Mitch Laurence

Mitch Laurence
Roscoe Born as Mitch Laurence (1986)
One Life to Live
Portrayed by	Roscoe Born
Duration	1985–1987, 2002–2003, 2009–2010
First appearance	1985
Last appearance	April 6, 2010
Cause/reason	Jailed for various crimes
Created by	Peggy O'Shea
Profile
Aliases	Michael Lazarus (alias used when Mitch returned in 2002) The Messenger (his followers)
Gender	Male
Occupation	Cult leader
Residence	Statesville Prison
Relationships Sibling(s) Walker "Flynn" Laurence (deceased) Miles Laurence Spouse(s) Natalie Buchanan (annulled; 2002) Dorian Lord (annulled; 2003) Romances Roxy Balsom Tina Lord Allison Perkins Mari Lynn Dennison Joy O'Neill Children Jessica Buchanan Schuyler Joplin Grandchildren Megan Buchanan (deceased) Bree Brennan Chloe Brennan (deceased) Ryder Ford

Mitchell "Mitch" Laurence is a fictional character, portrayed by Roscoe Born, on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live, from 1985 to 1987^[1] and again from 2002 to 2003. Born returned from November 9, 2009 to April 6, 2010.^[2]

Arriving in 1985 and soon wreaking havoc in fictional Llanview, villain Mitch's storyline climaxes in 1986 with his apparent murder, during a season in which the series rose from #4 to #3 in the Nielsen ratings.^[3] He reappears alive in 2002 seeking to exact his revenge on long running One Life to Live heroine Viki Lord Buchanan; seemingly killed again in 2003, he is resurrected a second time in 2009.^[2]

Storylines

Enter Mitch

Charismatic Mitch Laurence arrives in Llanview in 1985 and sets his sights on ex-girlfriend Tina Clayton, who has just discovered that she is the daughter of deceased millionaire Victor Lord.^[4] Finding out that Victor's estate will revert to Tina if Victor's other daughter Viki Lord Buchanan has a relapse of her multiple personality disorder, Mitch convinces Tina to assist him in his plan to do just that.^[4] But when Tina realizes that Mitch actually intends to murder Viki's husband Clint Buchanan and frame Viki, she tries to stop him.^[4] Mitch kills Harry O'Neill instead, and Tina is arrested.^[4] Tina is later exonerated and Mitch is sent to prison;^[4] he "finds God" and manages to be freed, soon becoming the leader of a religious cult and preying upon his young female disciples.^[5] He then orchestrates the kidnapping of Clint and Viki Buchanan's newborn daughter Jessica by his follower Allison Perkins (daughter of Statesville Prison's warden).^[6] Jessica is eventually returned, and Mitch is killed on July 18, 1986, by a blow to the back of the head from Dorian Lord as he attempts to rape her daughter, Cassie Callison.^[6]

On April 1, 1987, Mitch is seen again—this time as a voyager on the “Star Ascension,” during Viki’s out-of-body experience as she suffered from a brain aneurysm. During the high stakes dream, which dictates whether she would live or die, Viki is able to ultimately destroy his power over her.

2002 Resurrection

Natalie Balsom arrives in Llanview in 2001, revealing that she is actually the biological daughter of Viki and Clint Buchanan. At first it is believed that when Allison Perkins had kidnapped the Buchanan baby in 1987, another child was returned and grew up to be Jessica. But when a DNA test on Jessica proves that she is also Viki's daughter, the real story comes out. Mitch Laurence had secretly raped a drugged Viki around the same time she conceived a child with Clint. Viki unknowingly became pregnant with fraternal twins, one fathered by Clint (Natalie) and the other fathered by Mitch (Jessica). Dr. Walter Balsom, who had been one of Mitch's disciples, took Mitch's daughter during delivery, and Viki never knew she'd had more than one child. Mitch, however, wanted his daughter to grow up loved by Viki in the lap of luxury, and sent Allison to kidnap Clint's child. They replaced her with Mitch's daughter (who would become Jessica), and gave Clint's daughter (who would become Natalie) to Dr. Balsom and his wife Roxy.

