Una vita da vivere: Riassunti delle puntate anno 1997

Una vita da vivere - Trama anno 1997

All of Llanview was shocked when mob boss Carlo Hesser turned up dead after Todd and Blair Manning's ill-fated ball. Carlo was a man with many enemies and almost everyone had a reason to want him dead. Antonio Vega went on trial for Carlo's murder and things looked bleak for him indeed, especially since Carlo had staged an elaborate planned scheme in which he had framed Antonio for the crime. In the end, however, Alex Olanov Hesser Buchanan was revealed as the murderer. It was also revealed that Asa Buchanan had witnessed the murder, but had said nothing to clear Antonio because he was hoping that the 30 million dollars Carlo has swindled from him would resurface. Asa had knowingly let an innocent man stand trial for murder and no one could forgive him for this selfish act.

Téa Delgado was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York with her parents when she was four years old. Her father, Leon, is a superintendent in a building on Park Avenue. Although the Delgado family lifestyle was decidedly middle class, they never lost touch with the old friends and relatives they knew in Puerto Rico, many of whom now live in the Unites States. Téa spent many quality hours with her grandmother Maria Delgado, who is affectionately called "Abuelita." Téa also spent weekends with her family's longtime friends, the Vegas, who they considered "cousins".

Téa was always obedient and studious. Her diligence paid off when she graduated college summa cum laude, went on to NYU Law School, then immediately acquired a position in a top ten law firm, Howell and Maguire, as soon as she passed her bar exam.

Beautiful, but always too focused on work and accomplishment to have a committed relationship, Téa had a few flings, mostly with other career-obsessed, fast-trackers. In early 1997, she began feeling that something was missing from her hectic, hyper-urban lifestyle. Téa began to investigate leaving New York. She felt that could get more hands-on experience working in a smaller venue. So, when Carlotta Vega alerted her to the fact that her son, Antonio was under arrest for the murder of mobster Carlo Hesser, Téa saw it as a sign. She opted to pull out of the fast lane for a while and relocate to Llanview, PA.

Police Detective Andy Harrison stood by her boyfriend, Antonio, throughout his murder trial. With Antonio cleared of the crime, Andy and Antonio were finally able to look forward to a future together. Things became even better when Antonio was also cleared of a previous murder conviction, thanks to the work of hotshot young lawyer Tea Delgado. With a bright future ahead of him, Antonio proposed to Andy and she happily accepted. Antonio was accepted to law school and he and Andy planned to be married.

Andy and Antonio's wedding was a day of celebration. After an emotional ceremony, everyone partied in the middle of Angel Square. The happy couple shared teary goodbyes with their loved ones before embarking on their new life in California.

From the minute Téa came to town to assist attorney Nora Gannon, she felt fulfilled. Throughout the trial, she maintained a combative relationship with her client, the bitter Antonio Vega. But even he had to appreciate her no-nonsense interrogation skills which had witnesses wilting!

Téa was an integral part of the team that successfully defended Antonio. At the conclusion of the trial, Téa skillfully worked to clear Antonio's prior criminal record, then stayed in Llanview to face a huge challenge -- the defense of accused murderess Alex Buchanan, who had been indicted for killing Carlo Hesser. Téa gave the case her all and eventually got Alex off on a technicality. Alex literally got away with murder. A short time later, Alex received a shock when Carlo returned from the dead to reclaim her as the love of his life. Or was it Carlo's twin brother Mortimer who had returned for Alex? Alex really didn't care either way, as long as they had Asa's 30 million dollars.

Téa's biting wit and cool intellectual approach were immediately evident when she met newspaper reporter Kevin Buchanan. But Téa's apparent coolness towards Kevin could not camouflage the intensity of feeling that simmered below the surface. Before long, they were engaged in a steamy, sexually-satisfying relationship. However gratified he was with their liaisons (they even did it on top of a desk!) Kevin didn't love Téa. He was already in love with a married woman - Cassie Carpenter. When he rejected her, Téa felt hurt and used.

Young Kelly Cramer was enjoying a romance with Joey Buchanan, much to the annoyance of Kelly's aunt, Dorian Lord. When Joey decided to move to Paris, he asked Kelly to come with him. Kelly waivered for weeks, but Dorian successfully convinced her to remain in Llanview. Several months later, Kelly was heartbroken when she received a letter from Joey ending their relationship. Devastated, Kelly began driving aimlessly in the rain and accidentally caused an oncoming car to swerve off the road and crash. What Kelly didn't know at the time, however, was that the other car contained her pregnant cousin Blair, and her friend, Patrick Thornhart. Blair was seriously injured in the crash and lost her unborn baby, which had been fathered by Patrick.

By this time, Kelly was becoming attracted to Drew Buchanan, a schemer with a sordid past he had tried very hard to keep hidden. Kelly was consumed with guilt over the accident and played right in to Drew's manipulations. Drew knew about Kelly's role in the accident and wanted to use this knowledge to blackmail Dorian into selling him her waterfront warehouse. Soon, however, Kelly did the right thing -- she went to the authorities and confessed her role in the accident. Kelly sought the forgiveness of those she had hurt and cut Drew out of her life completely. Drew eventually left Llanview.

