Markko Rivera

Geraldo "Markko" Rivera^[1] is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live. He has been portrayed by Jason Tam since May 21, 2007.^[2] Tam last aired as Markko on November 10, 2010 when he left town to continue studying at UCLA. He returned on April 11 & 12, 2011 to coincide with Langston's exit and on July 28 & 29, 2011 for his Vicker Man film premiere. He made an appearance during the final episode of the show on January 13, 2012.

Storylines

Markko appears in the gym of Llanview High School during tryouts for the school musical. Immediately annoyed by Markko, Langston Wilde challenges him to tryout, to which he does, and gets a part. During the prom, English teacher Marcie McBain gets ahead of herself, and announces Markko and Langston as king and queen of the dance. After prom night, Markko and Langston begin dating one another.

A few months into their relationship, Markko becomes concerned about the constant absence of Langston's parents. Sensing that something isn't right, Dorian Lord hires private investigator Rex Balsom to dig up information on Langston. Dorian learns that Langston has been orphaned, and living on her own for over a year. Langston can't believe that Dorian (great-aunt of Langston's best friend, Starr Manning) would pry into private information regarding her life. During a conversation at school, Langston talks with Starr about her parents' death, and they are overheard by fellow student Britney Jennings. Britney contacts Social Services, and Langston is horrified whenever she is placed in foster care. Starr's mother, Blair Cramer, is all set to become Langston's foster mother whenever she is called out of town. In turn, Dorian chooses to become Langston's guardian. After things are official, Langston moves into Dorian's home, and happily continues her relationship with Markko.

After Starr becomes pregnant with Markko's best friend Cole's baby, she decides to have an abortion before Cole and her family learns about her pregnancy. At the last moment, Langston gives Cole the address to where Starr is. After convincing her to take the time to make the right decision, Cole and Starr return to Llanview. Cole soon makes plans to run away with Starr, and with Markko's help, they run off to Virginia Beach. Dorian finds Langston hiding a pregnancy book, and suspects that she is pregnant. Markko confirms Dorian's claims, but the truth about Starr soon comes out, leaving Markko off the hook.

Markko and Langston have happiness, and over the next several months, they continuously help Cole and Starr through their various issues. Eventually, problems crop up for the two when Ray Montez, Langston's biological uncle, arrives in town. Ray was hired by Clint Buchanan to take Langston from Dorian, in a ploy to get Dorian to sign Clint's company Buchanan Enterprises back over to him. Ray gets custody of Langston and prepares to leave the country with her, but suddenly, his wife Vanessa Montez arrives and shoots him. He is taken back to prison, allowing Markko and Langston to stay together.

Lola Montez, Ray's daughter, also arrives in Llanview with stepmother Vanessa. She tries to develop a bond with Langston, but unknown to both Markko and Langston, Lola secretly pines for Markko, and during a dance at Llanview High, Lola and Markko ends up kissing! Markko eventually tells Langston, and the two see Lola's true colors, resulting in them shunning her. Lola then vows revenge.

Markko and Langston decided to finally have sex on Prom Night, but because of what happened with Starr and Cole, the couple carefully planned it for weeks. Markko also ran into problems when a friend of his mother worked at the pharmacy, and he ran into her while trying to buy condoms, but luckily got Cole to buy them for him. Lola tried several times to stop Markko and Langston, even poking holes in the condoms that Dorian gave Langston, but thanks to Markko and Cole getting condoms at the pharmacy, they succeeded in their plans to have sex.

Markko's parents, Aurelia and Ernesto Rivera, are introduced on June 12, 2009.^[3] That same day, Markko graduated from Llanview High the valedictorian and secretly has plans to attend medical school.

Ray decides to return to Columbia and take Lola with him, which upsets Dorian so much that she gets drunk at Markko and Langston's graduation, and in her inebriated state, reveals to Markko's parents that Markko and Langston had sex on prom night; she also fires bodyguard Shawn Evans, and takes back her estate, La Boulaie, which she had previously signed over to Moe and Noelle Stubbs, and evicts them. As a result, Ernesto, who has an extensive knowledge of Dorian's history over the years, believes that she is a bad influence on Markko and forbids him from seeing Langston. After refusing to stop see Langston, Ernesto disowned him on July 22, 2009 at Viki's home in front of Langston. Ernesto drops off Markko's stuff - including his baby stuff. Langston promises to be there for him.

In 2010, Markko, Cole, Starr and Langston move into an apartment together. Then Markko and Langston's relationship is tested when Robert Ford, a sexy new Teacher's Assistant at Llanview University, begins attempting to seduce Langston. Though she initially rebuffs his advances, she soon succumbs to their attraction and the two embark upon an affair. Through a series of clues Markko finally learns of their affair and finds Langston and Ford in an embrace after her senior prom. Markko then leaves Langston.

Markko is now on his way to UCLA for a scholarship. He is leaving with a girl named Karen who had an affair with Robert Ford at the same time Robert Ford was having an affair with Langhston Wilde, Markko's former girlfriend. Karen went to California with Markko because she was tired of being the Pizza girl and wanted a different life. The two left sometime in July 2010.

Markko returns to Llanview in September 2010, he runs into Langston and, informs her that he is only in town because his father is having surgery. He also reveals that he and, Karen have begun seeing each other. Two months later, Markko left Llanview again when he decides to continue studying at UCLA for film school.

Markko returned on April 11 and 12, 2011, to invite Langston to move back to Los Angeles with him to assist him with the new David Vickers Movie. At the end, they are shown looking through an old scrapbook before leaving for Los Angeles. It is implied that Markko and Langston may have rekindled their romance upon leaving Llanview.

Markko briefly returned to Llanview on July 28, 2011 to attend the movie premiere of Vicker Man. He served as director and it stars David Vickers in the title role as himself. It is revealed that he and Langston are indeed back together and they are very successful with their careers.

References