Jessica Eugenia Buchanan (also Santi, Vega, Brennan, Ford and Wentworth) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She is the daughter of Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan. She is the fraternal twin sister of Natalie Buchanan, and is born on-screen in the episode first-run on September 23, 1986, with the birth year later revised to 1980 and later 1978.
Casting Child actresses Jessica Azenberg, Janelle and Tamara DeMent, Alex and Brittany Smith, and Eliza Clark played the role since the character's introduction in 1986. Actress Erin Torpey played the role of adolescent to young adult Jessica from September 18, 1990, revising her birth year to 1980. In October 2002, Torpey announced her decision to end her 12-year run as Jessica in order to explore the other areas of her life. Torpey's last appearance as Jessica was on January 15, 2003. Torpey reappeared on the soap opera in 2008 for two episodes for the soap's 40th anniversary, where she played a vision of an older Megan Buchanan, the baby that Jessica miscarried in 1999, during Jessica's mother, Victoria Lord's, visit to Heaven. Torpey later reappeared on the soap for one episode in September 2011 as Erin, a new colleague of Cristian Vega.
Bree Williamson assumed the role on February 5, 2003, and remained until the series finale on January 13, 2012. Williamson garnered three consecutive Daytime Emmy Award nominations in 2009, 2010, and 2011 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress for the role. Williamson also announced prior to the series' cancellation that she would not be joining the original Prospect Park venture of the series online; instead relocating her family to California.
Development The 1986 Mitch Laurence storyline which culminated with new-born Jessica's kidnapping occurred during a season in which 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 Perkins, with Tomlin noting that her return "invigorates the Viki storyline ... [Allison] kidnapped Jessica, so there's a history there." Soap Opera Weekly 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 2001 reveal that the now-teenage Jessica had actually been switched with another baby as an infant 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 raising awareness for Hepatitis C by having Jessica diagnosed with the disease.
Storylines The daughter of Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan, Jessica is born on September 23, 1986Though the character of Jessica is born onscreen on September 23, 1986, she has been rapidly aged slightly over time; in the March 22, 2005 episode, Antonio Vega notes that Jessica is 26 years old. Her historical onscreen birthdate of September 23 has been used here for calculation, with the birth year adjusted accordingly. and is soon kidnapped by 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 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 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 that 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.One Life to Live recap (1986, Part 4) - ABC.com One Life to Live recap (1986, Part 5) - ABC.com
In 1994, an unhappy Jessica begins smoking and rebelling due to her parents' divorce. Marty Saybrooke catches her attempting to shoplift and tries to support her, telling Jessica’s parents that they should be worried about her unhappiness. In early 1995, 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 the teens to see each other in secret. The issues are eventually worked out. In 1998, 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.
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 and Viki. 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 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, 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."Allison Perkins 101!" - ABC.com
In 2003, Jessica falls in love with Cristian's brother, Llanview Police Detective Antonio Vega. 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 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."Case Files: One Life to Live." Soap Opera Digest, Vol. 33, No. 9, February 26, 2008, page 78. 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 her 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 drug lord 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 whom. It is revealed that Cristian had killed Tico; he is sent to prison in 2005, but his sentence is later overturned.
Following Tico's death, Jessica begins to experience blackouts and losses of time. It is soon revealed that, like her mother, Jessica has 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. Though 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 briefly 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 takes 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.