Marty Saybrooke and Patrick Thornhart loved each other deeply. And that was a good thing because their love was put to the test time and time again. No matter what fate threw at them, Marty and Patrick managed to work through it and stay together. When Patrick proposed, Marty readily accepted and they looked forward to a future as husband and wife. The future looked even brighter when Marty discovered she was pregnant!

Todd and Blair Manning had finally found their way back to each other. But when Blair learned that Todd was responsible for having previously kidnapped their baby daughter Starr, she left him. Blair and Todd separated and began a bitter custody battle for little Starr. It was also during this time that Blair learned that she was pregnant with Patrick's baby, the result of a one night affair when she still believed that Todd was dead. Blair and Todd both had real feelings for each other, but both were too stubborn to admit it.

Todd and Blair's world was shattered when Starr became seriously ill. Diagnosed with aplastic anemia, Starr needed a bone marrow transplant in order to survive. Todd and Blair launched a public campaign to find a compatible donor and decided to move back in together and present themselves as a united couple for the sake of appearances. With all of their energy focused on Starr, Todd and Blair softened towards each other. In fact, they were on the verge of a complete reconciliation when fate once again turned them upside down.

Blair's unborn baby was determined to be a compatible match for Starr, and Blair prepared to undergo a procedure in which her unborn baby's bone marrow would be extracted and used for Starr. It was then that tragedy struck. While driving with Patrick, Blair was involved in a car accident (caused by Kelly) and lost her baby, and Starr's potential savior. Fortunately, Alex Buchanan turned out to be a compatible match and Starr was soon on her way to a complete recovery. Aside from losing her unborn baby, Blair also suffered severe physical injuries. Blair went to Philadelphia for special surgery and Todd turned back into his old, vengeful self.

Before Kelly confessed that she was responsible for Patrick and Blair's accident, Todd became convinced that Patrick had caused the crash on purpose. Todd then began to plot his revenge on Patrick, unfounded as it was. Todd learned that Patrick had once been associated with a terrorist act that resulted in the death of a publishing magnate back in Ireland. Armed with this knowledge, Todd planted a bomb on the yacht of Guy Armitage and planned to frame Patrick for it. Todd's plan, however, went awry when Guy returned to his yacht unexpectedly and was killed in the explosion. Todd's plan had failed miserably. Patrick was soon cleared as a suspect in the bombing while Todd feared that his role in the bombing would be exposed. To make matters worse, Blair realized what Todd had tried to do to Patrick and ended her marriage to Todd once and for all. Todd and Blair were once again apart and both vowed to get custody of little Starr.

As a ploy to keep Starr away from Blair, Todd made a deal with lawyer Tea Delgado. Tea got five million dollars and all she had to do was marry Todd and act as though they were happy.

Todd would not give up his vendetta against Patrick and made a deal with Irish terrorist Thomas Kenneally. Kenneally came back to Llanview with another terrorist, Michael Mahoney, who was out to kill Patrick, Marty and Todd.

Marty and Patrick had a beautiful wedding on Llantano Mountain. Little did they know that their wedding reception would become the site for Mahoney's revenge. Shots were fired and Mel was wounded. Patrick chased Mahoney to Todd's penthouse where he was holding a gun on Tea and Todd. A melee ensued and Mahoney was killed and apparently, so was Patrick. In the ambulance, Marty realized that Patrick was still alive. The newlyweds decided that the only way they would be safe to raise their baby would be to disappear. Marty left a goodbye letter for Nora and Bo explaining she left town so suddenly because she couldn't deal with Patrick's death. Marty left behind enough clues for Bo and Nora to figure out that Patrick was still alive.

After the incident in the penthouse, Blair was more determined than ever to get Starr back from Todd. Blair now had another oppontent in Tea. Tea took every opportunity possible to bait Blair. At a charity auction, Tea went a bit too far and during an argument with Blair, Tea crashed through a window. Pending a mental evaluation, Todd was granted full custody of Starr. Not giving up, Blair had a new scheme. All she needed was to marry a man with billions - Ian Armitage! Blair's only problem was Kelly and Ian's budding relationship.

Maggie Carpenter had planned on becoming a nun, but her attraction to Max Holden was just too strong. Maggie renounced her vows and she and Max quickly became a couple.

While on vacation on the tropical island of St. Maarten with Max, Maggie was shocked to see her father, Bishop John Carpenter, there as well. Maggie was even more shocked when John begged her to help him move a corpse from his hotel room! As it turned out, John had met up with his former love, Eleanor Armitage, in St. Maarten and Eleanor had suddenly dropped dead in his hotel room. Eleanor was married to the wealthy Guy Armitage and John didn't want any scandal surrounding her death. Maggie helped John move Eleanor's body and thought that the ordeal was over. Boy, was she wrong!

