Jessica Buchanan

Jessica Buchanan Brennan
One Life to Live character
File:OLTL Bree Williamson.jpg Bree Williamson as Jessica Brennan in the One Life to Live opening sequence
Portrayed by	Janelle and Tamara DeMent (1986-1988) Alex and Brittany Smith (1988) Eliza Clark (1990) Erin Torpey (1990-2003) Maggie Andersson (1998) Bree Williamson (2003-present)
First appearance	1986
Created by	Peggy O'Shea
File:Erintorpeyjessica.jpg Erin Torpey as Jessica Buchanan in the One Life to Live opening sequence
In-universe information Other names Tess, Bess (alternate personalities) Occupation Journalist Buchanan Enterprises board member Voting member of Board of Directors at The Banner Parents Mitch Laurence (biological father, deceased) Victoria Lord Davidson (mother) Clint Buchanan (adoptive father) Siblings Cord Roberts (adoptive brother) Megan Gordon (half-sister, deceased) Kevin Buchanan (half-brother) Joey Buchanan (half-brother) Natalie Buchanan (half-sister/twin) Spouse Tico Santi (dissolved) [2004] Antonio Vega (divorced) [2006-2007] Nash Brennan (widowed) [2007-2008] Children Megan Buchanan (daughter, deceased) Bree Brennan (daughter) Chloe Brennan (daughter, deceased) Grandparents Victor Lord (grandfather, deceased) Eugenia Randolph (grandmother, deceased) Asa Buchanan (adoptive grandfather, deceased) Olympia Buchanan (adoptive grandmother, deceased) Aunts and uncles Walker "Flynn" Laurence (uncle, deceased) Miles Laurence (uncle) Tony Lord (uncle, deceased) Meredith Lord Wolek (aunt, deceased) Tina Lord (aunt) Todd Manning (uncle) Bo Buchanan (adoptive uncle) Ben Davidson (adoptive uncle, deceased) First cousins Brian Kendall (cousin, deceased) Daniel Wolek (cousin) C.J. Roberts (cousin/adoptive nephew) Sarah Roberts (cousin/adoptive niece) Starr Manning (cousin) Jack Manning (cousin) Sam Manning (cousin) David Vickers (adoptive cousin) Drew Buchanan (adoptive cousin, deceased) Matthew Buchanan (adoptive cousin) Other relatives Duke Buchanan (nephew, deceased) Kevin Buchanan, Jr. (nephew, deceased) Zane Buchanan (great-nephew)

Jessica Buchanan Brennan (previously Santi and Vega) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. Actress Erin Torpey played the role of Jessica continuously from 1990 to 2003. Bree Williamson assumed the role in 2003.

Character history

The daughter of Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan, Jessica is born on September 23, 1986 and soon kidnapped by the mentally unstable Allison Perkins on instructions from Viki's nemesis, Mitch Laurence. Putting on a red wig and flashy dress to look like Viki's former alternate personality Niki Smith, Allison sneaks into Viki's mansion, Llanfair, and takes Jessica while Viki is asleep. As the search for Jessica commences, Viki denies the suggestion that she had stolen the child as Niki. Maria Roberts, the old flame of Clint's, had already been plotting to separate Viki and Clint and take him for herself; Maria discovers Allison's involvement, and manipulates the situation further so that Clint begins to believe that Niki is the kidnapper after all. When Maria is later sure she has ruined Clint and Viki's marriage, she persuades Allison to return Jessica. Allison does, but is subsequently hit by a car and falls into a coma before she can tell anyone about Maria's scheming.

Young Jessica

As a teenager, Jessica meets Cristian Vega, and they are instantly attracted to each other. Jessica's father Clint and Cristian's mother Carlotta initially object to the relationship, forcing them to see each other in secret. The issues are eventually worked out. Jessica later has a one-night stand with Will Rappaport and becomes pregnant; Cristian forgives her and the two decide to get married. In 1999, Dorian Lord accidentally hits Jessica with her car, and the baby (later named Megan) is stillborn. The miscarriage pushes Jessica and Cristian apart, and brings her closer to Will, but neither relationship survives.

