Natalie Buchanan: Difference between revisions
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When John crossed over to ''[[General Hospital]]'' in March 2012, Natalie and Liam's photos were shown to viewers, and John was heard speaking on the phone several times, though neither Natalie nor Liam ever appeared on-screen. |
When John crossed over to ''[[General Hospital]]'' in March 2012, Natalie and Liam's photos were shown to viewers, and John was heard speaking on the phone several times, though neither Natalie nor Liam ever appeared on-screen. |
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In August 2012, Natalie receives an envelope from Todd Manning |
In August 2012, Natalie receives an envelope from Todd Manning which contains a picture of John kissing [[Sam McCall|Sam Morgan]]. John arrives home and finds that Natalie is not there. John calls Natalie, trying to explain what happened, but Natalie angrily informs him she has taken Liam to London. John becomes upset, saying Natalie can't take Liam and leave the country. He searches for his passport and finds that Natalie has taken it, preventing him from following her to London. Weeks later, John receives a notice informing him that Natalie has filed a restraining order against him, blocking him from herself and Liam. In October 2012, John receives a break up letter, allegedly from Natalie. |
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In 2013, Natalie is now a single mother raising Liam by herself in Llanview. Natalie attends the opening of Blair's new nightclub, Shelter. [[Cutter Wentworth]] flirts with her and Natalie, lonely for attention, is flattered. Clint suggests to her that she and Liam should move back to Llanfair, but Natalie declines. |
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The next day, Natalie runs a lab test to test from the liquor holder that Bo found from Todd's hotel room after Todd claimed that he was poisoned by his twin brother Victor Jr. (who returned to town after he was presumed dead after being shot by Todd, but was really kidnapped and had his death faked by Allison). At first, Natalie found no proof of any poisonous substance, but she later called Bo to tell him that she checked the tests again, and found [[arsenic]] in the liquor holder, confirming Todd's suspicions that Victor Jr. poisoned him after all. Later, Natalie finds a mysterious tattoo that was found from a dead body outside in the river, Tea recognizes that Victor Jr. has the same tattoo on his arm. After a DNA test on the dead body, Natalie came to Tea's house saying that the DNA found on the dead body matched Victor Jr., meaning that he killed the person found outside in the river. Natalie also strikes up a friendship [[Destiny Evans]] at Shelter. |
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Natalie is shocked to receive a call from John; who she has not heard from for some time. She visits her mother, Viki, and admits that she still loves John and always Will. Viki urges Natalie to call him but Natalie decides to ignore the call and go to Shutter and hang out. A few days later, she is served with legal papers and is shocked to see that John has filed a suit for visitation with his son Liam. She calls Tea, who quickly meets her and looks over the petition. After reading it, she informs Natalie that John is doing this because she won't let him see Liam. Natalie denies this and says that John left her and that she'd never keep him from his son. Tea promises to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, Natalie has dinner with her parents and has filled them in and then receives a call from Tea. Tea informs her that John received a restraining order allegedly from her and a "Dear John" letter. Natalie is shocked to learn this and had no idea that John had been staying away because of a legal injunction and not necessarily for another woman. The next morning, Natalie storms into Llanfair and tells her parents that she has been calling John to straighten the matter out but was unable to reach him as he is on an assignment with the FBI. Clint is happy that she did not reach him and Natalie tells him that all of her issues with John cannot be resolved. She is upset that John believes that she blocked him from their son and broke up with him via a letter. She suspects that Clint was behind and confronts him and he confesses. He tells her that he did it to protect her but she says it was control and blasts him for coming in between her and John. She tells him that they had a chance to get past what happened with Sam but his interference took away their choices and that she'd never forgive him. Clint visits Natalie and she forgives him anyway. She starts a casual but exclusive relationship with Cutter but ends it when she learns that he had been sleeping with Nikki for months. As Natalie dealt with the admission, her father made a drunken scene at the gala and was taken to the hospital. When Natalie went to visit Clint, she found Allison Perkins standing over him with a syringe. |
