Digest takes a look back at the beloved NBC serial, which debuted on July 30, 1984 and aired its final episode 30 years ago this week, on January 15, 1993.
Remembering Santa Barbara
1
of
10
1 of 10
1984: Joe Perkins is released from prison after doing time for the murder of Channing Capwell, Jr. He sets out to find the real killer and win back Kelly Capwell, who is now engaged to Peter Flint. C.C. Capwell’s ex-wife, Sophia — mother of Kelly, Eden, Ted and Channing — who is presumed to have drowned in a yacht accident while in the company of her lover, Lionel Lockridge, slips back into town in the guise of Dominic. Meanwhile, Santana Andrade, who birthed Channing’s son, Brandon, asks Mason (C.C.’s son by Pamela) to help her get Brandon back, as she was forced to give him up for adoption to Gina DeMott. Ted takes up with Laken Lockridge, vexing Laken’s mother, notorious Capwell family rival Augusta, while Laken’s brother, Warren, pursues Jade, then Summer.
Photo credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
2 of 10
1985: Sophia reveals herself to her kin and remembers the truth about the night Channing died: She accidentally killed him! It is also revealed that Lionel, not C.C., sired Channing. Augusta’s sister, attorney Julia, arrives. Mason falls in love with nun Mary. Kelly and Joe wed, but he is murdered by Peter Flint, a.k.a. The Carnation Killer, whose victims include Summer. Christy accuses Ted of rape but her true assailant, her stepbrother, Steve, is exposed. C.C. marries Gina, who plots to gain his riches. Cruz and Eden fall madly in love, but she takes up with Kirk when Cruz believes her guilty of pulling the plug on a comatose C.C.’s life support. C.C. lives.
Photo credit: NBC
3 of 10
1986: C.C. divorces Gina; Lionel and Augusta also dissolve their marriage. Cruz marries Santana to help her gain custody of Brandon, while Gina schemes to prove that Santana is an unfit mother. Kirk proves to be a villain and tosses Eden into a shark tank, but is arrested before he succeeds in killing Eden. Mary leaves the convent and marries Mark, despite her love for Mason, who is devastated when she is crushed to death by the falling letter “C” atop the Capwell hotel. Ted couples up with Hayley and marries her so as not to be forced to testify against her when she is accused of killing Amy Perkins. Gina reunites with her long-lost daughter, Lily.
4 of 10
1987: C.C. and Sophia remarry. Mason signs a legal contract to sire a child with Julia, who gives birth to a daughter, Samantha. Much to their surprise, they fall in love. Tori gives birth to Cruz’s son, Chip. Eden is presumed dead in a helicopter crash and is discovered by mentally unstable Cain, who holds her hostage, but ultimately, she reunites with Cruz. Kelly and Jeffrey Conrad fall in love and marry. Mason’s mother, the thought-to-be-dead Pamela, resurfaces. Lionel’s new wife, Caroline, dies. C.C.’s secret daughter with Pamela, villainous Elena, dies and Cruz is accused of her murder, but eventually, it is revealed that she committed suicide. Ted and Hayley split.
5 of 10
1988: Mason is accused of Mark’s murder, but he is ultimately exonerated. Cruz and Eden finally wed. Tori struggles with cocaine addiction and confesses to Cruz that he is Chip’s father; Cruz and Eden adopt him. Gina and Keith marry, but a scandal at the DA’s office forces him to leave town. He and Gina divorce, as do C.C. and Sophia. Sophia is seduced by gigolo T.J. Pamela poisons Kelly; Kelly divorces Jeffrey, who unsuccessfully conspires with T.J. to kill her. Presumed dead after an explosion, Mason sprouts an alternate personality, Sonny Sprocket, who teams up with Gina to bilk C.C. Eden is raped and learns she is pregnant.
6 of 10
1989: Eden gives birth to Adriana, who proves to be Cruz’s biological daughter, but the newborn is kidnapped. Eden’s rapist is exposed: It’s Zack Kelton, her ob/gyn. In Paris, they are reunited with Adriana, who had been unwittingly adopted by Hollis (the wife of Cruz’s brother, Ric), who dies; Ric relocates to Santa Barbara and dates Kelly. As Sonny, Mason weds Gina, but he regains his identity. Father Michael leaves the priesthood after a one-night stand with Julia. After Mason gets his drinking under control, he and Julia wed. C.C. meets his long-lost son, Greg, by ex-fling Megan. Zack’s look-alike, Ethan, becomes the new district attorney. Scott welcomes a son, Michael, with fellow doctor Heather, but is drawn to ex-flame Celeste. Eden’s former flame, Robert Barr, attempts a takeover of Capwell Enterprises. Eden is drawn to Robert.