The other sister

Natalie Balsom appears in 2001, stirring up trouble and soon making the startling claim that she is in fact the biological daughter of Jessica's parents Clint Buchanan and Viki Lord Davidson. After this is confirmed by a DNA test, it is at first believed that when Allison Perkins had kidnapped the Buchanan baby in 1986, another child had been returned and had grown up to be Jessica. Jessica begins a tenuous relationship with Natalie's wild adoptive mother Roxy Balsom, whom Jessica believes to be her own biological mother, and with Roxy's biological son Rex. But when a DNA test on Jessica proves that she is also Viki's daughter, the real story comes out.

It is ultimately revealed that Mitch Laurence had secretly raped a drugged Viki around the same time she conceived a child with Clint. Viki had unknowingly become pregnant with fraternal twins, one fathered by Clint (Natalie) and the other fathered by Mitch (Jessica). Viki's obstetrician Dr. Walter Balsom, who had been one of religious leader Mitch's disciples, had taken Mitch's daughter during delivery, and Viki had never known she had given birth to more than one child. Mitch, however, had wanted his daughter to grow up loved by Viki in the lap of luxury, and had sent Allison to kidnap Clint's child. They had replaced her with Mitch's daughter (who would become Jessica), and had given Clint's daughter (who would become Natalie) to Dr. Balsom and his wife Roxy.

Antonio and the Santis

In 2003, Jessica falls in love with Cristian's brother, Llanview Police Detective Antonio Vega (Cristian had married her sister Natalie before being presumed dead). During the summer, a returned-from-the-dead Mitch is desperate for his daughter to love him. When his efforts are continually rebuffed, he finally kidnaps Jessica and keeps her drugged at his mysterious estate. Antonio and Police Commissioner Bo Buchanan find Jessica; a short while later, Mitch is found dead on the docks. Ultimately Jessica remembers hitting Mitch in the head with a pipe to save her uncle, Todd Manning (who had been posing as Mitch's brother, Walker Laurence). Due to the multiple suspects and conflicting evidence surrounding the case, Bo drops the investigation.

Jessica and Antonio's deepening relationship is complicated by the return of Antonio's ex, Keri Reynolds, and daughter Jamie, who had been presumed dead in a plane crash. When Keri is later killed, Antonio is accused; Jessica stands by him, and he is ultimately exonerated. In the summer of 2004, Jessica and Antonio visit Puerto Rico as part of his ongoing investigation of the Santi crime family. Jessica comes upon a man left for dead in the Santi vault — Tico Santi, son of deceased crime lord Manuel, tortured by his father's enemies who are looking for Manuel's missing fortune. They take a grateful Tico back to Llanview, but the Santi heir takes a growing interest in Jessica and begins driving a wedge between her and Antonio.

It is revealed that Antonio's mother Carlotta Vega is Manuel's sister, and soon Antonio is shocked to discover that he is in fact Manuel's eldest son, thought killed as a baby. Carlotta relates how she and husband Diego adopted Antonio to protect him from his father's enemies. Antonio is furious with Carlotta over the deception, and his obsession with the "Santi case" leads Jessica to return his engagement ring to him. Antonio becomes involved with Tico's adopted sister Sonia Toledo as Jessica suddenly marries Tico. Antonio forgives Carlotta, and in November discovers that a presumed-dead Cristian is still alive but possessing no memories of his former life. It is revealed that Tico is actually "El Tiburon," the mysterious druglord who has resurrected the Santi criminal empire. Responsible for Cristian's disappearance, Tico has programmed Cristian to kill Antonio; the attempt fails as the trauma of trying to kill his own brother brings Cristian's memories flooding back. Antonio shoots Tico; at the hospital, an injured Jessica sees someone pull the plug on Tico's life support, but cannot remember who. It is revealed that Cristian had killed Tico; he is sent to prison in 2005, but his sentence is later overturned.

