One Life to Live Update Monday 1/13/03
By Brandon
Pictures by Juanita
proofread by Theresa
So let's talk turkey here, folks: last week was such a great week for "One Life to Live," full of strong performances and sharp writing and, not least of all, riveting music choices. And you knew we'd have to come down from that high sooner or later, right?
Well, that comedown arrived today, friends.
The worst storyline in the history of the free world continued to be front and center, so I'll go ahead and get those parts out of the way here at the outset. Keri walked in on Liz and RJ kissing up a storm at the house and was stunned. Liz and RJ both acted like a couple of embarrassed teenagers in heat when their daughter caught them. Keri asked them exactly what had happened -- the last time she saw them; they were at each other's throats. "What did I miss?" Keri asked innocently. ("More than you'll ever know, girlfriend!" is what I was screaming at my TV set.)
As they started to explain, Liz got a phone call and left the room, so RJ was left to handle it on his own. He admitted to Keri that he and Liz have been growing closer for a while now, and that they've both grown up a lot -- they're not the same people they were in Chicago years ago. Keri wonders where it's headed, if Liz is going to be just a friend to RJ. He replied that he'd like to have a friend -- because, let's face it, Lindsay is his only friend in town, and that doesn't look good on anybody's resume. RJ asked Keri how she'd feel about any kind of relationship between he and Liz; Keri told him she'd be thrilled, and something about how it's every kid's dream to have her parents back together.
Liz was back in the room by this time, listening to them speak, listening to RJ tell Keri that he knows how much he hurt Liz years ago and that he hopes she stays in Llanview so that he can make it up to her. Then he had to go to Capricorn for something or other, so it was Keri's turn to get Liz's side of the story. Liz admitted that she's attracted to RJ again, even though he "makes her crazy." She then told her daughter that she had an interview at Llanview University in the law school department. (Is she a professor? Do we know what she does for a living? Am I just a bad attention-payer?)
Meanwhile, Antonio went to see Cristian in the hoosegow to tell him he wanted badly to be at the hearing, and that they're going to nail Mitch Laurence for his dastardly deeds. Cris told his brother to give him some good news in the meantime, and mentioned Keri and the baby. Antonio's entire demeanor shifted, and Cris finally got him to admit that Steve Reynolds isn't the baby's father... Antonio is.
Cris was stunned as Antonio explained about the DNA tests he had run and how they matched himself exactly, and laid out his dilemma: if he keeps quiet, he loses his daughter, and if he says something, he loses Keri. (And if they don't end this story soon, I lose my lunch. But I digress.) Cris suggested to his brother that Keri might forgive him if he told her the truth, since she already knows that he slept with somebody else during their separation. Antonio insisted that no one could forgive something like this. And even though he loves Keri more than anything else in his life, he can't walk away from his child, no matter how Liz feels about it. (Or, apparently, how I feel about it.) Cris asked what kind of person Liz could be to willingly create a situation like this, and Antonio told him that she's prepared to leave Llanview the minute the baby is born, and that she's prepared to lie her way around the possibility that the baby will look like Antonio. Antonio then said that he had no choice but to tell Keri the truth. That he can't marry her with a secret like that hanging over his head. Cris agreed that was no way to start a marriage -- he is the expert, after all.
And so, as Keri was heading out to her surprise birthday party at Capricorn, Antonio turned up on her doorstep, apparently ready to fess up.
Nora agreed to Troy's idea of gettin' hitched on Valentine's Day and called him and his suggestion "romantic." Then Lindsay interrupted them by calling Troy to set up another sex date. Troy agreed to come see her later that evening, and Lindsay was very excited. Then Troy and Nora gave Emily the good news, and Emily was very happy for them.
Once she got Troy off by himself, Emily asked about Lindsay, and he told her that he's finally found a way to keep her quiet, at least temporarily, and that he has an idea that may ultimately send Lindsay back to Statesville. Emily was curious but Troy wouldn't tell her the specifics.
Troy went to see Allison at St. Ann's, in a very white, very padded room, and she was quite taken with the doctor, which was apparent because she immediately began regaling him with tales of her candy-striper days. Troy feigned interest and enthusiasm, and she asked him to put in a good word for her with the doctors at St. Ann's. Troy assured her he'd do what he could, then gingerly led her into a conversation about her stay in Statesville, and her time with Lindsay.