7 of 10
1990: Augusta, the newly revealed widow of mob boss Tonell, works to re-establish the Lockridge presence in Santa Barbara. Eden recommits to Cruz; Robert moves on with Kelly. Robert’s life is taken over by his devious twin, Quinn, with help from Quinn’s lover, Flame. Quinn marries Kelly while posing as Robert. Robert is killed by Flame, but everyone thinks the victim is Quinn. Gina gets involved with Ethan, infuriating his wife, Laura, who accidentally kills Sasha, Mason’s mistress. Gina and Lionel’s counterfeit art scam results in Augusta’s kidnapping; Lionel sells the Lockridge mansion to C.C. to pay her ransom. Julia and Mason divorce. After Julia sleeps with Dash, he rapes her. Sophia and C.C. say, “I do” for the third time. Keith returns and pursues Gina.
Photo credit: Jon McKee
8 of 10
1991: Lockridge matriarch Minx returns and discovers her long-lost daughter, Cassandra. Warren returns and learns that he is not Lionel’s biological son. Mason almost marries Cassandra, but Warren interrupts the wedding. Warren then couples up with Angela, who is nearly offed by shady Craig. Keith leaves town again. Kelly discovers that “Robert” is really Quinn, but helps him escape the cops and go on the run. Eden develops a multiple personality disorder (one of those personalities being that of her late brother Channing; as Channing, she shoots Sophia) and ultimately goes missing. C.C. and Sophia divorce again. Gina swipes a sperm sample from C.C. and gives birth to Channing Capwell III, while C.C. romances Santana.
9 of 10
1992: At his high school reunion, Cruz reconnects with his old pals Reese and Jodie, who are now married with two teens, B.J. and Sawyer. Jodie confesses that B.J. is actually Cruz’s bio daughter, devastating Reese. B.J., a survivor of sexual assault at the hands of family “friend” Frank Goodman, grows close to Warren. Cruz leaves town after a fling with Kelly. Mason and Julia remarry. Lionel weds Gina and adopts baby Channing. Sophia marries Ken, who turns out to be a murderer. Ted and Lily tie the knot.
Photo credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
10 of 10
1993: B.J. and Warren wed. Sophia and C.C. reconcile, as do Reese and Jodie. Julia and Mason agree to adopt Gracie’s newborn son — and Julia learns she is pregnant.
Photo credit: New World Television
1984: Joe Perkins is released from prison after doing time for the murder of Channing Capwell, Jr. He sets out to find the real killer and win back Kelly Capwell, who is now engaged to Peter Flint. C.C. Capwell’s ex-wife, Sophia — mother of Kelly, Eden, Ted and Channing — who is presumed to have drowned in a yacht accident while in the company of her lover, Lionel Lockridge, slips back into town in the guise of Dominic. Meanwhile, Santana Andrade, who birthed Channing’s son, Brandon, asks Mason (C.C.’s son by Pamela) to help her get Brandon back, as she was forced to give him up for adoption to Gina DeMott. Ted takes up with Laken Lockridge, vexing Laken’s mother, notorious Capwell family rival Augusta, while Laken’s brother, Warren, pursues Jade, then Summer.
Photo credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
1985: Sophia reveals herself to her kin and remembers the truth about the night Channing died: She accidentally killed him! It is also revealed that Lionel, not C.C., sired Channing. Augusta’s sister, attorney Julia, arrives. Mason falls in love with nun Mary. Kelly and Joe wed, but he is murdered by Peter Flint, a.k.a. The Carnation Killer, whose victims include Summer. Christy accuses Ted of rape but her true assailant, her stepbrother, Steve, is exposed. C.C. marries Gina, who plots to gain his riches. Cruz and Eden fall madly in love, but she takes up with Kirk when Cruz believes her guilty of pulling the plug on a comatose C.C.’s life support. C.C. lives.
Photo credit: NBC
1986: C.C. divorces Gina; Lionel and Augusta also dissolve their marriage. Cruz marries Santana to help her gain custody of Brandon, while Gina schemes to prove that Santana is an unfit mother. Kirk proves to be a villain and tosses Eden into a shark tank, but is arrested before he succeeds in killing Eden. Mary leaves the convent and marries Mark, despite her love for Mason, who is devastated when she is crushed to death by the falling letter “C” atop the Capwell hotel. Ted couples up with Hayley and marries her so as not to be forced to testify against her when she is accused of killing Amy Perkins. Gina reunites with her long-lost daughter, Lily.