Tess and Nash

Following Tico's death, Jessica begins to suffer from blackouts and losses of time. It is soon revealed that, like her mother, Jessica suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Jessica is once again romantically involved with Antonio in 2005, but her wild alter ego, Tess, parties and meets other men. Antonio is engaged in a custody battle with R.J. over Jamie, and the stability of his relationship with Jessica is an important factor; Jessica discovers her condition, and soon realizes that she is a danger to not only the case, but Jamie's safety and well-being. She quietly checks herself into St. Ann's sanitarium to get treatment to integrate her personalities, but soon Tess emerges and plots to escape. Fellow patient Addie Cramer shows Tess some of her treasured belongings, including the report card of her granddaughter Starr Manning — the daughter of Jessica's uncle Todd and Addie's daughter Blair. Tess uses Todd's signature from the card to get herself released, but Todd, already suspicious of Jessica's behavior, figures out that Jessica is under the influence of an alternate personality and drags her to Llanfair to tell Viki. Not wanting to be integrated out of existence, Tess incites a huge argument with Todd that causes Viki to have a heart attack. She survives, but Tess escapes to New York City.

Tess steals a car belonging to Nash Brennan; through frustrated by her attitude and troublemaking, Nash finds himself attracted to her. He saves Tess from a would-be rapist and, realizing she has nowhere to go but will not admit it, takes her into his home. The icy Tess warms to Nash, telling him that the "Jessica" she blames for ruining her life is her dead twin sister. Todd tracks Tess down but is thrown off the trail by a protective Nash; Tess begins falling for Nash, but Jessica reemerges and flees back to Llanview. Nash follows, and whisks Tess off to his Napa Valley winery. During the few instances she is in control, Jessica manages to send Antonio clues to her whereabouts; he finds her and brings her back to Llanview. Nash follows, he and Viki finding out about Jessica's condition in October 2005; Jessica is soon revealed to be pregnant.

In love with conflicting parts of the same woman, Antonio and Nash are at odds; Jessica is getting treatment but Tess is still not under control. Jessica's father Clint takes a liking to Nash, who promises not to run off with Tess and is only concerned with her well-being. In February 2006, Clint and Viki discover the cause of Jessica's mental illness — she had been molested as a child by a man named Norman Leeds. Viki is devastated, as her own alternate personality Niki Smith had been around at the time and had left Jessica unattended. On April 28, 2006, Tess is in control when Jessica gives birth to her daughter, named Brennan Buchanan by Tess and later nicknamed "Bree" by Jessica and Antonio. In June 2006, a paternity test establishes that Nash is Bree's father; with Jessica now in control, Nash decides that it is best for Jessica and Antonio to raise her. In August Jessica is able to fully integrate the Tess personality into her own, and Jessica and Antonio become engaged. Nash and Antonio form an unlikely friendship as Jessica adjusts to the aspects of Tess now present in her own personality. Jessica marries Antonio in November 2006.

Soon after the marriage in 2007, Jessica begins to develop feelings for Nash, who has let go of his love for Tess but finds himself also falling for Jessica. They fight the attraction; Jessica soon realizes she is in love with Nash, but wants to be loyal to Antonio. She agrees to adopt Jamie, and tells Nash she does not love him. Nash is on his way out of town as a guilty Jessica flees the adoption hearing; they both find themselves at the stone quarry, finally giving into temptation and making love. In May 2007, Jessica is about to tell Antonio that she wants to be with Nash when she collapses. She is soon diagnosed with Hepatitis C, presumably a result of Tess' wild lifestyle. It is also determined that as a result Jessica has now has a related form of liver cancer and needs a transplant. As the search for a suitable donor begins, Jessica tells Antonio about her feelings for Nash; furious and devastated, he leaves town with Jamie. Antonio turns out to be a match, but not even his mother Carlotta knows where he is. Nash manages to track Antonio down and convince him to return to save Jessica. Jessica and Antonio divorce in July 2007, but she collapses in the courthouse as her body rejects the transplanted liver. David Vickers is determined to be a suitable liver donor; he makes a deal with Clint to donate in exchange for $10 million. A desperate Clint agrees to the deal as Nash proposes to Jessica, and they marry in her hospital room on July 12, 2007. Jessica pulls through, and a guilty David returns Clint's money as a goodwill gesture to friend Viki.

