Say goodbye to Llanview: The Takeover and The Aftermath

Am loving the hat!

Here is the first in a series of some of my favorite episodes from One Life to Live's past: These were aired in early June 2008 and highlight Dorian's (Robin Strasser) big reveal that she has taken over Buchanan Enterprises from the Buchanan family--and financially and emotionally ruined the Buchanan family in the process.

This event kicked off quite a lot of story for months to come--the death of Jessica's (Bree Williamson) husband Nash, the ostracizing of Natalie (Melissa Archer) and Jared (John Brotherton), Jessica's inability to cope and subsequent insanity, Jessica's pregnancy and the resulting drama from that.



What I like about these episodes is that they are very '80s soap, daytime or nighttime--grand machinations (and a serious wardrobe budget) triggering unforeseen consequences and resulting in deep emotional impact on the characters. These episodes are more like something out of early to mid-Dallas than a hard-pressed daytime drama of the late Naughties.

It's not all about rapid-fire plot points and glossed-over feelings (a character dies, everyone grieves for a week, the widow meets a new love interest at the funeral . . .). Instead, the players react in character about the events, and it propels further emotional development, as well as story, for months and years to come.



I think OLTL was firing on all cylinders, at least during this time period. Despite lots of background noise from the network (cancellation worries, no promotion, favoring General Hospital and All My Children's future over the awkward guest to the party that was One Life to Live), the producers, writers, directors, and actors went for broke to deliver some satisfying drama and must-watch TV.

Last episode, Friday, January 13th, 2012. Llanview, you will be missed.