Matthew Buchanan

Matthew Buchanan
Eddie Alderson as Matthew Buchanan
One Life to Live
Portrayed by	Eddie Alderson (and infant child actors)
Duration	1999–present
First appearance	February 22, 1999
Created by	Jill Farren Phelps
Profile
Nickname(s)	Matt
Aliases	Matthew Hanen Rappaport[1] (birth name)
Gender	Male
Occupation	Student (Senior) at Llanview High School
Residence	Currently a Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia Buchanan Apartment #38 459 Wakashin Street, Llanview, PA 19100
Relationships Parents Nora Hanen Bo Buchanan [2] Sibling(s) David Vickers Rachel Gannon Drew Buchanan (deceased) [2] Romances Danielle Manning (2010) Destiny Evans (2011-Present) Children Unnamed child (sex unknown, with Destiny; currently expecting) Grandparents Asa Buchanan (deceased) Olympia Buchanan (deceased) Renée Divine Buchanan (step-grandmother) Lenny Hanen Selma Hanen Aunts and uncles Clint Buchanan Ben Davidson (deceased) Susannah Hanen First cousins Cord Roberts Kevin Buchanan (adoptive) Joey Buchanan (adoptive) Jessica Buchanan (adoptive) Natalie Buchanan Rex Balsom

Matthew Buchanan (born Matthew Hanen Rappaport^[1]) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.

Casting

The role was portrayed by child actors Steven and Nicholas Towler from 1999 to June 2000 and Ian Chandler Sheaffer from July 2000 to May 2001.^[1] Best known in the part is Eddie Alderson, who assumed the role on May 10, 2001 and was put on contract with the series in December 2008.^[3][4] Alderson's real-life older sister Kristen^[3] has portrayed Starr Manning on the series since March 1998.^[5][6]

Storylines

In September 1998, Bo is devastated when his son Drew, a police officer, is killed in the line of duty.^[7] Bo's wife Nora hopes to conceive a child to give Bo a reason to live; out of desperation she turns to former flame Sam Rappaport. The pregnancy pulls Bo back onto his feet, but he and Nora later divorce when Bo learns that Nora's son had been fathered by Sam. Sam dies in 2003, leaving a letter behind stating that Bo is actually Matthew's biological father.^[1][8]

In May 2005, Matthew suffers the death of his former "sister" Jennifer, Sam's daughter. It is revealed that Jennifer had been murdered by Matthew's stepfather (Nora's husband) Daniel Colson in his effort to cover up the murder of Paul Cramer, who had been blackmailing Daniel. Matthew changes his name to Buchanan on June 17, 2005 as a Father's Day gift to Bo.^[1] Matthew has shared a long friendship with Starr Manning, who often manages to get him tangled up in her schemes.

In 2008, high school freshman Matthew has trouble fitting in, but is helped by his mother's ward, upperclassman Cole Thornhart. Matthew befriends a feisty and intelligent girl named Destiny Evans, who cannot understand his need to be liked by the popular crowd. Early in 2009, Matthew tries impress a girl named Becca by "admitting" to his parents that he proudly smokes marijuana (which he does not). Matthew narrowly escapes being sent off to military school, and thinks everything is coming together when Becca dances with him at a school dance. When Becca and her cohort Justin humiliate Matthew publicly by attributing the dance to a dare, an upset Matthew runs out and urges Cole, whom he knows is high on drugs, to drive him away. They crash, and Matthew is permanently paralyzed from the waist down. He is devastated by the news, but does not blame Cole. A young doctor named Greg Evans (coincidentally Destiny's brother) later promises that he can help Matthew walk again by performing a tricky surgery.

Afraid of the risks, Bo and Nora refuse. A furious Matthew hires ruthless lawyer Téa Delgado to sue his parents for the right to make his own decision about the surgery. Bo and Nora bond on the eve of Nora's marriage to Bo's brother Clint Buchanan, and Matthew and Destiny see them kiss. Immediately prior to the wedding, Matthew threatens to tell Clint if his parents do not yield and allow him to have the surgery. They refuse, but Matthew ultimately does not reveal the truth to Clint to spare his feelings. In court, Téa also attempts to coerce Bo and Nora using the secret of their kiss, despite Matthew's forbidding her to do so. When Téa viciously cross-examines Matthew's half-sister Rachel Gannon on the stand, Matthew fires her. Matthew wins the case and decides to proceed with the surgery. To prevent him from going through with it, Bo and Nora steal Matthew away to a London boarding school, where he meets Danielle Rayburn, Téa's daughter by Todd Manning. With Destiny's help, the teens escape and flee back to the United States, and Matthew has the surgery. He regains his ability to walk, and Destiny confesses that she is in love with him, but Matthew soon shares a kiss with Dani. He enters into a relationship with Danielle. However, as the two go out for the school musical they are introduced to a new transfer student named Nate Salinger. Danielle and Nate then share a mutual attraction followed by a series of kisses. Torn between Matthew and Nate, Danielle breaks up with Matthew following his parent's wedding. Heart broken, Matthew almost sleeps with a prostitute hired by David, but later reveals to Destiny that he paid the hooker, Fawn, not to sleep with him. Angry at Nate, Matthew harasses him at the country club, where Matthew is a member but Nate an employee, and at basketball tryouts.

When the thug Bull is looking for the $50,000 which James Ford had stolen from his father, and which was discovered by Nate, Matthew points Bull towards Nate, resulting in him being kidnapped, and ransomed by Dani and her dad Todd Manning. Matthew is further angered when his father Bo gives Nate's mother Inez Salinger a job as his assistant.