Jared and Allison

Recently released from prison, the mysterious Jared Banks arrives in Llanview in August 2007 with a particular interest in the Buchanan family. He manipulates Natalie into giving him a job at Buchanan Enterprises, swindles Nash at a game of poker and buys Antonio's shares of Nash's vineyard. It revealed that Jared shares a secret past with Tess, who had been responsible for sending him to prison and ruining his chances at a good business job. Jared wants revenge on Jessica, not believing that "Tess" had ever existed. His attraction to Natalie and understanding of Jessica's former mental illness soften him toward Jessica, but his ambition prompts him to step into the role of Asa Buchanan's long-lost son when the opportunity arises. Wanting to keep the identity of the real Buchanan heir — David Vickers — a secret to protect the family, Asa's butler Nigel goes along with Jared's plan. Suspicious of Jared, Jessica pretends to be Tess to hopefully gain his confidence; he counters by notifying the doctors at St. Ann's, who take Jessica into custody under her own orders established should Tess ever return.

At St. Ann's, Jessica comes face to face with Allison Perkins, who claims to know a huge secret about Jessica's family. Her interest piqued, Jessica eventually makes a deal with Allison; Jessica will help her escape from St. Ann's in exchange for what she knows. Jessica is released, but she and Natalie smuggle Allison out, planning to return her once they have heard her tale. Once free, Allison manages to elude them, but not before collecting a mysterious package from the Lord family mausoleum where Viki's father is buried. Allison later confronts Jessica with a gun but Jared steps in to save her; Allison lets herself fall from the Palace Hotel balcony, preferring to die with her secret rather than return to St. Ann's. She survives, but is left comatose and in critical condition.

Tess returns ... and Bess

In the spring of 2008, Nash becomes involved with mysterious investors purportedly interested in the potential success of his winery; discovering that they instead intend to take his land for commercial real estate development, Nash accepts an offer from Jared to buy the winery via Buchanan Enterprises. But when Jared is publicly outed at the Palace Hotel as a fraud and the deal is rendered null and void, an enraged Nash confronts both Jared and Natalie, who had recently discovered Jared's deception and had kept the secret. In the subsequent scuffle, Jared shoves Nash, who accidentally tumbles over a railing and falls through a skylight to the hotel floor a few stories below. Nash is rushed to the hospital but his internal injuries are too severe for surgery, and Jessica is shocked to be told that he will soon die. Jessica stays by Nash's side, telling him that she is pregnant again and promising that both Bree and their new child will never forget him. Kissing her one last time, Nash dies in Jessica's arms on June 5, 2008.