Allison bristled at the mention of Lindsay's name -- which is funny and ironic, because so does everyone else in town; sane or insane, Lindsay can't catch a break with anyone. Troy wanted details of their jailbreak, such as whose idea it was to hide out at Rae Cummings' house. Allison told him that that was RJ Gannon's doing, and Troy was taken aback, because it wasn't quite the answer he was expecting. Allison informed him that RJ was their resource on the outside, helping them with money, with a getaway car, with a plan. Troy then asked whose idea the escape plan was, adding that Lindsay has been telling everyone that it was all Allison's idea. She came unglued to learn that, and let him know that it was all Lindsay's idea to break out of jail. She told him that Lindsay was desperate to escape from prison and formulated the whole plan, enlisting RJ's help and everything.
Lindsay, meanwhile, was busily preparing the gallery for another, umm, session with Dr. Troy. Jen showed up to see her mother, and quickly guessed what was happening. "So you finally told Nora the truth about Troy?" she asked. "Not exactly," Lindsay admitted to her daughter, and went on to explain that Troy and Nora are still together and that she and Troy are getting it on on the side. Jen immediately asked her mother if she was blackmailing Troy and Lindsay was appalled; she insisted that she gives Troy something Nora never can, and that they have a "special bond" and that she can make him forget all about Nora. "What if he doesn't?" Jen asked. "Then I'll tell Nora the truth," Lindsay said.
Jen then told her mother all about her latest travails, specifically her hand in having Cris thrown in jail. She laid out the whole story of Cris attacking Mitch at Break Bar, and how the judge "accidentally" overheard Jen lying about Cris threatening to kill Mitch. Lindsay was horrified and told Jen she was playing a dangerous game. Jen brushed her off.
Shawna went to see Nora, who was amused to learn that the student now works at the Sun. Shawna told her that she'd be the paper's star reporter in no time, and wanted to start by getting an exclusive about Cristian's case. Nora said she had no comment, and Shawna casually mentioned the allegations of Jen feeding false information to Judge Fitzwater. Nora was stunned to learn of this, and asked if these allegations had been corroborated, and if anybody else knew about them. Shawna finally told her that no one knew... yet. Nora raced off.
Shawna next went to see Cris in jail, to get his comment on the front page of the next Sun, which she had a mock-up copy of. She showed it to him: photos of Jen and Mitch book ending a huge headline that read "Partners In Crime."
Natalie managed to find Jessica at Max's house, and tried again to talk Jess out of leaving town. The thought of Jessica running away is breaking Viki's heart. And it's breaking hers as well, Natalie admitted. Jess told Natalie to stop wasting her time. She was leaving town for a while to deal with this, no matter what Viki wants, no matter what Natalie wants, no matter what Seth wants. Natalie came down hard on Jessica, saying she knows what kind of pain she's in but that it's no excuse for the way she's acting. Jessica told her to get over it already, that she's in no position to tell her how to act. Viki loves Natalie, not her... that Viki loves the baby she THOUGHT Allison Perkins abducted.
Natalie's response: "Mom loves us both now." Jessica said that she's the result of Viki being drugged and raped. Nothing will change that or make it go away. Then she posited on funny life can be sometimes. "You have my mom, my dad, my home, my money, you even have my old boyfriend," she told Natalie. "You always wanted my life. Well now you have it."
Meanwhile, downstairs, Mitch had arrived to see Roxy, who had been reading about Mitch and her former husband's exploits in the Sun. Roxy assumed that Mitch was there to kill her. He said to the contrary, he was there to thank her, namely for "raising the progeny of Clint and Viki" exactly the way he had hoped she would. Roxy thought it was a compliment, of course, and Mitch next started grilling her about Jessica, wanting to know everything she knew about his daughter. Roxy got all defensive, saying that Jess has left town already and that he'll never lay eyes on her again and that she wants nothing to do with him. Mitch is surprised at her change in attitude regarding Jessica, and realized something was up. Roxy told him she had no idea where Jessica was and that she wouldn't tell him even if she did. And she was almost rid of him, too, she almost had him buying it until she caught sight of Jessica's luggage in the entryway and tried just a little too hard to keep him from seeing it. But he did see it, and saw the "JB" monogram on it, and realized Jessica was in the house, and made a beeline for the stairs after knocking Roxy out of his way.