Thoughtful Jessica visits Jen in the hospital with the hopes of helping Jen through her miscarriage. Jess explained why she was there, and said that she wanted to help in any way that she could and related her sadness when she lost her own baby. The increasingly psychotic Jen verbally attacked Jess when she walked in to the room, and told Jess that the only way she could help was to find Cristian. Jess asked her why she didn't know where her future husband was, but Jen said that she just didn't know, and she wanted Jess to find him. Jess's questions about Cristian freaked Jen out and she blew up at Jess -- saying that they were never really friends, and that she really didn't like Jess at all, especially since she was friends with Al. Jess apologized for telling Al about the wedding. Jen continued to go ballistic and then blamed Jess for her miscarriage since she's the reason Al showed up at the wedding. Jess could not believe what she was hearing from Jen. Jen told her to get out of her room and Jess gladly left.
Cristian and Natalie were making out in Cris's car while waiting for the tow truck to arrive. They were really getting it on when Natalie halted things and she and Cristian agreed that they wanted their first time to be special, not in a car. They decided that they would wait to go any further until they went back to their respective counterparts and ended those relationships. Cristian said that he didn't love Jen anymore, but that he still did care for her, so she deserved his honesty and vowed to tell her it was over as soon as possible. He said that he thought she would understand, and that she must already have an idea that the only reason that he was going to marry her in the first place was because of the baby. Cristian expressed his concern about Natalie's husband, "Michael." He asked Natalie if she was really going to be able to get away with telling "Michael" that she didn't want to be with him anymore. Natalie assured him that "Michael" was a very nice person and that he only had her best interests at heart. She said that he had helped her when she was depressed, but that she was very up front with him that she was definitely in love with Cristian. She said that "Michael" would understand that now Cristian was free and not married to Jen, that Natalie should be able to get a divorce and go back to Cris. Cris seemed unsure, since he doesn't know this "Michael" character, but Natalie seemed confident of "Michael's" letting go.
Later, Cristian showed up at the room, and Jen was worried sick about where he had been (and with whom!). Cristian explained that he had some things to do, and that he also almost hit a deer and ran his car into a ditch. . Jen said that she was so happy he was there, and that she was confident that she would get through the miscarriage as long as Cristian was there with her. She continued to pledge her love for Cristian and suggested that they get married as soon as she got out of the hospital. Cristian stopped her and said that they weren't getting married.
Emily was trying to calm Troy down at the hospital because of the tormenting that Lindsay has done to him. Emily explained that Troy shouldn't beat himself up about this whole thing that happened with Joanna in Africa. Troy said that he caused Joanna's death, and that he lied to her up until the point when she died. Troy said that it was just a matter of time when Lindsay would tell Nora about his misdeeds, and their relationship would be over. Emily said she didn't think that would happen, but Troy questioned Emily about whether she would be able to trust a man who had done something like that to her.... Emily hesitated long enough for Troy to realize that she would not be able to.
Nora and Lindsay were arguing with each other in the hospital lobby, when Lindsay was about to spill the beans about Troy and Joanna. Nora really didn't want to hear anything at all about what Lindsay had to say and walked away from Lindsay to speak to Sam. Nora expressed her concern for Sam and all he's been going through with Jen. Lindsay had overheard this entire conversation and she walked up and told Nora she had no business in the Rappaport family affairs. Sam and Nora both defended this by saying that Nora has the right since Matthew and Jen are half siblings and also that Nora was inquiring about Blair. After Sam explained to Lindsay what happened to Blair, Lindsay retreated to her previous position of eavesdropping from far. Nora said that as Sam's friend, she was going to be there for him if he needed her to be. They hugged, while Lindsay continued to watch and listen to their conversation. Lindsay realized that if she ruined Nora and Troy, that Nora would run right back to Sam. She decided that she wouldn't be able to do that, and so she left with resolve to find another way to ruin Nora and Troy.
Later, back at the loft, Lindsay found the super and told him that she needed to get into her daughter's loft in order to get some things for her while she was in the hospital. The super gave her all of his extra keys, so Lindsay helped herself to Troy's key. She went into his loft, and looked around. She had a very interesting flashback that included her relationship with Troy, and how she really enjoyed their time together. .... She was just about to leave when a half naked Troy walked out of the shower and found her standing in his Living Room.
