1987

Nina was overjoyed to get the news that her husband Cliff, who had been working in Kong Kong for months, was on his way home. Before reaching the United States, Doctor Warner stopped in a war-torn South American country to deliver emergency supplies. Knowing he was undertaking a dangerous mission, Cliff took every precaution to insure his safety. He promised Nina he’d be home within days. But when the day of Cliff’s return came and went, Nina grew alarmed.

View Complete Summary for "All My Children" 1987

Soon the words Nina dreaded came: Cliff had been shot and killed by rebel forces. Nina held back her grief, refusing to accept that the impossible had happened. She couldn’t accept it. Nina took off for South America to see for herself. She was not alone for long. Matt Connelly, a former mercenary soldier, joined her on her fruitless search.

A devastated Nina returned home to Pine Valley, then retreated to Martha’s Vineyard to be alone with her memories of Cliff . Matt followed Nina to the beach house to offer comfort, where he was met with a barrage of anger. Nina demanded to be left alone. But Matt wasn’t going anywhere. Nina warmed to Matt after he refused to adhere to her demands, and when he finally announced he was leaving, Nina urged him to stay. In Matt’s comforting arms, Nina at last broke down, releasing her grief. Clinging to each other, they made passionate love. The next morning, she stunned Matt by asking him to marry her. Perhaps not even Nina realized how much her conservative, traditional background still influenced her.

To the utter surprise of her family, Nina returned to Pine Valley as Mrs. Matt Connelly. But plagued by memories of Cliff, Nina was never able to give herself fully to Matt, and their marriage suffered because of it. Then she learned Cliff was alive. He had not been killed by the rebel forces, but was held prisoner for several months. Cliff and Nina enjoyed a romantic reunion, reaffirming their love with a night of lovemaking. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to reveal that she had married Matt. When Cliff learned the truth. he stormed away from her in a rage.

Jesse and Angie Hubbard’s turbulent marriage took another dramatic turn when Jesse’s old flame Yvonne Caldwell turned up in town nine months pregnant, declaring that he was the father of her child. Jesse held to the truth that he’d never slept with her–there was no way he was the baby’s father. Seeing the error of her ways, Yvonne called Angie and admitted the truth before going into labor and giving birth. Yvonne planned to give up her infant to a baby-selling ring.

Jesse went undercover to find the leader of this heinous organization. Discovering that “Mr. Big” was none other than his father-in-law, Les Baxter. Jesse stumbled upon Les’s secret life at a time when his father-in-law was blackmailing senatorial candidate Travis Montgomery. Les claimed Travis was the father of Yvonne’s child. Travis feared that this information, preposterously untrue, if leaked, could cripple his candidacy. Without telling Angie, Jesse followed Travis to his meeting with “Mr. Big,” hoping to catch him in a bribe. The plan went awry when Les spotted his son-in-law. Angie arrived on the scene in time to witness her husband holding a gun on her father. When Angie’s scream distracted Jesse. Les kicked the gun out of his hand. A struggle ensued and Les fell down a stairwell, plunging to his death. Jesse received a commendation for his heroic efforts, but the reward was bittersweet. Angered by her husband’s deception, Angie left him.

Though his problems with the law were over, Mark , Dalton’s cocaine abuse escalated. Erica was blind to her brother’s drug problem until the day she found him secluded in his attic hideaway, high as a kite. Feeling deceived, she insisted Mark get help. Summoning Mark’s friends Brooke English, Jeff Martin and his former wife Ellen, Erica spear-headed an “intervention” on Mark. Alone in a room, Mark’s loved ones pointed out all his lies and deceits, swearing they wouldn’t have anything more to do with him unless he sought professional help.

Mark was unmoved by their efforts at first. But abandoned by those whose love he cherished, Mark quickly came to see the error of his ways. He checked himself into a rehabilitation center and was finally able to come to grips with his problem.

While in recovery, Mark was mortified to learn that Fred Parker, one of his drug-taking cronies, had died of AIDS. Fearing he may have contracted the AIDS virus, a worried Mark took an HIV test, which fortunately proved negative.

Fred Parker’s widow, Cindy, a lovely, kind young woman in desperate need of a place to stay, soon arrived in Pine Valley with her young son Scott in tow. Cindy accepted Angie’s gracious offer to live in her house, and within days of her arrival, became friends with her son’s art teacher, the kindly Stuart Chandler.

Ross Chandler continued to play with fire by carrying on a torrid affair with Palmer’s private nurse, Natalie Hunter. He felt neglected by his wife Ellen, who was devoting her time and energy to helping her ex-husband Mark recover from his addiction. Ross became obsessed with his fair-haired paramour but their affair remained secret–until the January day Jeremy Hunter stumbled upon the lovers in the throes of a passionate kiss. Jeremy agreed to keep silent, but it wasn’t long before others learned of the affair taking place behind closed doors at Cortlandt Manor. In March, Ross’s adopted daughter Julie witnessed her father and Natalie in a clinch and recorded what she saw in her diary. When Adam Chandler found and read her entry, he used it to threaten his nephew. The walls were closing in on Ross. His life grew more complicated when Palmer proposed marriage to Natalie. Feeling she would never possess Ross completely, Natalie accepted Palmer’s offer and became his wife.

Though he still ached for Natalie, Ross tried to resume his marriage to Ellen, but their union unraveled that September when he murmured Natalie’s name in his sleep. Ellen listened in stunned horror, then packed her bags and left him.

