Marlene Kratz - Reception

Reception

A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website stated that Marlene's most notable moment was "Reuniting with Cheryl after so long." To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the soap, the BBC Online readers were asked to nominate their twenty favourite obscure characters. Marlene came in tenth place and the readers commented "Marlene Kratz, the mother of Lou Carpenter's late wife Cheryl Stark. Reason? For heading off on a three month cruise in the mid-1990s, never to be seen or spoken of again." A columnist for Inside Soap branded Marlene "the grooviest granny in Erinsborough, who throws herself into any worthy cause, and opens her house to every passing waif and stray." John Millar from the Daily Record called the character an "ageing cabbage patch doll".

To celebrate Neighbours' 25th anniversary, British satellite broadcasting company Sky, included Marlene in their list of twenty-five characters who were the most memorable in the serial's history. A writer for Sky said "Considering Marlene was originally introduced in the rather serious business of being estranged for several decades from daughter Cheryl, she made a name for herself with comic storylines, largely revolving around getting into trouble with grandchildren Sam, Brett and Dannii. With her nineties shirts and love of Elvis Presley, Marlene spent three years getting into old lady scrapes before leaving on a three-month cruise. That was in 1997, so she's due back any day now."

Alex Fletcher from Digital Spy made Marlene their "DS Icon" on 7 January 2011, calling her a legendary and special character. Of Marlene and her personality, Fletcher commented "Spending only three years on Ramsay Street, Marlene made an emotional impact on viewers who loved her wheeler dealer lifestyle (selling VCRs, running a bric-a-brac shop), constant scrapes and bantering with daughter Cheryl and son-in-law Lou Carpenter. Marlene, played by the delightful Moya O'Sullivan, was a crucial cog in the Golden Age of Neighbours in the '90s." Fletcher believed that the character's unusual exit and how she did not return from her cruise only added to the mystery surrounding her. The reporter added "The only glimpse we got of Marlene was a short clip in the 2005 anniversary show, where she was shown still sailing the seas. While that finally put to rest the rumours that Lou and Harold had bumped her off, her seemingly never-ending cruise still seems highly curious. Many suspect that she may have shacked up with a cheeky cabin boy, but we can't confirm that detail."