John/Marilyn

[Red Ranger 1]

It's been a while since I've been in this section much, but after this week's UK episodes I feel I have to offload somewhere.It's frustrating for me to say this, because for the most part I've liked John and Marilyn as individuals and as a couple.I thought making them foster parents was a great idea and yet it's been handled so badly.We've had plenty of foster children who genuinely needed a home come and stay with them but none of them stayed more than a few months.And what are we left with instead?John and Marilyn deliberately breaking up a family so they can have a child to look after.All year they've been treating Raffy like a doll that they borrowed and don't want to give back. Them taking her away from the Morgans, a family that clearly adore her and have mostly done a good job looking after her, feels completely wrong, in the same way that Ash taking Luc away from VJ a year earlier did.We're told lots of pretty things about it being Raffy's choice but that choice has always been influenced by John and Marilyn coercing her, spoiling her, guilt tripping her and brainwashing her with lies about how the Morgans have too many dramas to look after her, whilst keeping her away from them as much as possible.It's reminded me of that storyline in the early years where some distant relatives of Sally turned up and tried to get her to live with them instead of the Fletchers, saying they'd have more time for her and spoiling her on weekend visits so she'd like living with them more.Except for some reason we're meant to view what John and Marilyn are doing as right and good, rather than the complete antithesis of what fostering's meant to be about: You're supposed to support them being reunited with their birth family (which, ironically, they have done with their actual foster children), not constantly interfere and undermine them and grab the child back off them at any opportunity.I like the Morgans as a family unit and I liked Raffy's role within it, and now that's been destroyed just so John and Marilyn have a role on the show.

I've heard people say that they've run their course and should be written out.Up until now, I've always felt that things didn't need to go that far and they could be salvaged.But after watching a family broken up yet again, after watching John and Marilyn's selfish delight in the face of Justin's heartbreak at losing his sister all over again, I'm left thinking that if they can only be kept around by hurting other characters, then they need to go.

[j.laur5]

7 minutes ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

It's been a while since I've been in this section much, but after this week's UK episodes I feel I have to offload somewhere.It's frustrating for me to say this, because for the most part I've liked John and Marilyn as individuals and as a couple.I thought making them foster parents was a great idea and yet it's been handled so badly.We've had plenty of foster children who genuinely needed a home come and stay with them but none of them stayed more than a few months.And what are we left with instead?John and Marilyn deliberately breaking up a family so they can have a child to look after.All year they've been treating Raffy like a doll that they borrowed and don't want to give back. Them taking her away from the Morgans, a family that clearly adore her and have mostly done a good job looking after her, feels completely wrong, in the same way that Ash taking Luc away from VJ a year earlier did.We're told lots of pretty things about it being Raffy's choice but that choice has always been influenced by John and Marilyn coercing her, spoiling her, guilt tripping her and brainwashing her with lies about how the Morgans have too many dramas to look after her, whilst keeping her away from them as much as possible.It's reminded me of that storyline in the early years where some distant relatives of Sally turned up and tried to get her to live with them instead of the Fletchers, saying they'd have more time for her and spoiling her on weekend visits so she'd like living with them more.Except for some reason we're meant to view what John and Marilyn are doing as right and good, rather than the complete antithesis of what fostering's meant to be about: You're supposed to support them being reunited with their birth family (which, ironically, they have done with their actual foster children), not constantly interfere and undermine them and grab the child back off them at any opportunity.I like the Morgans as a family unit and I liked Raffy's role within it, and now that's been destroyed just so John and Marilyn have a role on the show.

I've heard people say that they've run their course and should be written out.Up until now, I've always felt that things didn't need to go that far and they could be salvaged.But after watching a family broken up yet again, after watching John and Marilyn's selfish delight in the face of Justin's heartbreak at losing his sister all over again, I'm left thinking that if they can only be kept around by hurting other characters, then they need to go.

I agree and I think Ruth run her course as well as much I like Ruth character but after Maddy left she just floating around and Georgia taking so much time of this year it feels like Ruth neither here  or there. 

As for Marilyn it feels like we no longer have funny classic character anymore I do realise you mature as aged but it’s just not same Marilyn anymore  and kind of think it might be better if Emily had quit in  2015 and wrote John out too and maybe they could left to live with near Jett. 

As for John he just around to deliver he 2 cents in random screens. 

I know can stay same about Alf/Leah/Irene but all be around over 2 or 3 decades and they more feel solid members of town. 

[Matt]

I have always thought that John and Marilyn would be much better off without each other. Both characters have immense potential, but not married to one another.

[D.B]

I'll admit I was reluctant to even consider the idea of them being written out, mainly out of respect of the old guard rather than actually liking the characters, but yeah, John and Marilyn;s behaviour when it came to foster children in the last year has just been done so wrong. 

[Red Ranger 1]

If (and after this latest raising and dashing of hopes it almost seems out of the question) John and Marilyn give Raffy back to her family, I might be able to tolerate them staying on either as individuals or a couple. But it is hard to know what else to do with them: Marilyn did nothing for about two years before she got together with John and he doesn't really have any connection to anyone else, so they'd just be glorified extras, and if they broke up, they wouldn't even have each other to play off.I suppose the show could come up with brilliant new roles for them but given what they've done this year I'm not holding my breath.

[c120701]

On 08/02/2019 at 09:41, Matt said:

I have always thought that John and Marilyn would be much better off without each other. Both characters have immense potential, but not married to one another.

I’m not entirely sure what that would be for Marilyn as being single would just be another 39+ female which is a role Leah, Roo & Irene fill also. I think the show is scared to get rid of any of them.

John would just be the same character, but actually he’s really just Alf 20 years ago.

[j.laur5]

21 minutes ago, c120701 said:

I’m not entirely sure what that would be for Marilyn as being single would just be another 39+ female which is a role Leah, Roo & Irene fill also. I think the show is scared to get rid of any of them.

John would just be the same character, but actually he’s really just Alf 20 years ago.

Maggie is also their age.

I don't think John is anything like Alf in the 90s.

[Lunar]

I don't mind them together, and I don't actually mind them with Raffy (I think it made sense for her to live with someone else as the Morgans had a lot going on...Brody taking drugs, Mason and his accident, Tori with the pregnancy, the Ebony/Hazel stuff), but do think they come across as overbearing at times. I also feel like it means Raffy rarely spends time with the Morgans now. Marilyn especially never used to be like that and was a bit more level-headed.

I didn't really like them arguing over 'lets foster again' when Ty had just left. It just seemed like they were trying to rush into it. Hopefully now they won't bother as I don't think its been mentioned in ages. 

I'd prefer to see Leah foster as she's younger and has been around the most for Ryder, plus Hunter when he was on the show. (I get she thought Hunter was her step-son for a long time but even when he turned out to not be Zac's and he left, she was still there for him)