In 2002, Mitch returns from the dead; he had not actually died at Dorian's hands, but Dr. Balsom had helped him make it look that way. As "Michael Lazarus," Mitch woos Natalie into marriage. The union is soon annulled when his true identity is revealed, but in 2003 Mitch marries a newly-returned-to-town Dorian, who wants in on Mitch's true plan: to take control of Victor Lord's estate. A very-much-alive Victor has been living in seclusion but is now in need of a heart transplant; Mitch promises him a perfect match in exchange for his fortune, and Victor agrees. Mitch's own daughter Jessica has the matching organ, but he offers up Natalie instead; Viki's arrival stops the operation, and Victor soon dies in front of his shocked daughter. Later, Jessica accidentally pushes Mitch into the Llantano River. Mitch regains his sight (after an accident had blinded him), and is rescued by Viki's half-brother Todd Manning (who is impersonating Mitch's brother Walker). Mitch kidnaps Jessica; Viki and Antonio rescue her and Mitch is arrested. He is later released from jail by Todd, who leads him to the docks to make an escape. Mitch tries to kill Todd, and Jessica appears and knocks Mitch over the head with a lead pipe, killing him instantly. Not wanting Jessica to take the blame, Todd plants false evidence to point the finger of suspicion at others. The body is discovered by Tina's daughter Sarah Roberts, and though Todd and Jessica each confess to killing Mitch, Police Commissioner Bo Buchanan is inclined to look the other way and abandon the case.

2009 Resurrection

In 2009, Jessica is unnerved by someone making it appear as though her deceased husband Nash Brennan is alive and stalking her. Natalie's husband Jared Banks appears responsible until Mitch reappears to a stunned Jessica, Natalie, and Jared in California on November 9, 2009.^[2] Meanwhile in Michigan, Roxy's son Rex Balsom's long search for the truth reveals that his biological father is Mitch. Mitch shoots Jared to death and is jailed; on December 3, 2009, he pops out of Jared's coffin during the funeral service, having been released after a mix-up with the evidence against him. On December 8, 2009, a distraught Natalie stabs Mitch, who survives. In January 2010, new mayor Dorian Lord gives in to Mitch's threats against her family and effects Mitch's release from jail. He soon kidnaps Jessica as part of his plan to kidnap Rex's soon-to-be-born baby with Stacy Morasco and have Jessica raise the child in captivity. His plan foiled, Mitch is furious when Dorian betrays him, and vows revenge.^[7]

Then shortly, after Dorian's sister, Melinda, turns up dead. It is then later revealed that Schuyler Joplin is Mitch's biological son with Roxy and therefore Rex is not, as the two babies where switched on the night they were born by Allison years before. After this, it is briefly mentioned Mitch is still alive and has been taken to Statesville Prison.

References

1. ^ Waggett, Gerard J. (November 1997). "One Life to Live". The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Harper Paperbacks. pp. 163–188. ISBN 0-06-101157-6. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "One Life to Live recap (11/9/09)". Soaps.com. http://www.soaps.com/onelifetolive/update/id/7594/A_Grave_Discovery/. Retrieved March 1, 2010. 
3. ^ Waggett, Gerard J. (November 1997). "Part VI: Soap Opera Nielsen Ratings". The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. HarperPaperbacks. pp. 637–639. ISBN 006-101157-6. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} "One Life to Live recap (1985, Part 4)". ABC.com (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on December 8, 2004. http://web.archive.org/web/20041208085029/http://abc.go.com/daytime/soaps/onelifetolive/history/yearly/oltl_1985d.html. Retrieved December 8, 2004. 
5. ^ "One Life to Live recap (1986, Part 3)". ABC.com (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080209024111/http://abc.go.com/daytime/soaps/onelifetolive/history/yearly/oltl_1986c.html. Retrieved February 9, 2008. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "One Life to Live recap (1986, Part 4)". ABC.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2004. http://web.archive.org/web/20041208011146/http://abc.go.com/daytime/soaps/onelifetolive/history/yearly/oltl_1986d.html. Retrieved December 8, 2004. 
7. ^ "One Life to Live recap (2/12/10)". Soaps.com. http://www.soaps.com/onelifetolive/update/id/8119/Doomed_In_Paris/. Retrieved March 2, 2010. 

External links

• Mitch Laurence profile - About.com
• Notoriously Remembered: Mitch Laurence
• Mitch Laurence - Soapcentral.com