseball with you again.”

Carrie and the Flower Ceremony

After that, Carrie got up and explained that there was a lot of love growing up in a blended family with John and Marlena. She recalled that when John and Marlena got married in 1999, each of the children brought up a flower to create a family bouquet that symbolized they were all part of a larger ‘garden.’ As such, all of John’s children recreated it at the funeral, with Paul asked to step in for Sami. Each of the flowers had a different meaning, and we heard John and Marlena’s voices from the flashback clip describing what they were. It was very touching and unique.

Marlena

Marlena was at the center of everything, with everyone there in support. She read a lovely poem for John, and we saw several flashbacks illustrating their eternal love. After the flower ceremony, Belle, Carrie, and Brady leaned in to Marlena, perfectly illustrating how her family came together in her time of need. It was sweet and touching and I defy anyone to say that they got through the week without shedding a tear or two.

The Reception

After the funeral, Marlena, Steve, Roman, Kayla, Shane, and Bo got together to reminisce and decompress. Steve began with a toast to John, stating, "To John Black, without a doubt, the finest man I've ever known." Marlena flashed back to a time when John toasted to his future with her, with Bo and Hope joining in.

LINE(S) OF THE WEEK

Many of the quotes this week are from characters who honored John.

Brady was consoling Rachel about John’s death and said, “Just because we can’t see him doesn’t mean he won’t be with us all the time. ‘Cause he’s gonna be right here. Always.”

Steve was talking to Kayla about closing down Black Patch and retiring, and she asked what he was going to do with himself after. He responded, “I could do some volunteer work. Maybe I could go down to the park and play my harp, you know. Hey, maybe take some guitar lessons.” Steve doesn’t actually play the harp. That’s a nickname for a harmonica, which he does play.

Roman told Steve and Kayla, “Once you got to know that guy…he just…he had your heart.”

Tate asked Brady if Kristen would be attending John’s funeral, and his dad replied, “No. She thought your grandmother [Marlena] might flip out if she came. So in a rare moment of generosity, she stayed at home.”

During Eric’s eulogy, he said, “Heaven is truly rejoicing at the return of one of its favorite sons.”

Shane had some nice words about John and at one point stated, “We’re also much better off from having known him, and the world is a safer place because of him.”

After the funeral, several of John’s closest friends got together at the Brady Pub, and Steve poured shots of whiskey for everyone. He then said, “So what do you say we toast the man who on many occasions drank me under the table?” Kayla said she didn’t know if she believed that John could drink him under the table, and Steve hilariously replied, “I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.”

Roman said to Bo, “Do I have to tell you how surreal it is to have you home?” and Bo responded, “Surreal for you? How about for me?”

Hope, Julie, and Jennifer were reminiscing about Bo and Julie recalled how she had gone to Paris, France, to get Bo to reunite with Hope. Jennifer chimed in with, “Never underestimate the power of Julie Williams.”

Later, Julie told Hope, “I’ve always known you were my gift from God. I want you to remember how lucky you are…to have him there to annoy you.” She was advising her to count her blessings that Bo was back, and lamented the fact that Doug was no longer there to sing The Most Beautiful Girl in the World to her.

Kayla bumped into Xander and started giving him the business about beating up Philip. He told her he wasn’t in the mood, and she replied, “Oh really? Facing the consequences for your own actions has made you grumpy?”

Sarah told Xander, “If you do go to prison and miss out on your daughter’s life, the only person you have to blame is yourself.”

RANDOM THOUGHTS

John’s funeral was divided into parts with “To Be Continued…” at the end of them, except, of course, for the last one. This is interesting because I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen that used on a soap.

It was awesome to see Shane Donovan back again! Charles Shaughnessy always does a great job. There were a couple of flashbacks, which I was looking forward to, but Shane himself was only on the screen for a split second! What gives?

Xander looks like he’s about to smother poor Philip. Is it possible that if he tries it, Phil will wake up? That remains to be seen, but it’s likely Philip won’t die. Hopefully, when he does wake up, like I mentioned last time, he’ll be the magnanimous one and not finger Xander in an effort to finally win over his brother’s trust.

PARTING THOUGHTS

There was a shot of John’s ISA badge among his memorabilia at the funeral. That not only served as a reminder of John’s heroic past but also made me look forward to finding out more about Cat’s involvement with the agency. There needs to be a next generation of spies brought onto the canvas. Cat’s revelation is a big thing, and hopefully, the show will deliver on more intrigue and espionage involving her!

OUTRO

Thank you for joining me this week, DOOL-ers! Come back next time when I will finally explain how much wood a woodchuck could actually chuck (that is, if he could indeed chuck wood).

Days of Our Lives can be found on the Peacock app.