One Life To Live
Storyline History

1993

Cord returns from the "dead" shocking Cain and Tina (January 1993 - May 1993)
As Cain and Tina fell to floor at Llanview in the throes of passion, we find ourselves suddenly staring at the profile of a man on a steamship bound for the US. In one hand, he grips the railing of the boat, in the other a tattered photo of Tina. It is not until this mysterious stranger arrives at Llanfair several days later that we are clued in on his identity. He calls for Clint to come into the solarium and when he does, Clint's jaw drops open. A bearded Cord smiles and says, "Hi Dad." Clint grips him in a tight embrace, unable to fight back tears.

When the dust has settled, Clint tells Cord that Tina is out of town in Atlantic City; he refrains from mentioning anything about Cain and before he can, Cord takes off to find the light-of-his-life, his "girl," Tina. His search goes slowly until he tracks down the hotel/casino where Cain and Tina are sharing a room. He knocks on the door. Tina, dressed in lingerie awaiting Cain's return, answers. She takes one look at her husband and before he can utter a word, she's out cold. She awakes later, in his arms, groggy and begs him to tell her the story of his return. Cord does.

After being shot by General Gazi in Jaba City and plunging to his supposed demise in the Jaba River, Blair jumped in after him. She screamed for him, but Cord had been dragged downstream. He was pulled to safety by a local man who nursed him back to health. When Gazi's troops stormed in the house, Cord was taken to a work camp, where he spent the next year of his life. He eventually made his escape and made his way back to Llanview.

Tina, still shocked and beginning to worry about what would happen when Cain returned, quickly packed her bags and returned to Llanview with Cord, where she made everyone promise to keep silent about Cain. But such was not to be the case as Cain and Tina couldn't resist their passion and Cord walked in on them one day. Furious, Cord remembered Cain as "Hudson King," the man who tried to make Tina publish a tell-all on the Lord/Buchanan family. Tina explained that Hudson was really Cain and that they were in love.

It soon became clear that Cord had changed since his shooting in the MidEast. He went beyond the point of outrage to plain nastiness. He shouted at his wife, family and even little CJ and Sarah. CJ didn't like to be around Cord; he barely remembered his father and thought of Cain as his father figure, which infuriated Cord all the more. In short, Cord was a bitter, angry man.

He set about looking for a way to break up Cain and Tina's happy romance.


Andrew and Cassie wed (January 1993)
After the requisite problems that must be endured by every happy couple, Andrew Carpenter and Cassie Callison tied the knot in early January 1993 in a ceremony at St. James. Their happiness was not to last for long however...


Luna and Max make love (February 1993)
Consulting the tarot cards told Luna that she and Max had to wait until Valentine's Day before they made love. This arrangement tormented Max, but he agreed to it for Luna's sake. Caught by a snowstorm, Luna tried to hike up the mountain to Serenity Springs, but got only so far as the abandoned Mountain Sunset Inn. Max, searching everywhere for his beloved Luna, was reunited her in a snowy reunion on Valentine's Day. They kept their date and made love for the first time.


Mortimer and Alex make waves (January 1993 - April 1993)
Mortimer Bern was having a lot of fun playing Carlo Hesser - too much fun, in fact. While Alex was thrilled to have "Carlo" scaring the daylights out of her mob enemies, Mortimer was getting out of hand and began to believe he WAS Carlo. Alex's creation had gone awry. Mortimer began to share all of Carlo's qualities - good and bad - right down to his infatuation with Renee, who was admittedly tempted by his seduction. When Alex found that she could no longer control Mort, she called in the big guns - Wilma Bern, Mort's mother. Wilma came to town and was horrified to see what had become of kind, nerdy Mort. It was time for her to tell the secret she'd kept for forty years. Mort and Carlo were actually twin brothers. As she told the story, Carlo had always been a violent child and once attacked Mort. Wilma had no choice but to give Carlo up to adoption and keep Mort. Mort was also shocked - he was now afraid that the bad Carlo genes were in his blood. He immediately pulled in the reigns on his Carlo impression and decided to leave town. Stopping by to visit Renee once more, they tangoed across the floor of the Palace Hotel - and he tangoed right out of Llanview.


