The Never Ending-Never Dying Stefano DiMera

I read the updates on current daytime dramas the other day in the newspaper. I don’t watch, but I skimmed it anyway. Stefano DiMera hatched a plan that caught everyone by surprise. 

Stefano! 

Days of Our Lives has been on television since the late 1960s. It was the tale of the Horton family and the lives of people in Salem. Daytime serials, a.k.a. soap operas or to women in the know called them, “my stories” filled the afternoons of the three major television channels. Days or as “Soap Opera Digest” calls it, “DOOL” is one of the last to still be on the air. It’s funny because the Hortons became the lesser characters over time.

Stefano debuted in the early 1980s wreaking havoc on Roman Brady. He never got caught for his crimes. Stefano was the main villain and he had a family that bordered on evil or good depending on the storyline. His son, Tony seemed to be a good guy. Stefano became a crime boss and had his hand in all Salem high-spots. Stefano would get caught, but flee the scene or was believed to have been killed several times in the 1980s. This kept Stefano interesting and never over exposed. 

The actor who plays him, Joseph Mascolo had been an actor for decades. He was in the movie, “Jaws.” He was never a star, but he found steady work. 

Here is where it gets messed up. I remember when Mascolo died. How is he still in the storyline? From Days Wiki, Stefano was shot by Hope Brady and was believed dead. That was years ago. Stefano left the show but in reality, Mascolo was sick. Stefano’s henchmen took Stefano’s mind and transferred his thoughts and plans to a microchip. That chip was implanted to another character. There is a new Stefano! 

There is a similar storyline in Superman comics. Lex Luther was killled and his mind was transferred to someone else. He went by the name, Lex Luther Jr. 

The DiMera family grew over the years. It appears none of the new members have the gravitas that Mascolo brought to the role so they keep his memory alive. I just went to Youtube and there are series of videos featuring Mascolo in the role. Years after his death, viewers still want to watch Stefano.

Long live Stefano!