Days: Mickey's Passing

In January, Mickey Horton passed away, and Days of Our Lives said goodbye to one of its original characters. The actor who is synonymous for the character of Mickey, John Clarke retired in 2004 (though still living) and the program tried unsuccessfully to recast the role twice. My reaction to this may be different from some, because I felt somewhat underwhelmed.

Mickey’s death was done simply and off screen. We saw Maggie tell Hope, how she tried to resuscitate her husband and failed. Mickey was packing clothing for their cruise, and before they could go on this planned trip, he passed away. I don’t feel negatively about what was shown, but instead I felt disconnected. That isn’t to say I didn’t like some of what was shown and I am glad that Mickey died as it was frustrating to have Mickey mentioned, but off camera.

Since Mickey hasn’t been a regular character for years, we saw the pain of his passing through the people who loved him. It wasn’t about being upset that Mickey died for some, but upset for Maggie who lost her beloved husband. That can be “blamed” on the fact that many of the newer Days performers never worked with John Clarke. A few worked with the last actor who was in the role, but his on screen time was minimal and insignificant. So none of us have strong memories of Mickey and anyone in town, unless it occurred over five years ago. One example is when EJ came to the house to pay his respects. As an attorney, EJ had worked with Mickey at his firm. The problem was that it wasn’t John Clarke who was playing Mickey when the two interacted.

For that reason, I felt disconnected from the material. Of course, this detachment may have been partly why Days allowed Mickey Horton to pass away. Very few seemed to relate to Mickey after John Clarke left. There was that story with Bonnie, which happened in the last five years, when John Ingle played the part, but it was very much outside the character of Mickey Horton.

I can’t really fault any actors for these issues I have. It is doubtful that something will be as poignant when a character relationship was not focused upon on screen. When a character dies, we should be able to see why it hurts so much for the person to be gone; we shouldn’t be told why they are important and see tears from people who barely even known them. Please don’t take that as a criticism of the younger performers or those newer to Days of Our Lives, as I feel this way regardless of age.

Perhaps my issue is the difference between watching an actor, saying goodbye to someone they once worked with and an actor playing a scene about a person they may have never met. For me a lot of soap watching especially when it comes to long-term characters is based upon feelings, memories and history. That’s why the scenes with Maggie talking about Mickey were touching. We’re watching Suzanne Rogers, who has performed the role of Maggie for over 35 years, play the character of Maggie remembering. And while Maggie remembers, if one has watched Days long enough, also they may recall scenes and stories of the past involving Mickey and Maggie.

The part that affected me the most was when Maggie said goodbye to Mickey as his body was wheeled out of their home on a gurney. I knew and saw how much Maggie and Mickey loved one another, so I could mourn the loss of the relationship. That’s why it was a good touch to show the flashbacks of their past. Most of the scenes, they chose aired well before I watched Days, which made them even more special. Of course, I would have been thrilled if they had shown more, including scenes with Melissa who returned for the funeral. I watched Days when Melissa was a regular character, so I knew the bond between Melissa and her adoptive parents A newer viewer may have sat there and wondered who that chick was.

We shall see if Mickey’s passing will create a real story for Maggie, or if she will go back into hiding except for the times where one of her family members or boarders needs someone to talk to about their lives. I hope that this story, has reminded people why Maggie is an important part of the Salem landscape and why people fell for the Mickey and Maggie relationship.