Natalie is shocked to receive a call from John; who she has not heard from for some time. She visits her mother, Viki, and admits that she still loves John and always Will. Viki urges Natalie to call him but Natalie decides to ignore the call and go to Shutter and hang out. A few days later, she is served with legal papers and is shocked to see that John has filed a suit for visitation with his son Liam. She calls Tea, who quickly meets her and looks over the petition. After reading it, she informs Natalie that John is doing this because she won't let him see Liam. Natalie denies this and says that John left her and that she'd never keep him from his son. Tea promises to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, Natalie has dinner with her parents and has filled them in and then receives a call from Tea. Tea informs her that John received a restraining order allegedly from her and a "Dear John" letter. Natalie is shocked to learn this and had no idea that John had been staying away because of a legal injunction and not necessarily for another woman. The next morning, Natalie storms into Llanfair and tells her parents that she has been calling John to straighten the matter out but was unable to reach him as he is on an assignment with the FBI. Clint is happy that she did not reach him and Natalie tells him that all of her issues with John cannot be resolved. She is upset that John believes that she blocked him from their son and broke up with him via a letter. She suspects that Clint was behind and confronts him and he confesses. He tells her that he did it to protect her but she says it was control and blasts him for coming in between her and John. She tells him that they had a chance to get past what happened with Sam but his interference took away their choices and that she'd never forgive him. Clint visits Natalie and she forgives him anyway. She starts a casual but exclusive relationship with Cutter but ends it when she learns that he had been sleeping with Nikki for months. As Natalie dealt with the admission, her father made a drunken scene at the gala and was taken to the hospital. When Natalie went to visit Clint, she found Allison Perkins standing over him with a syringe. |
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Revision as of 00:24, 7 April 2022
| Natalie Buchanan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| One Life to Live character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Melissa Archer (2001–13) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1986, 2001–13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | September 23, 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | August 19, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Past; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Lorraine Broderick and Christopher Whitesell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by |
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Natalie Buchanan is a fictional character from the American soap opera One Life to Live. After a brief appearance in 1986, the character was played by Melissa Archer, who made her first on-screen appearance on July 16, 2001 and remained on the show until its final episode on its online revival on August 19, 2013.
Casting
Archer originally auditioned for the role of Jennifer Rappaport, which Jessica Morris went on to secure. Archer then auditioned for the role of Natalie. On the day of her audition, Archer over-slept and turned up late. The casting department failed to notice this due to the number of people auditioning.[1] In 2005, it was reported that Archer had quit the role, but ABC announced that she had signed a new contract with the show.[2]
Character development
As fiery as her red hair, Natalie honed her scrappy sensibility raising herself in Atlantic City. Vulnerable and loving deep down, Natalie's softened with the discovery of her biological family. But when fighting for herself or her family, she is relentless.
When Natalie arrives in Llanview she reveals that she is the biological daughter of Victoria "Viki" Lord (Erika Slezak).[4] Natalie's bad behavior on-screen transformed her into a "love-to-hate" character with viewers.[5] But some viewers told Archer that they wanted Natalie's boyfriend Seth Anderson (Brandon Routh) to leave her and form a relationship with her sister, Jessica.[5]
On July 16, 2003, One Life to Live celebrated thirty-five years of broadcasting on ABC. Natalie's relationship with Cristian Vega (David Fumero) played a central role in the anniversary celebrations. In the storyline the characters are shown deliberating over their wedding plans. While the characters "dream about what they want", a flashback sequence airs, consisting of weddings that previously featured in the series.[6]
In January 2013, Jolie Lash from Access Hollywood reported that Archer had agreed to reprise the role for the online continuation of the show.[7] Archer told Lash that Natalie is now a single mother trying to make it on her own. She does have the love and support of her family but she is "very determined" to be independent. Archer said, "I think she's trying to look for a revamp for herself because of all that she's gone through in the past 10 years and then on top of [that], the recent things that have happened."[8] Eve Sullivan of The Advocate revealed that Archer was filming scenes with her on-screen son and that Natalie would still manage to maintain her social life.[9]
Storylines
 | This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Too much detail and written in an in-universe style. (September 2016) |
Natalie Balsom appears in Llanview on July 16, 2001, befriends Jessica Buchanan and becomes close to Viki. She later claims to be Clint and Viki's daughter. A DNA test reveals that she is their daughter. In 1986, Allison Perkins had kidnapped Natalie and replaced her with Jessica. Natalie wants to find her place in the family and instructs Seth to romance Jessica. Natalie then uses him to help her become accepted into the family. Natalie and Jessica form a sisterly friendship, but when Natalie discovers that Jessica is in a relationship with Seth, their feud resurfaces. A DNA test later proves that Jessica is also Viki's daughter. Mitch Laurence had raped a drugged Viki when she was pregnant with Natalie. Viki was unknowingly pregnant with fraternal twins. Dr. Walter Balsom, who had been one of Mitch's cult, had stolen Jessica during delivery. Viki thought she had one child. Mitch sent Allison to kidnap Clint's child and swap them.