Marty, Todd and The Rape (March 1993 - July 1993)
One of OLTL's most famous storylines began in an innocent way: three frat guys sitting around a table in Rodi's Tavern, sipping back a few beers. The men were (1) Powell Lord, Kevin Buchanan's newly-arrived cousin, (2) Zach Rosen, hopeful doctor but serious partier, and (3) Todd Manning, football star and the bane of women everywhere. Marty breezed into Rodi's and ordered a beer - she was not in a good mood and didn't mind letting loose with the three guys. Todd and Zach urged kind Powell to get down and dirty with Marty, but he refused.

Later that night, Marty brought Todd back to her place. Still hung-over, she told him about her sad childhood spent with Aunt Kiki and her young adulthood spent living in the empty mansion on the hill. Todd, more interested in sex than talk, quickly shut her up and they did just that. After it was over, Todd quickly gathered his clothes and readied to leave while Marty begged him to stay and talk. She was desperate to find someone who would understand her. Todd laughed it off and told her she was drunk, then split.

Marty hated Todd after that, but it didn't stop her from tutoring him in Calculus when Todd learned that he would be cut from the football team if he failed the class again. Todd accused Marty of spreading rumors about their night together, but reluctantly accepted her help. When Todd failed his next test, however, he turned violent. Smashing his fist into a wall, he swore revenge on Marty "The Party" Girl. He got it one night, at the Spring Fling Dance.

Marty had just had a fight with her new love interest, Suede Pruitt and came to the frat house dead drunk. She engaged in wild partying, throwing herself at men everywhere while the scene quickly turned to mayhem. Kevin Buchanan arrived and tried to take Marty home, but she refused. When she nearly passed out, however, Kevin carried her up to his room and laid her down on his bed to sober up. Before she fell asleep, Marty saw Kevin's face hovering over her - this would be crucial later. Meanwhile, downstairs, Todd watched Kevin bring Marty upstairs and called his buddies Zach and Powell over. He had a "fun idea," he said, motioning for them to follow him upstairs. Marty was just coming to when they entered the room, Powell extremely hesitant. Todd ordered Powell to lock the door. When he refused, Todd shoved him out of the way and locked it himself, turning his attention to the groggy girl on the bed. Marty, suddenly feeling the urgent need to escape, tried to stumble to the door, but she couldn't unlock it and collapsed into a swivel chair. Cackling, Todd spun her around as Marty became dizzy ... dizzy ... she passed out again as Todd and Zach placed her on the bed once more. Then, with the thunder rumbling outside and the sounds of partying downstairs drowning out Marty's screams, Todd raped her. He shoved a sweatband in her mouth to stop her from screaming any more and then let Zach have a go at her, which he did. Then, they urged Powell to do the same. Powell tried to refuse, but the Todd and Zach's chanting convinced him to go ahead and do it. Then, they left Marty crying and groggy on the bed.

Marty wasted no time in going to the hospital, where she was met by Sheila Price and Luna Moody and given tests and counseling for the rape. The tests indeed found the semen of Zach and Todd present on Marty's body, though Powell's wasn't (another crucial fact). Sheila and Luna urged Marty to press charges immediately, the sooner the better. Marty did, but her accusations shocked everyone. Her recollection of the night was faint at best and, remembering Kevin's face above her as well as the others', she named him along with her other rapists. The Buchanans (not the least, Kevin) were shocked by Marty's accusations and automatically disclaimed any possibility that Powell could be involved as well.

At this time, Peter Manning arrived in town after hearing of his son's incarceration. He was furious with Marty for accusing his son of raping her and sought to find the best lawyer for Todd. It turned out to be Nora Gannon, while Hank took over the prosecution. The trial quickly became a disaster as it became obvious that Marty was in no shape to testify about what happened the night of the Spring Fling. Out on bail, Todd continued to frighten and harass Marty, hoping she'd drop the case. Nora firmly believed in her clients' innocence and proved to be a master in the courtroom. Another blow landed to Marty's case when she realized that she'd made a mistake in implicating Kevin. When she recanted her accusation against him, it made her look completely confused in the jury's eyes. How could this woman know what happened that night? Marty continued to cry rape, while Todd and his friends said it was completely consentual. Trouble arose for Todd when Powell (the weak link) began feeling intense pangs of guilt. Marty and Hank played on this guilt, hoping it would open the case. As the trial progressed, Marty and Suede found another of Todd's victims, Carol Swift, and had her testify against Todd as well. Nora began doubting her clients' innocence. One night in the alley outside Rodi's, Todd attacked Marty once more. Luna raced to her friend's defense, screamed for Todd to get away from her, then smacked him across the face with a lead pipe. That is how Todd's scar came to be. Then, under extreme pressure from Marty and Nora, Powell told Nora that he, Zach and Todd HAD raped Marty - and that he wanted to change his plea to guilty.

