Roger Howarth's Return to One Life to Live and the Future of Todd Manning

For several months, rumors have been circulating that Roger Howarth, who originated the role of Todd Manning in 1992, would be returning to One Life to Live. Executive Producer Frank Valentini has finally confirmed Howarth's return in a press release. After having been off the show since 2003, he will begin taping new episodes in May.

According to Valentini, both Howarth and Trevor St. John will be involved in this storyline. What will happen to St. John, who took over the role of Todd Manning after Howarth's departure? What does this mean for the show? Having watched One Life to Live for many years, I have a few ideas based on my observations.

Howarth's availability was a key part of the rumors that he would return to One Life to Live. Fans began clamoring for his return as soon the cancellation of As the World Turns was announced; Howarth had portrayed Paul Ryan on that show since 2003. The cancellation meant that he would be available to return to One Life to Live.

For several months, fans of the show have been seeing clues that Howarth's return might be imminent. The question was whether to take them as real clues or red herrings--or were the viewers making something out of nothing?

Wedding Photos
The first big clue I noticed was when Téa was looking at old photos. She supposedly had a brain tumor; we found out later that she was actually being drugged to make it seem that way. In her confused state, she started ranting at Todd and saying that he wasn't really Todd Manning. This was because she had just looked at the photos of Howarth's Todd and didn't remember that her husband-to-be didn't look anything like he did in the past. The "tumor" made her forget that plastic surgery had changed his appearance, but was this a nod to Howarth's fans?

Todd reminded Téa of the incident later, and she maintained that he's not really the same person as the man in the photos. This time around, it had nothing to do with her "illness." Instead, she talked about how much he's changed.

When Blair found a portrait of herself by an artist she'd never met, she naturally became curious about it . She went to Paris to track down the artist. While there, she learned that Tomás, the artist, had painted it from a photo of her first wedding to Todd. He claimed to have gotten the photo at a flea market. If that's true, how did it get there? How did he really get his hands on that photo?

While looking at the old photo, Blair told Tomás that Todd looks completely different now. Later, Tomás told her that maybe she doesn't know Todd as well as she thinks she does. That cryptic statement says a lot.

Over the next few months, we repeatedly saw that same wedding photo. Again, this was Howarth's Todd. Why would they keep showing us a photo of the original Todd if they didn't plan to do something with it? Every time they show that photo, they have to pay the actor a royalty.

The Tomás Connection
Next, we learned that there's a connection between Tomás and Todd. Tomás is actually Téa's brother, and he's very unhappy that his sister is married to Todd. In fact, he seems to know quite a bit about his brother-in-law, and he doesn't like what he knows. Since he'd been away from Llanview for years and supposedly never met him before, what could he possibly know?

Things really heated up last month when someone shot Todd. It was probably Tomás; if he wasn't the actual shooter, he was definitely there when it happened. After John McBain shot the sniper, Tomás suddenly developed pain he didn't want to admit to having. Another clue is that a euro was recovered at the crime scene; Tomás recently arrived from Europe. Although Blair argued that a lot of people visit Llanview from Europe, it's a bit of a coincidence. Does she really think Llanview is such a happening place?

Besides being a marksman, Tomás is also skilled in martial arts. He managed to fend off Shaun the bodyguard with remarkable ease. Is Tomás a good guy or a bad guy? Is he with law enforcement at some level, and is that why he has been away all this time? Has he been in contact with the real Todd?

Family Ties
From the beginning, St. John's Todd has always seemed sincere about his feelings for his family. When he told Starr who he was, he truly seemed to believe it. Villain Carlo Hesser is known to have been involved in brainwashing in the past. As convincing as Todd has been, it's quite possible that's what happened to him--but if so, is the brainwashing starting to wear off?

In January, Todd ordered Starr's boyfriend, James, not to call him Mr. Manning. What was that about? He tried to explain it away, but it it didn't ring true. What else would he want the young man to call him? It would seem much too familiar to have James call him by his first name. This seems like a step in the breakdown of his fake persona.

Both Todds will remain on the show, at least for a while, but only one is the real Todd. St. John's Todd has developed many relationships, and if he really was brainwashed, there shouldn't be any reason to sever the ties--unless his fake persona crumbles and he's an even more dangerous man than anyone realizes.

Conclusion
St. John's Todd could very well be an imposter, whether he realizes it or not. This storyline could mimic what Days of Our Lives did with the two Romans. When Drake Hogestyn joined the show as John Black in 1986, he was eventually revealed to be Roman Brady, who had been subjected to brainwashing and plastic surgery. Years later, the truth finally came out; he was really Forrest Alamain, and the real Roman was alive and being held prisoner.

It's also possible that Howarth's return won't be anything like the fans expect. One Life to Live writers have the chance to make a great story out of this. Let's hope the viewers are happy with the way it plays out!

Sources:
Emmy-Winner Roger Howarth Returns to ABC Daytime's "One Life to Live," TV by the Numbers
OLTL Transcript 8/2/10, TV MegaSite
OLTL Transcript 1/25/11, TV MegaSite
OLTL Daily Recap 1/24/11, Soap Central