Shortly after Eleanor's death, her son Ian Armitage arrived in Llanview looking for a locket that he was certain his mother would have been wearing when she died. Maggie suspected that John had taken the locket, but denied any knowledge of it to Ian. Eventually, Maggie's better judgment got the best of her and she told Ian everything she knew about his mother's death. Maggie and Ian confronted John several times about the locket, but he refused to answer any questions. When John suddenly died, it was revealed that he had left the locket with Maggie's cousin, Reverend Andrew Carpenter, who turned it over to Maggie and Ian. When Maggie and Ian opened the locket, however, all they found inside were two braids of hair tied together with a ribbon.

After traveling to Eleanor's family home in New Orleans, Maggie and Ian made a startling discovery -- they were twins who had been separated at birth! As it turned out, Eleanor had been pregnant by John when she married Guy. After giving birth to twins, Eleanor gave the girl (Maggie) to John to raise and kept the boy (Ian). After all these years, Ian and Maggie were reunited. Maggie and Ian each loved having a new sibling in their life and Max was relieved that Ian was no longer a threat to his relationship with Maggie.

Maggie got Dorian to sell her the warehouse on the waterfront that both Ian and Max wanted. They tried everything possible to get Maggie to sell it to them, but she wouldn't budge. Max secretly jammed the boiler in the warehouse hoping to cause a flood and force Maggie to get rid of the property. Unfortunately, Max started a fire while Maggie, Cris and Jessica were still inside. They survived with only minor injuries, but Maggie's dreams were destroyed. Max was wrecked with guilt, but couldn't bring himself to tell Maggie the truth. Max eventually confessed to Ian, but when Ian caught Max and Blair in a compromising position, Ian told Maggie what Max had done. Unable to forgive Max for having lied to her, Maggie bid Llanview a teary goodbye and headed to Paris.

Max angered RJ when he was able to lure away his new business partner, Jacara Principal. RJ vowed to make Max pay and was determined to bankrupt him. Things got out of hand with RJ's plan when he was doublecrossed. Max's twins were kidnapped and presumed dead, but only RJ and his partner Claude knew that the twins had been sold behind their back to a couple in Canada. RJ tried to cover his tracks, but Bo was convinced he had something to do with it and wasn't giving up until he found proof.

While on a business trip to Washington, D.C., Dorian Lord found something she wasn't even looking for -- a man! Prize-winning newspaper reporter Mel Hayes literally fell all over Dorian when they met in a hotel bar and the sparks between them were instantaneous. Dorian convinced Mel to move to Llanview, where he took a job at The Banner, and their passion continued.

Cassie Carpenter was married to Reverend Andrew Carpenter, but that didn't stop her from being attracted to fellow newspaper reporter Kevin Buchanan. Cassie and Kevin tried to fight their attraction for months, but to no avail. Finally, Cassie and Kevin made love. Cassie immediately confessed her indiscretion to Andrew, who quickly ended their marriage. Cassie and Kevin were a couple, although Cassie was still trying to come to grips with the end of her marriage.

Andrew befriended a troubled, HIV positive teen named Eli Traigor. When Eli's mother passed away, Andrew took the boy in until a suitable foster home could be found. Much to the dismay of her son Cristian and new boyfirend Hank, Carlotta was approved as Eli's new foster mother. After a few problems, Eli settled in with Carlotta in Angel Square.

In October, Joey finally returned to town, running into Dorothy Hayes in the process. Dorothy took an interest in Joey but became disturbed when she learned that he had once had an affair with Dorian. Joey, however, had his eyes still set on Kelly and was hoping to reconcile with her, despite her present involvement with Ian.

Dorian met some of Mel's family when Mel's daughter Dorothy moved to Llanview to rebuild her relationship with her father. Mel's mother Mary (professionally known as Dr. Maude Boylan, sex therapist) also came to Llanview. Dorothy harbored great pain over miscarrying her baby, and tried to move on with her life by getting involved with Joey Buchanan, but when the romance fizzled, Dorothy left town.

Dorian's erratic behavior started Cassie, Kelly, Blair and Mel down the road into Dorian's past. Dorian wasn't providing any answers, so Cassie attempted to get them from her father, David Renaldi. Dorian got to him first and David disappeared before Cassie was able to speak with him. Next it was Kelly's turn to try and get answers. Kelly made a trip out to California and was reunited with her mother, Melinda. Melinda spoke of "the game" which Dorian later admitted she made up to protect her sisters from their mother, Sonya.

Little by little, Dorian's past was coming to light - especially after Mel and Cassie's visit with the Cramer's former nanny - Miss Charlotte Stonecliff. Mel discovered inconsistencies in the story that Charlotte provided about Dorian's parents death leading him to believe that they did not die in a plane crash. All the prodding Mel was doing brought painful childhood memories back to Dorian. Realizing Mel, Cassie, Kelly and Blair were not going to give up, Dorian had no choice but to confront her past.