Mitch explained to Viki that Jessica was Mitch's daughter, and that Natalie was Clint's. The thing that Viki said that she couldn't understand was why he switched the babies after he took Jessica initially. Mitch explained that he wanted Jessica to have all the best, and that she could get that by living at Llanfair, where as he wanted Natalie to have nothing. Viki couldn't comprehend that he would condemn a child to the likes of Roxy's mothering skills. She said that she would tell Natalie what kind of monster she married, but Mitch said that if she told Natalie who he was, then he would tell Jessica that he was her father. Viki realized that this information would ruin Jessica. She couldn't believe that Mitch was asking her to chose one daughter over the other, because either way, one would get hurt badly. Viki finally told Mitch to get out of her house, as she was so shocked and so angry that she didn't know what to do anymore. As Mitch left, he handed her a pamphlet with his picture and explaining his mission. Jessica returned home moments later and Viki was standing there with the pamphlet. Jessica grabbed it and looked at it and saw that the man in the picture was the same man that was in her living room, and so she deduced that Mitch Lawrence was alive, and that he was using the alias of Michael Lazarus. Meanwhile, Mitch ran into Natalie, and she told him that they needed to talk, but not at Llanfair. They left in order to go to a more private location.....
Lindsay bumps into Troy coming out of the shower at his loft. She has the building super's keys in her hands and Troy demands to know what she is doing there. Troy speculates she is leaving another "Joanna clue" for Nora to find. Even though Troy is now dressed, Lindsay's mind tricks her into repeatedly seeing him naked! She refers to his loft as the place where he "gets dressed." Then she stops herself and calls his residence the place where he hurts women. Troy wonders if she is intoxicated. A knock at the door jolts her out of her fantasy. It's the super looking for his keys. She asks him to open the door to Jen's loft and instructs him she'll meet him there. As she leaves, she sees Troy naked in her mind's eye again. Outside his door, she appears disturbed by her own thoughts.
Nora stops Emily at the hospital to invite her to Thanksgiving dinner at Troy's loft. Emily declines, abruptly saying she is "busy." Nora is taken aback by her rudeness. Realizing this, Emily brightens her demeanor and offers the excuse that she has to study. Nora, not letting it go, asks her why they have drifted apart as friends. Smiling, Emily covers that she is just really busy. After Emily walks away, Nora expresses her skepticism.
Troy has his locks changed. He is given two keys, one of which he hands to Nora, who has just arrived. Nora relays her encounter with Emily at the hospital. As Troy opens a bottle of wine, Nora tells Troy that she feels "shut out" of his family life. Troy promises he'll try to get Emily to come for Thanksgiving.
Cuddling asleep in bed with Nora, Troy receives a call from his sister who is distraught about Nora. Emily fears she will slip and say something about Joanna. Nora suspiciously opens her eyes. She has heard some of their conversation.
Still in her hospital bed, Jen pushes Cristian for marriage. But he tries to make it clear that they are not going to get married. Jen postpones their conversation by asking Cristian to get the nurse. Marcy pops in after Cristian leaves the room and Jen tells her that things are "worse than ever." Jen knows that Cristian is about to proclaim his love for Natalie. Jen maintains that if she can just buy some time, she can prevent him from bursting her bubble.
Cristian runs into Antonio in the hospital hallway. They rehash Cristian's circumstances. He informs Antonio that Natalie is dealing with a situation of her own to allow them to be together.
Returning to Jen's room, Cristian asks Marcy to leave so they can talk. Marcy tries to help Jen prevent it with no success. Cristian is firm. After Marcy leaves, Jen asks him how he could hurt her feelings, that he's not that kind of person. As Cristian starts to tell her, they are interrupted by Lindsay with Jen's clothes. Cristian leaves to make a phone call. Jen explains to her mother her strategy to avoid the break up.
Natalie tells Mitch she wants a divorce or, rather, an annulment because they never consummated the marriage. He accuses her of not having the "courage to embrace [her] destiny." But she explains that Cristian & Jen never got married because of the miscarriage and she now has her chance to be with Cristian after all. Mitch tries to guilt Natalie into feeling bad about taking Cristian away from a woman who has just lost her baby. Using biblical references, he explains Cristian is manipulating her "trusting nature". He predicts Cristian will only hurt her again. Dismissing this notion, Natalie describes their marriage as an "impulse." But Mitch, turning harsh, insists that she give their "union before God" a chance for at least a few weeks. Cristian calls and interrupts their debate. They are both having difficulty getting free of their commitments. Hanging up with Cristian, Natalie becomes short with Mitch about resolving the dissolution of their marriage. But Mitch becomes intensely defiant, saying, "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder." Natalie is strong in her resolve, finally exclaiming, "This marriage is over!" As she tries to leave, Mitch violently grabs her.