After settling in town, Natalie meets Jessica's ex-boyfriend Cristian. Viki's alternate personality, Niki Smith, returns in 2002 and pushes Viki's husband, Ben Davidson, out of a window. He is left in a coma and Niki makes sure Natalie takes the blame. Cristian is the only person to believe Natalie's protestations of innocence. He takes it upon himself to find the real culprit. When Natalie is cleared, they begin a relationship and Natalie experiences true love for the first time.
Natalie and Cristian marry in 2003 and fly to Las Vegas so that Natalie can compete in a pool tournament. Antonio Vega, Cristian's brother, and Jessica go to Vegas to support them The sting goes awry when Natalie is kidnapped and held for ransom by Walker Flynn, the brother of Mitch Lawrence. John McBain, Antonio and Cristian go to retrieve Natalie , but Cristian runs ahead and is caught by Flynn. Cristian takes Natalie's place and Flynn takes Cristian hostage. He is later presumed dead.
Natalie blames John for Cristian's death. John stays in Llanview to capture the Music Box Killer. Eventually, Natalie forgives John and they become close friends. John reveals that his first love, Caitlin Fitzgerald, was killed and later learns that the Music Box Killer had killed her under a different pseudonym. Blaming himself, John withdraws and although he has feelings for Natalie, he refuses to get involved with her. Natalie is distraught by this and the loss of Cristian and gets into a self-destructive relationship with Paul Cramer. John, mistakenly believing that Paul has slept with Natalie, indulges in flirtations with Evangeline Williamson and they began a physical relationship. This shakes Natalie to her senses and she ends things with Paul, but John tells her that he and Evangeline are no longer casual. Natalie accepts this but is heartbroken. Paul stalks Natalie, tries to rape her, and eventually is murdered. Evangeline is Natalie's lawyer, but John breaks the law to make sure Natalie is cleared of the crime. He and Natalie become close again. Cristian returns in 2004 with no memories and is believed to be an impostor. He kills mobster Tico Santi and confesses, but later learns he was brainwashed. He makes John swear not to reveal his true identity to spare his family from watching him go to prison. In 2005, Evangeline Williamson appeals his conviction, proving that he had been fooled into killing Tico. Cristian is released. Furious over the deception, Natalie ends her relationship with John and asks Cristian for a divorce. John and Natalie later reunite after a tornado hits Llanview.
When Natalie compromises evidence in the investigation into Spencer's murder to protect John, it affects their already struggling relationship. Natalie tells John they should breakup. John is resistant at first, but they mutually decide to end it. Natalie quits her job at the police department and begins working for Buchanan Enterprises.
Natalie later meets Jared Banks and starts to fall for him, but is upset when she sees John and Marty Saybrooke kissing. John tells Natalie he wants things to be right between them. They agree to still be friends and play pool together with John remarking, "Some of the best moments in my life involved this pool table." Natalie and Jared grow closer, but Jared pulls off a scam claiming to be Asa's long lost son. Thinking Jared is her uncle, Natalie is devastated. Jared reveals that he lied and they resume their romance. The duo hide the fact that David Vickers is the actual heir, but Dorian Lord exposes the secret. This causes a fight which results in the death of Jessica's husband, Nash Brennan. Jessica, who, at the time, was currently her alter personality, Tess, decides to seek revenge and kidnaps Natalie and Jared. Charlie Banks and Viki rescue them. Natalie and Jared get engaged and marry in secret. Later, a stalker targets Jessica, Natalie, and Jared. John is assigned the case after Jared is attacked and begins to suspect that Jared is behind the stalking. Jared denies this, but John aggressively pursues Jared to keep Natalie safe. John is quick to believe that Jared is guilty, but Natalie sticks by him. Natalie throws John off Jared's tracks so she can find out what really happened, but all is revealed when Mitch Lawrence shows up. He confesses to having blackmailed Jared and holds a gun on him, Natalie, and Jessica. John and Brody arrives, but Mitch manages to shoot Jared before surrendering. Jared dies and Natalie again blames John for not listening to her about Jared. John is supportive of Natalie and at Jared's funeral, comforts her when Mitch jumps out of the coffin. Natalie learns that Mitch will not have any charges filed against him and in a mad rage, she stabs him, but John covers for her even though she begs him not to. John sabotages the evidence of the attack making it appear as though Mitch stabbed himself.