Nora was shocked - her case was ruined. She pleaded with Judge Fitzwater to let her drop the case, but Fitzwater refused, threatening Nora with disbarrment. Nora was stuck in a nightmare - defending three rapists while Todd's chilling lies on the stand continued to make their case look better. As the trial wound to a close, a strung-out Nora delivered a rousing closing argument - for the prosecution. Leaving subtle hints and making incriminating insinuations, Nora threw the case and the Judge was forced to declare a mistrial. No one was thrilled: there would have to be another trial after a long, drawn out jury selection process. Nora barely escaped disbarrment, while Marty continued to lean on Powell to come clean to the public. He finally snapped and did so. Todd was furious, attacking and nearly killing Powell. However, the three were sent to jail and Marty appeared to be getting on with her life, though the memory of the rape still lingerend and prevented her from having any intimate relationship with Suede.


Angela Holliday comes to town. (May 1993 - September 1993)
Cord decided to break Cain and Tina up and began looking for chinks in Cain's armor. He found it in Angela Holliday, Cain's ex-wife/wife, who operated a local religious group in Texas. Buxom-blonde, Angela (Susan Diol), followed Cord back to Llanview. She'd always had a hope that she and Cain would get back together and the opportunity seemed too good to pass up. She brought with her, her loyal follower Rebecca Lewis (Reiko Aylesworth) and her religion. She set up shop in the Tabernacle of Joy, a run-down building on the outskirts of town. The news that Cain had previously been married seriously shook Tina up, but Cord's ruse didn't work when Tina forgave Cain for his slip of memory. But Angela stayed in town and continued t o be a thorn in their side, as she persisted in an attempt to lure back Cain Rogan. Cord and Angela formed a good friendship - and later Angela formed a bond with Dorian (once again played by Robin Strasser). Dorian and Cassie were on the outs again, and Dorian hoped t hat becoming a good, decent person by befriending Angela and participating in the Tabernacle of Joy would make Cassie take her back. That all came crashing down when the truth about Angela came out. First, she was very brunette underneath the wig she was wearing ... second, her religion was a scam to grab donations from unwitting followers. Dorian told Angela she'd have to help her get Cassie to forgive her, or she'd tell everyone about the Tabernacle. Angela had no choice but to agree.

But the truth did eventually come out and when it did, Angela's followers turned vehemently against her, lead most notably by Wanda Wolek, who'd been suckered along with everyone else. Angela was run out of business and clung to Dorian for financial support. It became clear that Cain and Tina were not to be broken up, so Angela had to find another way to do it.


Trouble at Serenity Springs/25th Anniversary of OLTL (July 1993)
With Mort out of town, Alex searched for someone else to woo. She found it in Asa Buchanan, who had all the power and money in town. She figured the best way to win Asa over would be to do something he would love - namely get back the land he lost to Max and Tina years ago. That land was now Serenity Springs. While snooping around the Springs one day, she came across Luna Moody's brother Ty (Casper Van Dien), who was in town for a visit. Ty fell instantly for Alex's charms. Flattered, Alex led him on for awhile, but told him her name was "Zan," because she knew what Max and Luna would tell Ty if they found out he was smitted with her. When Max discovered oil on Serenity Springs, she devised a master plan. Playing on Luna's fears about "harming the land by drilling," she would stage a haunting of Serenity Springs until Luna would order Max to sell the land. Unfortuantely, her plan backfired bigtime.