Cristian returns to Jen's hospital room. Jen tries to get her mother to stay and accompany them home, but Cristian insists they must talk, so Lindsay leaves. They are interrupted, again, this time by the nurse to discharge her.
Cristian and Jen arrive at their loft. Cristian tells her that he knows she has been "stalling" their pending conversation. He reveals that he can't marry her "ever" and that he must explain to her why.
Back at her gallery snoozing in silk pajamas, Lindsay dreams about making love to Troy. She wakes angry and confused. "I don't want him," she says aloud. "Then why am I dreaming about him?"
Picking up a brochure in the library, Jessica is aghast to discover that Mitch Laurence is Michael Lazarus. Viki explains he faked his death and has come back to "cause trouble," having waited for the statute of limitations on his previous crimes to expire. They recount all his horrible deeds against their family. Jessica is perplexed by Mitch's statement that he'd met her before as a baby. Viki skirts Jessica's questions. They speculate on his dastardly plans. Viki begs her daughter to go away from Llanview immediately for her own "safety." Seth walks in on the heels of the conversation. Relating Mitch's return, Viki asks Seth to help get Jessica out of town. Jessica, realizing that the whole family is in danger, expresses concern for Natalie. But Viki insists she go as soon as possible and Seth pledges his accompaniment. Viki decides to set up communication via cell phones for which only she and Jessica will have the numbers. Jessica runs upstairs to pack some things. Viki hands Seth a stack of cash so that credit card transactions can't be traced. Seth becomes disturbed by the situation and threatens to call the police if Viki doesn't reveal the whole story. He ponders the possibility that this impulsive escape may be related to another "D.I.D. thing." So Viki is forced to tell Seth the truth: Mitch is Jessica's father. Jessica enters the library with a puzzled look.
At the penthouse, Todd is short with Blair. He won't give up his bedroom for her but thinks she should stay in it with him, as it's the safest room in the house. It would arouse suspicion if either one of them was to sleep in the guest room anyway, he says convincingly. Unfortunately, Starr overhears part of the conversation and thinks her parents are back together. They attempt to explain their situation without giving away too much. They're not living as a couple and the situation depends on a lot of things. Starr is still happy and once gone, Todd tosses the "perfect bed" to Blair-an air mattress. Later, the squeaky mattress gives away Blair's unsuccessful attempts to get comfortable. When they suddenly stop, Todd gets up to gently cover her as she's finally fallen asleep.
Roxy wins big time at Asa's makeshift casino at the lodge and calls him her "lucky charm." In turn he calls Max (who happens to be at the Palace bar) to report his progress, reminding him to keep his end of the bargain with Rae. The current Mrs. Buchanan is at the bar also but is immediately suspicious of Max when he sits beside her to make nice. Sharing a table nearby, Bo and Gabby remark on the others' presence and how unfazed Gabby is that Max is in the same room. They also can't figure out Asa's latest marriage though Bo relates that he liked his last stepmother better. At yet another table, Marcie tries to reach Jen by phone to make sure she's ok.
Cris disconnects the phone so that he can have an uninterrupted talk with Jen. He begins by telling her that he can't marry her but she faints. Upon reviving, Cris assures her that stress won't hurt her and the miscarriage "ended something not meant to be." Before being able to go further, Keri and Carlotta arrive bearing flowers. Cris is less than thrilled and is anxious for them to leave quickly. On the other hand, Jen encourages them to stay. As Cris heads down to Break Bar for a vase, he encounters Antonio who had hoped to head the women off. Carlotta hears voices and catches Cris saying that he needs to tell Jen the truth. She thinks it's a mistake and says so, causing Antonio to beg off and dash inside to Keri. Cris insists that Jen is strong enough to handle what he has to say. Inside, as Keri explains to Antonio that she's hiding her slightly showing pregnancy from Jen so as not to upset her, an eavesdropping Jen begins to formulate her new plan. Cris finally manages to get the visitors to leave as Jen tries to get them to stay. Once alone again she tells Cris how upset she is over Keri being pregnant. She just can't stand the pain, she whines to Cris, though smirking as she turns away. She's too tired to talk and wants to continue it tomorrow. When he leaves the room she hurriedly calls Marcie. She's dodged Cris for now but she needs to come up with something drastic.