Later, Roxy convinces Natalie to write John a letter. Natalie goes to see John, but sees Marty and John kissing and her letter on his desk and wrongfully believes that John chose Marty when it was actually John and Marty saying goodbye. Natalie goes to see Brody, who is upset over Jessica thinking she is still in love with Cristian Vega. They drink too much and end up having sex. Natalie tries to leave Llanview, but John goes after her and tells her, "I don't know what the hell we've been doing the last few years, but above all others, you belong with me!" They reunite, but she keeps her one night stand with Brody a secret. Natalie and John consummate their reunion and a few weeks later, she discovers she is pregnant. She is afraid that she will lose John, so she still keeps the secret and months later, a paternity test names Brody as the father. Marty, who is bitter that John loves Natalie, seeks to destroy her and begins to stalk Natalie. When Rex discovers that Marty has a copy of the paternity test, he tells Natalie. Natalie tells Marty that she will tell John the truth but before she can. John proposes to Natalie and tells her he wants her as his wife because he loves her. Natalie decides against telling John for fear she will lose him. John and Natalie make their engagement official at Christmas and John gives her his mother's ring. They announce it to the family. A few days later, John pushes for them to marry on NYE but Marty finds out and interrupts the ceremony. Fed up, Natalie holds Marty at gunpoint at the family cabin but goes into Labor. Marty delivers Natalie's baby boy and John arrives right afterwards. Marty has a breakdown and is institutionalized. John and Natalie name the baby Liam Asa McBain. John decides he wants to get married along with Brody and Jessica on Valentine's Day but the day is ruined when the truth about the paternity tests is revealed. John leaves Natalie and Jessica cuts her off and Tess comes out. John also starts a sexual fling with Kelly Cramer. Brody and Natalie become closer but Natalie discovers that Liam really is John's son and that Marty altered the paternity results. To keep the truth concealed Marty pushes Natalie off a roof and kidnaps Liam, who is later found safe. The fall causes memory loss and Natalie does not remember that John is Liam's father. Brody pressures Natalie to start a relationship with him but Natalie still wants John. After sharing a kiss with John; she asks him for another chance but John tells her he could get past all of it but he has to respect that Brody is Liam's father and can't just raise him as his own. Disheartened, she gives in to Brody's pressure and begins sleeping with him. Jessica returns and catches them in the act and Brody cruelly tells Jessica he doesn't want her anymore. Natalie is clearly embarrassed and doesn't really love Brody but since she couldn't have John; she decides to make it about Liam and she and Brody make their relationship more serious despite the hurt it causes John and Jessica. Later, Brody finds out that Liam is not his and keeps it from her because he knows Natalie will go back to John. After thinking that John does not love her, she accepts Brody's proposal of marriage but Tina Lord Roberts discovers the paternity test and brings it to the wedding. Brody confesses that he knew and Natalie ends it and cancels their wedding and gives him back the ring as she realizes that Brody didn't learn the lesson from before about keeping secrets. John, who couldn't bear to see Natalie marry another man, resigns from the PD and is headed to Seattle(after saying goodbye to Liam) but Natalie races to the airport to tell him the news. They return to Llanfair only to discover that Brody has kidnapped Liam. They eventually convince Brody to release Liam.
Roxy informs Natalie that John still loves her. Natalie remains close to him as they investigate the murder of Victor Lord, Jr. Mitch Laurence escapes from prison and kidnaps Natalie and Jessica. John arrives to rescue them and shoots Mitch. But he does not die and attacks John, Natalie shoots and kills Mitch in self-defense. The events result in Natalie and John deciding to give their relationship another chance.
General Hospital and the 2013 One Life To Live reboot
When John crossed over to General Hospital in March 2012, Natalie and Liam's photos were shown to viewers, and John was heard speaking on the phone several times, though neither Natalie nor Liam ever appeared on-screen.
In August 2012, Natalie receives an envelope from Todd Manning which contains a picture of John kissing Sam Morgan. John arrives home and finds that Natalie is not there. John calls Natalie, trying to explain what happened, but Natalie angrily informs him she has taken Liam to London. John becomes upset, saying Natalie can't take Liam and leave the country. He searches for his passport and finds that Natalie has taken it, preventing him from following her to London. Weeks later, John receives a notice informing him that Natalie has filed a restraining order against him, blocking him from herself and Liam. In October 2012, John receives a break up letter, allegedly from Natalie.
In 2013, Natalie is now a single mother raising Liam by herself in Llanview. Natalie attends the opening of Blair's new nightclub, Shelter. Cutter Wentworth flirts with her and Natalie, lonely for attention, is flattered. Clint suggests to her that she and Liam should move back to Llanfair, but Natalie declines.