Matthew goes to work for his Uncle Clint at Buchanan Enterprises, thinking that his uncle is a great man, and wanting to be like him. While there, he catches Rex Balsom breaking into Clint's office, and turns him over to security, allowing Clint to blackmail Rex into keeping quiet about Clint's abduction of David, and later to blackmail Echo DiSavoy into keeping quiet about Rex being Clint's son. When Clint hatches a plan to get Inez to seduce Bo, and has Eddie Ford kidnap Nora, Clint hints to Matthew that both of his parents are having affairs. This leads Matthew to Inez' apartment, where he witnesses her kissing a drugged Bo. Leaving there in tears, he's driving away and trying to call Clint when he nearly collides with a car containing Rex and Nora, after Rex had just rescued Nora from Eddie's room at the Minuteman Hotel. Matthew and Destiny share their first kiss, both feeling that their families had betrayed them.

Matthew is enraged at his father until Inez finally admits that she had drugged Bo to make him think that they had sex, but did not.

Rex uncovers evidence that Clint had been at the Minuteman Hotel, and when Bo and Nora charge him, Clint reveals to Bo and Nora that he was covering up for Matthew, and has a tape recording where Matthew confesses, and he gives that tape to his parents. Clint went to the Minuteman to cover up all the evidence, including planting the murder weapon at Inez' apartment. Bo and Nora drop the charges against Clint, but keep quiet about Matthew, leading many to wonder why the charges were dropped.

A reporter pressures Destiny for information about the Buchanans and the Eddie Ford murder, and from information Destiny lets slip reaches the conclusion that Matthew did it. Matthew reveals to Destiny that he had killed Eddie Ford after the near-miss accident, Destiny comforts Matthew by tell him he is not to blame, the two kiss which ends with Matthew leading her in to his bedroom where they make love. A few days after they had made love, Matthew stops Destiny in Angels Square. Why has she been avoiding him since they were last together? Destiny tries to walk away and runs straight into Marty. As Matthew asks about the baby that Marty's holding, Destiny picks up the gun that's fallen from Marty's purse. Marty grabs the gun and aims it at the kids. Matthew steps in front of Destiny. When Brody calls out Marty's name, Marty takes off. Brody appears, full of blood, and manages to call 911. John runs into Brody, Destiny and Matthew in the hallway of the hospital.

They explain how Marty was out of her mind. She took off with Brody's gun and Liam. John suggests they keep the news about Liam from Natalie for now and says to Brody, "Whatever you decide I'll back you up." Alone, Destiny rants at Matthew for stepping in front of the gun. He was only trying to protect her. He asks about her avoidance and reminds her they had sex. "You did what?" Shaun asks from behind them. Destiny claims Matthew and his girlfriend had sex, which deters Shaun, who leaves. Matthew makes it clear how much their time together meant to him.

Nate overhears Destiny admit to Danielle that it was really Matthew had killed Eddie, and is enraged, not that his father Eddie is dead, but that Matthew had kept quiet while first Nate and then Inez were charged with the murder. Nate goes to Bo's and punches Matthew, causing Matthew to fall and hit his head. Nate tells Matthew to confess, or he'll turn him in. Clint, to keep the reporter from naming Matthew as a suspect, confesses to the crime himself, thinking that he won't serve any time due to his heart giving out on him. Destiny gives Matthew the news that Clint had confessed, and gives him a pain reliever for his headache and leaves again. Later, Matthew tells his parents that he had to confess, because someone else knows he killed Eddie. Before he can reveal who that person is, he grabs his head in pain and collapses. Bo tries to revive his son as Nora calls 9-1-1. Bo decides they can't wait for EMTs; he picks Matthew up and races out. At the hospital, the doctors discover a bump on Matthew's head and arrange for a CT scan.

Nora and Bo are relieved when Matthew wakes up, but they grow concerned when Matthew thinks it's 2009 -- when he got into a car crash with Cole. The doctor tells Nora and Bo that Matthew has a subdural hematoma and he needs surgery immediately. Bo and Nora say good-bye to Matthew as doctors prep him for surgery. Post surgical swelling leads to Matthew showing no brain activity. A subsequent blood flow test shows more activity than the doctor expected. On June 15, 2011 when all hope is lost for Matthew he opens his eyes. He is still unaware of the possibility that Destiny could be pregnant. Bo and Nora send him to a facility in nearby Philadelphia that will help him. On July 7, 2011, Destiny finally takes a pregnancy test which confirms that she is pregnant with Matthew's baby. An incoherent Matthew is the only person she tells.

Notes and references

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Matthew Buchanan profile - SoapCentral.com Retrieved on December 24, 2008.
2. ^ ^{a b} Sam Rappaport was thought to be Matthew's biological father from Matthew's birth in 1999 until Sam's death in 2003, during which time Sam's children Will and Jennifer Rappaport were his siblings.
3. ^ ^{a b} "One Life to Live: Eddie Alderson Lands Contract!". Soaps.com. December 23, 2008. http://www.soaps.com/onelifetolive/news/3161/One_Life_to_Live_Eddie_Alderson_Lands_Contract. Retrieved December 24, 2008. 
4. ^ "Comings and Goings: Eddie Alderson (Matthew Buchanan)". Soap Opera Digest. January 6, 2009 (Vol. 34, No. 01). p. 19. ISBN 0809253852. 
5. ^ Kristen Alderson profile - Soaps.com Retrieved on December 24, 2008.
6. ^ Starr Manning profile - SoapCentral.com Retrieved on December 24, 2008.
7. ^ "October Demises". Soap Opera Digest. October 25, 2008 (Vol. 33, No. 44). pp. 70–71. 
8. ^ Matthew Buchanan profile - Soaps.com Retrieved on January 24, 2009.