1987: C.C. and Sophia remarry. Mason signs a legal contract to sire a child with Julia, who gives birth to a daughter, Samantha. Much to their surprise, they fall in love. Tori gives birth to Cruz’s son, Chip. Eden is presumed dead in a helicopter crash and is discovered by mentally unstable Cain, who holds her hostage, but ultimately, she reunites with Cruz. Kelly and Jeffrey Conrad fall in love and marry. Mason’s mother, the thought-to-be-dead Pamela, resurfaces. Lionel’s new wife, Caroline, dies. C.C.’s secret daughter with Pamela, villainous Elena, dies and Cruz is accused of her murder, but eventually, it is revealed that she committed suicide. Ted and Hayley split.
1988: Mason is accused of Mark’s murder, but he is ultimately exonerated. Cruz and Eden finally wed. Tori struggles with cocaine addiction and confesses to Cruz that he is Chip’s father; Cruz and Eden adopt him. Gina and Keith marry, but a scandal at the DA’s office forces him to leave town. He and Gina divorce, as do C.C. and Sophia. Sophia is seduced by gigolo T.J. Pamela poisons Kelly; Kelly divorces Jeffrey, who unsuccessfully conspires with T.J. to kill her. Presumed dead after an explosion, Mason sprouts an alternate personality, Sonny Sprocket, who teams up with Gina to bilk C.C. Eden is raped and learns she is pregnant.
1989: Eden gives birth to Adriana, who proves to be Cruz’s biological daughter, but the newborn is kidnapped. Eden’s rapist is exposed: It’s Zack Kelton, her ob/gyn. In Paris, they are reunited with Adriana, who had been unwittingly adopted by Hollis (the wife of Cruz’s brother, Ric), who dies; Ric relocates to Santa Barbara and dates Kelly. As Sonny, Mason weds Gina, but he regains his identity. Father Michael leaves the priesthood after a one-night stand with Julia. After Mason gets his drinking under control, he and Julia wed. C.C. meets his long-lost son, Greg, by ex-fling Megan. Zack’s look-alike, Ethan, becomes the new district attorney. Scott welcomes a son, Michael, with fellow doctor Heather, but is drawn to ex-flame Celeste. Eden’s former flame, Robert Barr, attempts a takeover of Capwell Enterprises. Eden is drawn to Robert.
1990: Augusta, the newly revealed widow of mob boss Tonell, works to re-establish the Lockridge presence in Santa Barbara. Eden recommits to Cruz; Robert moves on with Kelly. Robert’s life is taken over by his devious twin, Quinn, with help from Quinn’s lover, Flame. Quinn marries Kelly while posing as Robert. Robert is killed by Flame, but everyone thinks the victim is Quinn. Gina gets involved with Ethan, infuriating his wife, Laura, who accidentally kills Sasha, Mason’s mistress. Gina and Lionel’s counterfeit art scam results in Augusta’s kidnapping; Lionel sells the Lockridge mansion to C.C. to pay her ransom. Julia and Mason divorce. After Julia sleeps with Dash, he rapes her. Sophia and C.C. say, “I do” for the third time. Keith returns and pursues Gina.
Photo credit: Jon McKee
1991: Lockridge matriarch Minx returns and discovers her long-lost daughter, Cassandra. Warren returns and learns that he is not Lionel’s biological son. Mason almost marries Cassandra, but Warren interrupts the wedding. Warren then couples up with Angela, who is nearly offed by shady Craig. Keith leaves town again. Kelly discovers that “Robert” is really Quinn, but helps him escape the cops and go on the run. Eden develops a multiple personality disorder (one of those personalities being that of her late brother Channing; as Channing, she shoots Sophia) and ultimately goes missing. C.C. and Sophia divorce again. Gina swipes a sperm sample from C.C. and gives birth to Channing Capwell III, while C.C. romances Santana.
1992: At his high school reunion, Cruz reconnects with his old pals Reese and Jodie, who are now married with two teens, B.J. and Sawyer. Jodie confesses that B.J. is actually Cruz’s bio daughter, devastating Reese. B.J., a survivor of sexual assault at the hands of family “friend” Frank Goodman, grows close to Warren. Cruz leaves town after a fling with Kelly. Mason and Julia remarry. Lionel weds Gina and adopts baby Channing. Sophia marries Ken, who turns out to be a murderer. Ted and Lily tie the knot.
Photo credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
1993: B.J. and Warren wed. Sophia and C.C. reconcile, as do Reese and Jodie. Julia and Mason agree to adopt Gracie’s newborn son — and Julia learns she is pregnant.
Photo credit: New World Television
Filed Under: Santa Barbara