Mitch grabs Natalie to prevent her from leaving. "No divorce," he tells her. She's frightened and moves across the room. He discloses that though he's changed his name legally to Michael Lazarus who "rose from the dead" like in the bible, it's not his true identity. He's known for a long time that he wanted to marry her but she'll have to ask Viki who he is, he sneers. She can leave for now but he knows she'll be back.
Seth learns that Viki needs to keep Jess away from Mitch who is her real father. She has to leave before she learns the truth. Seth is dismayed and confused and though Viki promises him that she's having tests done, she honestly thinks it's all true. He's even more confused when she tells him that Nat is Clint's daughter. Poor Jess has been through so much, Seth complains, but at least Nat isn't in trouble too. Viki is petrified that Mitch will try to take Jess away but she fears that Nat is actually in worse trouble. Viki gives Jess some cash and orders her not to use any credit cards and to only call from her cell phone to a special phone number that she gives her. She tells her not to talk to anyone, even family members. They express their love for each other. Frantically, Viki tries to reach Nat on the phone but as she hangs up, Natalie rushes in. Who is Michael Lazarus? She explains her new situation to Viki, how Cris and Jen didn't marry and how she wants an annulment to be with Cris. She's just learned that Michael isn't who he said he was. Viki confesses that she knew him long ago though a disbelieving Nat is finding this difficult to accept. She realizes that Michael has been lying about many things even though he's a religious man. He is not a man of God, Viki emphasizes. He went after Nat at just the right time, when she was vulnerable. She was able to get Jess to leave and now Nat must go also. The man is a monster, she tells a shaking Nat. As she learns his real identity she is consumed with anger. He's the reason she grew up with Roxy, all alone with no love. Now he's her husband.
Roxy and Asa chat and learn that they have lots of things in common including sons who have turned on them (Asa tells Roxy that Bo has busted his casino in the past). At the Palace, Max tries to get to know Rae better but she brushes him off. He's joined by Nigel who suggests that Max send her white roses; he knows an awful lot about Rae, Max realizes. Nigel should be the one to romance Rae away from Asa, Max jubilantly says. Bo receives a call and has to leave. Rae is approached by Renee who bitingly reminds her of all the evil she's done. Gabby and Renee make peace. Nigel refuses to help Max, citing that it's Max's problem. Rae overhears Renee and asks for a second chance like the one she's given Gabrielle, but Renee recites what Rae has done to her family. She will not get any second chance from her.
Mitch pulls his address book out and begins to send a text message to Jess. He then goes over to a copy of a newspaper article and crossing out the name Buchanan in the headline, changes it to read Jessica Laurence.
Jess and Seth agree that they might have a fun time after all. When Jess' cell phone beeps, she picks it up to read the text message. "Hope we meet again soon. Expect we will. M. Lazarus." She'd love to tell him off, she tells Seth. Why is he after her?
Asa has more games to offer Roxy at the lodge/casino. She's unique, a spitfire, he tells her admiringly. He wants to see more of her. As they get up to check out the additional games, Bo strides in with backup. It's a raid, he announces as both Roxy and his father are placed in handcuffs. An angry Roxy tells Asa she never wants to see him again.
After agreeing to leave town, Natalie sneaks away from Viki and goes to confront Mitch. Natalie unleashes her anger on Mitch while telling him she wants him out of her life. Mitch informs Natalie that harm will come to Cristian if she tries to leave him. Viki gives Bo the details about Mitch's return and his connection to Jessica and Natalie. Jen fails in her scheme to stop Cristian from having the chance to tell her about his feelings for Natalie. After getting rid of Marcie, Cristian begins to tell Jen the truth about him and Natalie. Asa is furious when he learns Roxy is responsible for Bo finding out about his casino. Asa starts to see Roxy in a new light when he realizes she views him as he views himself. Todd comforts Blair after she has a nightmare about the shooting. Todd is not pleased to learn that Sam and Blair intend on seeing each other regularly at the penthouse. Sam accuses Todd of still being in love with Blair.
Friday, November 29, 2002
Due to the extended Thanksgiving holiday, One Life to Live did not air today. Programming will resume on Monday, December 2nd where Thursday's show concluded.
On behalf of everyone at Soap Opera Central, I'd like to thank you for your continued loyalty in visiting the Soap Central over this past year. There's been a lot of work put into the site -- and still more going into it every day to make this the best soap opera web site on the net.
Dan J Kroll
Owner/Founder, Soap Opera Central
Recaps for the week of December 2, 2002 (Following Week)