Instead of terrifying Luna, Alex succeded in scaring the daylights out of little Al Holden and CJ Roberts. On the 4th of July, CJ and Al decided to set firecrackers on the mountain to frighten the spirits away. As they set off the fireworks, the land be neath them became extremely unstable. A fissure opened up and CJ and Al tumbled into an abyss, landing far below on a small outcropping of rock. The town of Llanview pulled together to save the boys. Max, Luna, Tina and Cord watched with bated breath from above, day and night, while the rock beneath the youngsters continued to crack and crumble. Finally, Viki had a brilliant idea. She remembered her father's secret room beneath Llanfair and that it would be possible to tunnel through beneath CJ and Al. Cord an d Max were the volunteers for the operation. Digging all day, they managed to break through in time. Suddenly, the supporting beams began to snap. Cord yelled for Max to get the boys - he would stay behind and hold up the tunnel as long as he could. Ordering the boys to hurry, Max sho ved them out into the tunnel, where they climbed to safety. From above, the rescue team, family and friends were in trouble. Cord could no longer hold up the tunnel. He fell, hitting his head on a rock and the tunnel behind him caved in. It was now Max who was trapped, while Cord was rushed to the hospital. Lu na and Max shared some bittersweet moments as the shelf beneath Max continued to crumble. A line was lowered to him, but before long it began to fray. Luna and Max said goodbye and the rope snapped, Max plummeting to the depths of the hole. Luna was frantic and beyond consolation - she refused to beli eve that Max could be gone and ordered the search effort to go on.

Following a guide from the goddess, Luna stumbled upon a small lake on the mountain and plunged into the water. At the bottom of the lake, she found Max. He'd found an underground tunnel that turned out to be the hidden spring that fed the pond. Swimming to safety, Max and Luna were reunited.

Meanwhile, Dorian and Viki found themselves accidentally locked in the underground room. Bickering as usual, the two recalled important events from their past. Viki demanded that Dorian admit to killing Victor, but they were discovered before Dorian cou ld answer.

In the hospital, Cord awoke with selective amnesia - he remembered everything prior to his rescue mission to Jaba City and still believed he was married to Tina. Larry Wolek warned Tina not to upset Cord, because it could be further detrimental to his he alth. Tina, eternally grateful to Cord for saving their son, agreed. She and Cain continued to meet behind Cord's back, but eventually Angela Holliday told him the truth and Cord told everyone what had been bothering him since his return to town. He had witnessed the murder of a friend in his MidEastern work camp and felt guilty about making his escape and having to leave his friend behind. But Cord finally admitted the marriage to Tina was over and they finalized the divorce, leaving Cain and Tina free to be with each other.

In a tender scene at Serenity Springs, Wanda and Larry Wolek watched as CJ and Al (the future generation) were tended to by Max and Luna.


Dorian's revenge plot against Viki and Sloan (August 1993 - November 1993)
When Sloan finally published his book, Lord of the Banner it caused waves in Llanview. Among other things, it revealed the sordid past of Victor Lord and insinuated that Dorian was the black widow who'd taken his life. Furious, Dorian wasted no time in firing back. When Sloan took a job as dean of Llanview University, Dorian convinced a young impressionable student, Emily Haynes, that Sloan was actually making passes at her. Dorian, of course, did not do so as herself . Instead, she pretended to be a classy fashion palette from New York City, in order to gain Emily's trust. It worked - Emily made shocking accusations that Sloan was indecently coming on to her. Viki and Sloan were outraged at the lies and sought to find who was responsible for them. It was not long before Dorian's cover was shattered and the truth came out. Emily dropped the charges, while the Carpenter/Lords focused their anger at Dorian.

Cassie, in particular, took the news hard. Now in her eighth month of pregnancy, Cassie told her mother to stay out of her life for good. When they met again at Llanfair, she ordered Dorian out of the house and began mounting the stairs. Dorian grabbed her arm to plead with her daughter, but Cassie lost her balance and took a vicious tumble down the stairs. Though Dr. Larry promised the fall had not harmed the baby, he warned Cassie about her high blood-pressure. But Dorian would not let it drop - the next time she and Cassie met, Dorian continued to harass her daughter, begging for forgiveness. Cassie got so angry, her blood pressure skyrocketed and she was rushed to the hospital, where she went into premature labor and gave birth to little William. Unfortunately for Willia m, the tumble and Dorian's antics had taken their toll. He lived only several hours outside his mother, before dying. A hysterical Cassie refused to talk with her mother, while Andrew actually got his hands around Dorian's neck and tried to strangle her (!). Dorian became an outcast, as Viki became Cassie's surrogate mother.