Jessica explodes at Natalie and Jared when they appear at Nash's funeral, calling them "murderers" and blaming them for Nash's death. Overwhelmed by painful memories and fallen into a state of depression, Jessica relapses — and Tess reemerges — on June 27, 2008. Seeking revenge on Jared and Natalie, Tess makes multiple failed attempts to kill them (almost killing Viki in the process), but a new plan soon comes to mind. She convinces Viki to go through with a planned trip out of town and, taking a cue from Viki's "gatekeeper" personality, "Jean Randolph," Tess commissions a secret room to be built in Llanfair's basement, including soundproofed walls and a closed-circuit television feed of other rooms in the house. Though Todd and then Jessica's visiting aunt Tina Lord realize that Tess has returned, Tess manages to blackmail them both to guarantee their silence, and enlists their reluctant collusion in her crimes. After drugging Natalie, Tess imprisons her in the newly-built secret room. Trapped and forced to watch the goings-on in Llanfair via hidden cameras, Natalie is horrified as Tess begins her campaign to convince Jared that Natalie has left him and Llanview, keeping them separated forever. A "Dear John" letter and Tess's lies fail to convince Jared that Natalie has truly left him, and he soon suspects that Tess is in control. He discovers Natalie's prison, but finds himself trapped inside with her. Tess realizes her plan is unraveling as Viki returns and soon has her own suspicions. A pregnant Tess sets a bomb to take care of Jared and Natalie once and for all, but goes into premature labor and flees to Nash and Jessica's abandoned vineyard cottage. Alone and afraid, Tess conjures up the hallucinates one of Niki Smith — the only "mother" Tess has ever known. Niki chastises Tess for her evil deeds and urges her to repent, telling Tess that she is simply transferring her rage at Niki's own negligence during Jessica's childhood onto Jared and Natalie, and pushes her to make things right and save the people at Llanfair. Tess agrees to go back and deactivate the bomb, but is struck by another wave of contractions before she can. With Niki's help, Tess delivers a severely premature baby girl on November 6, 2008; the baby is stillborn.

Jared and Natalie are saved; the trauma of the baby's death triggers a second alter named Bess emerge in Jessica. Just as Jessica's psyche had modeled Tess after Viki's extroverted Niki, Bess is a "gatekeeper" personality modeled after Viki's cold, clinical alter Jean Randolph, who is obsessed with control, order, and above all, protection of the core personality. Realizing that neither Jessica nor Tess can handle the child's death, Bess goes to Llanview Hospital and switches Jessica's stillborn daughter with the newborn daughter of her cousin Starr. With everyone (including Jessica and Tess) believing that Starr's baby Hope has died and Jessica's daughter Chloe is alive, Jessica checks herself into St. Ann's for treatment. The trauma unresolved, Tess suspects that something is amiss with Chloe, but she is suppressed by Bess. Jessica befriends fellow patient Brody Lovett, who sees Jessica's illness first-hand as Tess tries to manipulate him into aiding her escape. Bess tells Tess that her negligence had resulted in her baby's death. Seeking to hide the secret once and for all, Bess distracts Jessica with the realization that she "allowed" Tess to emerge to punish Natalie and Jared, and convinces Tess to stay quiet and pretend that all of Jessica's personalities are integrated.

Impact

The 1986 Mitch Laurence storyline that culminated with newborn Jessica's kidnapping occurred during a season in which the One Life to Live rose from #4 to #3 in the Nielsen Ratings. When Gary Tomlin joined the show as Executive Producer in January 2001, his familiarity with the series and its characters — from his stint as director from 1992 to 1995 — "manifested itself in ... the utilization of the show's rich history." At the time, Tomlin explained how then-Head Writers Christopher Whitesell and Lorraine Broderick had thought, "OK, where can we do something where we do bring back that history but also explore something that's going to affect the future of this show?" Barbara Garrick was brought back in 2001 as kidnapper Allison, with Tomlin noting that her return "invigorates the Viki storyline ... [Allison] kidnapped Jessica, so there's a history there." Soap Opera Weekly called called what followed "The Mother Of All Reveals," a storyline in which the series exploited a loophole in its continuity and created a secret history that would "resonate for months and years." The reveal that teenage Jessica had actually been switched with another baby by Allison in 1986 — and so was not Clint and Viki's daughter — "was about as big as they come."

The series garnered attention in 2007 for promoting awareness for Hepatitis C by having Jessica diagnosed with the disease.

See also

• Nash Brennan and Jessica Buchanan

External links

• "Just About Jessica: A History of One Life to Live's Buchanan Babe" - SoapOperaDigest.com
• "One Life to Live Timeline: Cult of Personalities". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
• Jessica Buchanan profile - SoapCentral.com