His personal life in ruins, an enraged Ross angrily moved through the huge mansion, entered Natalie’s room, and raped her. Hearing Natalie’s screams, Julie fled Cortlandt Manor in tears, boarding a train out of town.

Witnessing the rape was a devastating blow for young Julie Chandler, an innocent girl in love with her teenage sweetheart, Charlie Brent. In 1987, Julie was overjoyed when she came to know her natural mother, Elizabeth Carlyle, who made the surprising confession that Mark Dalton was Julie’s father. Elizabeth harbored another explosive secret. The reason she had given Julie up for adoption was that she had been a prostitute. Earlier on the night of Natalie’s rape, Julie confronted her mother, who was forced to admit this devastating secret.

Still reeling from these disturbing events, Julie fled to New York, where she met Creed Kelly, who claimed to be her friend. In reality, he was a sworn enemy of Julie’s natural mother, Elizabeth, and he was determined to get back at her by seducing Julie. Creed wasn’t alone in his scheme to ingratiate himself with Julie. Assisting him was his nephew, Nico Kelly, a darkly handsome young man who appeared, at least on the surface, to be as cold and ruthless as Uncle Creed. But Julie came to see that beneath his frosty exterior, Nico had a heart of gold.

Back in Pine Valley, Julie’s lonely beau, Charlie, was ripe for seduction at the hands of Cecily Davidson, Phoebe’s feisty god-daughter. As the weeks passed, Julie found herself both attracted and frightened by her protector, Creed. Her suspicions were warranted. When Creed tried to seduce her, Julie screamed and ran into the bathroom, where she found her mother Elizabeth, bound and gagged. Creed’s plan to rape Julie in front of her mother was thwarted by his nephew, Nico, who raced in, overpowered his uncle and stopped him. Creed fled, and Julie apologized to Nico for misjudging him. He was later apprehended and imprisoned for his role in Creed’s scheme, but by that point, he and Julie were very much in love.

In November, all eyes were on the Pine Valley courthouse where Ross Chandler stood trial for the rape of Natalie Hunter Cortlandt. Natalie had a difficult time proving her case because she had no witnesses or corroborating evidence. It was her word against Ross’s. He coolly told the jury that Natalie seduced him on that fateful night. While the jury deliberated, Julie returned and confronted Ross. She forced him to acknowledge that what took place that night was not seduction–it was rape.

As the judge was about to announce the verdict, Ross raced in to the packed courtroom and announced he was guilty of raping Natalie. Ross was sentenced to prison where he underwent intense therapy. There he came to grips with his deeply rooted reasons for taking his anger out on Natalie.

Erica found herself increasingly attracted to suave businessman and aspiring politician Travis Montgomery. But she soon found herself butting heads with Travis’s ex-wife, chic business whiz Barbara Montgomery. While campaigning for the Senate, Travis was shot. It turned out the bullet–which barely grazed him–was actually intended for Erica. The chief suspect became Adam’s vengeful sister-in-law Joanna, who eventually kidnapped Erica. Before Joanna could inflict any harm on her captive, Travis rescued her, and their problems appeared to be over until Joanna claimed she knew nothing about the shooting. Erica hoped Travis would propose to her, but he was too caught up in his many business and political interests. Marriage was the farthest thing from his mind. His attitude changed dramatically when Erica became pregnant with his child. Erica intended to keep the news secret from Travis for fear it would destroy his campaign. But Barbara blurted it out to him, and Travis asked Erica to marry him.

While planning her wedding, Erica met and became intrigued with Travis’s brother, Jackson Montgomery. He was an unscrupulous attorney who helped Travis win the race for Senate but ultimately brought about his brother’s political demise by mismanaging Travis’s campaign funds. Newly elected, Travis chose to resign before the truth came out.

Complicating matters for Erica was the revelation that Noelle Keaton, a young woman suffering from amnesia, was actually her long-lost sister, Silver. While helping Noelle unlock the secret of her past, Jeremy Hunter fell in love with her. Erica joined in the quest, which took them to Cobbler’s Island in Canada, where they encountered Silver’s mother, Goldie Kane. Goldie’s hatred of Erica was ignited when Eric Kane’s will designated her daughter Silver as the sole owner of the island–but only in the event of Erica’s death. Erica was stunned to discover that Goldie had hypnotized Silver to carry out Erica’s murder. By the end, it was Goldie who pulled the trigger, shooting the pregnant Erica in the abdomen. Travis had arrived on the island earlier and married Erica in their own private ceremony. He rushed his wife back to Pine Valley, where emergency surgery was performed to remove the bullet that put the life of her unborn child in danger.

Back on Cobbler’s Island, Goldie Kane’s life appeared to come to an end when, in a struggle with Silver, Goldie fell off a boat and disappeared into the sea. Traumatized by these tragic events, Silver returned to Pine Valley with Jeremy and began treatment at Oak Haven Sanitarium with psychiatrist Dr. Damon Lazarre. Jeremy was wary of Dr. Lazarre, and his suspicions were confirmed when the doctor turned out to be the head of a mysterious cult. The manipulative Dr. Lazarre was discovered to be Silver’s husband and was the force behind Goldie’s plan to kill Erica. The storyline culminated on a bridge where Lazarre, his secret exposed, was about to push Erica and Silver to their deaths. But Jeremy raced heroically to their rescue, and after a struggle, Lazarre fell to his own death.

At year’s end, Angie broke the sorrowful news to Cindy Parker that she had contracted the AIDS virus from her late, drug-using husband, Fred. The news at first shocked her friends, but they remained devoted to her.

Source: All My Children: The Complete Family Scrapbook


1987 Episodes / Clips: