ONE LIFE TO LIVE THROUGH THE YEARS: January - July, 1996

With it's legacy of romance and adventure, ONE LIFE TO LIVE has been captivating viewers for over 25 years. Here are some of the highlights.


January - July, 1996

Even though Marty Saybrooke was engaged to Dylan Moody, she still had deep feelings for Patrick Thornhart. For months, Marty wavered between Patrick and Dylan. In the end, however, Marty went through with her marriage to Dylan although her feelings for Patrick had never died.

Months later, Marty went to warn Patrick when she learned that his life was in danger. By this time, Patrick had tried to distance himself from Marty and was attempting to bury his feelings for her. Marty couldn't let herself ignore the threat against Patrick and went to him anyway, secretly sneaking onboard the boat he was taking out to sea. Unbeknownst to Marty and Patrick, the boat had been sabotaged and they were forced to jump overboard. After surviving the icy waters, Patrick and Marty made their way to a deserted island. Meanwhile, Dylan was filled with worry and anger over Marty's whereabouts. Patrick had always been a thorn in Dylan's side, and he suspected that Marty was with Patrick. With the help of the Coast Guard, Dylan set out to find his wife. Marty and Patrick grew closer than ever on the island and Marty finally admitted the truth -- she was in love with Patrick. Marty then made one of the hardest decisions of her life; she was going to leave Dylan for Patrick. Things changed dramatically, however, when Dylan arrived on the island with the rescue boat. Dylan was furious that Marty was with Patrick and the two men almost came to blows. Dylan hurt his back in the melee and what seemed like a minor injury at first ended up leaving Dylan in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down. Wracked with guilt, Marty couldn't bring herself to leave Dylan. Marty remained in her marriage to Dylan and promised to stay by his side.

Blair Manning was devastated over the presumed death of her husband, Todd, and she blamed Marty and Patrick for his death. When Patrick first arrived in Llanview, Blair planned to get revenge on him and Marty by seducing Patrick. Blair was aware of Marty's feelings for Patrick, but also knew that Marty was too weak to act on them. Patrick, however, quickly saw through Blair's manipulations. Blair dropped her vendetta against Patrick and Marty and tried to put the past behind her. It was clear that Blair and Marty would never be friends, but Blair and Patrick developed a deep friendship.

Bo Buchanan faced one of the biggest challenges, and charades, of his career when he tried to expose the terrorist group known as the "Men of 21" and the man known as Poseidon. Bo learned of the terrorist group when Patrick first came to Llanview and soon discovered that they were planning an assassination. Meanwhile, Bo's father, Asa Buchanan, was secretly entering into a business deal with Poseidon. Bo was shocked when he learned of Asa's dealings with Poseidon, and horrified when he realized that Asa was one of the planned targets of the assassins. With Patrick's help, a disguised Bo switched places with Sam Austin, the bomb expert hired by the Men of 21. Posing as Sam Austin, Bo learned that a bomb was going to be detonated at the Palace Hotel. Bo, along with Patrick, set out to foil the plan, but they were caught and their charade was exposed. Bo and Patrick were handcuffed together in the basement of the Palace Hotel, where Poseidon's bomb would have surely killed them, along with many other innocent people. With only seconds to spare, Bo and Patrick disarmed the bomb and foiled the assassination plot. In the end, Asa had been swindled out of 30 million dollars by Poseidon, and Bo vowed to track Poseidon down and learn his identity.

One person, however, already knew Poseidon's identity. Asa's wife, Alex Olanov Hesser Buchanan, was shocked when she learned that Poseidon was really her "late" husband, mobster Carlo Hesser! Alex's feelings for Carlo had never died and she entered into an affair with him. After the failed bombing, Carlo decided to let the world know that he was really alive after all and orchestrated his return to Llanview society. Posing as a "Friend to Llanview," Carlo made his dramatic reappearance at a gala he threw at the Country Club. Most of Llanview, however, didn't believe that Carlo had reformed and refused to forgive him for his past crimes. Although Bo suspected that Carlo was Poseidon, he was still unable to prove it.

Carlo once again became a public figure in Llanview, all the while continuing his affair with Alex and his illegal operations. Asa came to suspect that Alex was having an affair with Carlo and also realized that Carlo had been the one who swindled him out of 30 million dollars. Never one to take things lying down, Asa then set into motion a plan to expose Carlo, and Alex.

Max Holden and Maggie Carpenter were mutually attracted to one another and Max couldn't understand why Maggie refused to act on it. Maggie, however, was keeping a secret from Max -- she was preparing to take her vows and become a nun. For months, Maggie struggled with her self doubt about taking the final step. In the end, Maggie made peace with her decision and joined the order. Max felt angry, and somewhat betrayed, by Maggie's decision. In time, Maggie made Max understand the decision she had made, and they were able to be "just friends."

Bo Buchanan was shocked when his son, Drew Buchanan, arrived in Llanview. Drew's mother, Becky Lee Abbott, had left town with him when Drew was a young child and Bo had never been able to locate him. Drew arrived in town with his own secret agenda, however, and there was friction between him and his father. With Nora's help, Bo agreed to take things slowly with Drew and tried to repair their damaged relationship.

Rachel Gannon felt pressured by law school, and by her parents, Nora Buchanan and Hank Gannon. Rachel had always been the perfect daughter, but she soon dropped out of school and turned to drug use. Rachel's friends and family started suspecting that she was using drugs, but Rachel was in denial about being an addict. After a bad experience with heroin, Rachel realized that she needed help and entered into a rehabilitation program.

Rachel, however, didn't stay in rehab for long. One day, Rachel left the facility and headed to New York City, and into a nightmare. As Hank and Nora searched for Rachel, she fell deeper and deeper into addiction. With the help of Rachel's uncle, RJ Gannon, and Drew, Hank and Nora finally located Rachel in New York. By this time, Rachel was dangerously close to prostituting herself for drug money. After an emotional confrontation, Hank and Nora brought Rachel back to Llanview. Rachel finally had to admit that she was an addict. Rachel entered into a friendship with Drew and with his support, along with that of her family, she began to turn her life around.

Joey Buchanan and Dorian Lord tried to rekindle their May-December romance, but the sparks were no longer there. Joey began to feel attracted to Dorian's niece, Kelly Cramer, but Kelly felt threatened by Joey's relationship with Dorian. Confused and naive, Kelly turned tot the wrong person for comfort -- troublemaker David Vickers. David, who wanted revenge against Dorian, played on Kelly's innocence and vulnerability. During a failed seduction attempt on David's part, Kelly whacked him over the head and mistakenly thought she had killed him. Unfortunately for Kelly, David was very much alive. David kidnapped Kelly and held her hostage on a yacht. Dorian was prepared to pay millions for Kelly's safe return, but that proved unnecessary. Joey rescued Kelly and David was forced to leave town without getting his hands on Dorian's fortune. The ordeal forced Joey and Kelly to admit their feelings for one another and they began a relationship.

Jessica Buchanan and Cristian Vega enjoyed the feelings of first love. They were a team, fighting their parents opposition to their relationship together. Soon, however, Jessica began to worry that she wasn't mature enough for Cristian as she was not ready to make love to him yet. Cristian was understanding and he and Jessica spent as much time together as possible. On the night of their Prom, however, a series of misunderstandings derailed their relationship and Jessica and Cristian broke up.

Andy Harrison and Antonio Vega were as different as night and day but they had grown close while working together to stop the influx of illegal guns coming into Angel Square. Andy and Antonio fell in love and started a relationship. Antonio had recently reconciled with his mother, Carlotta, and Antonio wanted to help her fulfill her dream of buying back the family's diner in Angel Square. Because of his criminal past, however, Antonio was unable to get a bank loan. With time running out, Antonio turned to a dangerous source for the loan -- RJ Gannon. Antonio borrowed the money from RJ, but did not tell Andy or Carlotta where the money had come from.

RJ's loan came with a price as Antonio was now indebted to him and RJ never let Antonio forget it. During this time, however, crime lord Carlo Hesser began to take an interest in Antonio. Carlo ended up paying off Antonio's loan to RJ, and also offered Antonio a job with his organization. Antonio wanted no part of Carlo's activities and turned him down. Carlo, who was not one to take no for an answer, persisted to try and lure Antonio into his business.

For a time, everything seemed to be going Antonio's way. Carlotta was happy to have the diner back and Antonio and Andy were in love. Years earlier, Antonio had been convicted of murder, a crime he claimed he committed in self-defense. With Andy's encouragement, Antonio set out to clear his name. Andy and Antonio located a witness who agreed to back up Antonio's claim that he had acted in self-defense, but that witness was soon murdered. Antonio still had his day in court, however, but things did not go well for him. The judge refused to overturn Antonio's murder conviction and Antonio was devastated. Andy tried to remain optimistic, but Antonio was through with dreams. He was fed up with the system that seemed to work for everybody but himself. Thinking that his future was hopeless, but still wanting to help his family, Antonio made a deal with the devil himself and went to work for Carlo Hesser.