Todd escapes prison (October 1993)
Todd managed to convince naive Rebecca Lewis that he wanted to change his ways. In honesty, Todd had begun to fall for Rebecca, but he still vowed vengeance on Nora. One day, released for the day to work at the Tabernacle, Todd escaped.

Meanwhile, Powell had been released early on good behavior.


Luna and Max's wedding (October 1993 - December 1993)
Luna Moody and Max Holden should have proceeded to their wedding relatively smoothly after the incident at Serenity Springs. This was not to be the case however. As the date approached, Luna began having visions of her dead ex-husband Bobby Ever. Bobb y's ghost told Luna that if she married Max, he would die. Spiritual by nature, Luna could not ignore the warnings from beyond the grave. Consulting her tarot cards, she played the Tower card and decided she should run away. When she came across the tower of Ava lon, she decided to stay there. Max was frantic, trying to reach Luna by phone, but unsuccessful. He and Suede Pruitt rushed to Avalon to bring Luna home. Meanwhile, a fire broke out in the tower when Bobby's ghost caused Luna to panic and knock over a candle. Avalon erupted into flames. Ma x, watching in horror as the structure burned, climbed up to Luna and carried her down to safety. Convinced her thoughts of Bobby could lead only to disaster, Luna agreed to marry Max.

They were wed at Serenity Springs by Andrew and one of Luna's goddess-guides. At last, the couple appeared to be heading toward happiness.


Nora's tumor and Bo and Sarah's accident
A year had passed since Bo's last wife Sarah had died on the way to their wedding. Bo had never given up looking for the person who ran them off the bridge that winter night. Now, troubling memories began to plague Nora as her migraines worsened. Consulting Larry, she told him of her blackouts, and he was concerned. Gradually, Nora began to fear that she was the one responsible for running Bo and Sarah off the road that night. She helped him in an investigation but to her relief, the real culprit (a groggy truck driver) was found shortly thereafter.


Todd terrorizes Nora at the lakehouse (December 1993)
Recovering from her surgery, Bo took Nora to his lakehouse in New Jersey for a winter vacation and to get away from their recent troubles. No sooner than he did so, then Todd found them. As Bo headed into town for groceries, Nora was horrified to find her vision slipping once more. She rushed outside, watching as the crashing waves swam before her eyes. She then lost sight completely as Todd walked up behind her in the moonlight, grinning evilly. He played with her for awhile, blowing in her ear, moving the phone and opening closed doors. Terrified, Nora raced for the front door to escape, but Todd grabbed her sneering that he was going to make her pay for her failure in the courtroom. The lights went out and Nora shoved Todd away, stumbling upstairs for the phone. He stopped her and a fight followed. Nora rushed downstairs and felt with her hands for a pair of scissors. She hid in the shadows and w hen Todd's footsteps creaked in front of her, Nora plunged the scissors into Todd's chest. Todd plummeted to the floor as Nora, temporarily stunned, found herself unable to move. Growling in rage, Todd pulled the scissors from his chest and attacked Nora again. Bo burst in the door a t the last moment, tackled Todd and saved Nora. He chained Todd and called the police immediately, but when they arrived all they found was a pair of handcuffs hanging from a pole. Todd had escaped again.


Nora's surgery (December 1993)
Nora underwent surgery again - this time on her brain. Refusing to upset Bo further, she neglected to tell him of it and underwent to knife of Dr. Ben Price (Charles Malik Whitfield). When she awoke, she found Bo dressed in a clown's suit smiling at her. The surgery was a success - she could see perfectly.


Wanda Wolek leaves Llanview (December 1993)
Wanda told her nephew Jason on Christmas Eve that she was going to leave town. Her friend, Ralph Love, was opening a bookstore in Seattle and had asked her to join him. Getting on in years, Wanda had agreed. With that, Wanda (played by Marilyn Chris for over 20 years) left the show.