Natalie is shocked to receive a call from John; who she has not heard from for some time. She visits her mother, Viki, and admits that she still loves John and always Will. Viki urges Natalie to call him but Natalie decides to ignore the call and go to Shutter and hang out. A few days later, she is served with legal papers and is shocked to see that John has filed a suit for visitation with his son Liam. She calls Tea, who quickly meets her and looks over the petition. After reading it, she informs Natalie that John is doing this because she won't let him see Liam. Natalie denies this and says that John left her and that she'd never keep him from his son. Tea promises to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, Natalie has dinner with her parents and has filled them in and then receives a call from Tea. Tea informs her that John received a restraining order allegedly from her and a "Dear John" letter. Natalie is shocked to learn this and had no idea that John had been staying away because of a legal injunction and not necessarily for another woman. The next morning, Natalie storms into Llanfair and tells her parents that she has been calling John to straighten the matter out but was unable to reach him as he is on an assignment with the FBI. Clint is happy that she did not reach him and Natalie tells him that all of her issues with John cannot be resolved. She is upset that John believes that she blocked him from their son and broke up with him via a letter. She suspects that Clint was behind and confronts him and he confesses. He tells her that he did it to protect her but she says it was control and blasts him for coming in between her and John. She tells him that they had a chance to get past what happened with Sam but his interference took away their choices and that she'd never forgive him. Clint visits Natalie and she forgives him anyway. She starts a casual but exclusive relationship with Cutter but ends it when she learns that he had been sleeping with Nikki for months. As Natalie dealt with the admission, her father made a drunken scene at the gala and was taken to the hospital. When Natalie went to visit Clint, she found Allison Perkins standing over him with a syringe.
Reception
In 2003, Archer won "Outstanding Newcomer" at the Soap Opera Digest Awards.[10] She was later awarded "Favorite Triangle" storyline at the 2005 ceremony.[1] In April 2010, a reporter for Soapnet praised Archer's portrayal of Natalie. They said she made a "brilliant scene" in which Natalie launches into a tirade of abuse aimed at Marty Saybrooke (Susan Haskell), following her interference with her romantic relationship with John McBain (Michael Easton). The reporter empathised with Natalie because people often say "awful" things they will regret; but in their opinion, "Melissa brought it home".[11] Katherine Thurston from About.com opined, "Natalie has come from a life of lies and heartache, but since moving to Llanview has become a strong and independent women. She fights for everything she wants, especially when it comes to her family."[12] Randee Dawn from Soap Opera Digest branded Natalie as "terminally-insecure [and] often-nasty".[5] Chris Silk of the Naples Daily News said, "It didn't take long for Natalie to shake up one of Llanview's most prominent families."[13]
References
- ^ a b Amodeo-Pisano, Christina. "Melissa Archer - Actress Profile and Biography". About.com. (The New York Times Company). Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ Thurston, Katherine. "25 Facts on Actress Melissa Archer (OLTL's Natalie Buchanan)". About.com. (The New York Times Company). Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ "Natalie Banks played by Melissa Archer". One Life to Live. (American Broadcasting Company). Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ "Melissa Archer". About.com. (The New York Times Company). Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ a b c Dawn, Randee (2002). "Interview with Melissa Archer". About.com. (The New York Times Company). Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ Havens, Candace (12 July 2003). "Slezak reflects on over three decades of 'Life'". The Rochester Sentinel. (The Sentinel Corporation). Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ Lash, Jolie (25 January 2013). "One Life To Live, All My Children – New Episodes On The Way This Spring Via Hulu, iTunes". Access Hollywood. (NBCUniversal Television Group). Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ^ Lash, Jodie (April 17, 2013). "One Life To Live Q&A: Melissa Archer On The Return Of Natalie Buchanan". Access Hollywood. (NBCUniversal Television Group). Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ Sullivan, Eve (April 26, 2013). "Not your mama's drama: Stamford soaps will air online". The Advocate. (Hearst Corporation). Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ "SOAPnet Presents The Soap Opera Digest Award Show Winners". Atlanta Inquirer. (via Highbeam Research). April 26, 2003. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ "One Life to Live: Week in Review for April 12, 2010". Soapnet. (The Walt Disney Company). 12 April 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
- ^ Thurston, Katherine. "Natalie Buchanan - OLTL Character Profile". About.com. (The New York Times Company). Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ Silk, Chris (October 22, 2012). "PR: Southwest Florida Soapfest announces celebrity lineup". Naples Daily News. (E. W. Scripps Company). Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
External links
- Character profile at the official One Life to Live website
- Character profile at About.com
