ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Melissa Archer (Natalie) has only good things to say about the show these days. "Not for nothin', but Dena's got some cool story that she's putting together," Archer confides about head writer Dena Higley. "She's got some very interesting little dramas...but what I love about them is that it really integrates the characters."

She cites her own character's recent tenure in a Llantano Mountain pit courtesy of the Killing Club Killer, Hayes Barber, as an example. "It brings out the individuals that are dealing with the drama. It ties into story and makes you feel for people — which is so awesome because that's what we love: To watch and go, 'Oh, my God! Are they going to find her?'"

"You get to really see these characters," she explains. "Sometimes the traumas can bring you closer or can separate you depending on your situation — like when Natalie and Evangeline (Renee Elise Goldsberry) got kidnapped together. Even though they didn't become best friends, they did form something of a bond."

And if trauma brings rivals close, it brings family even closer — like Nat's outrageous adoptive mother, Roxy (Ilene Kristen). "We're seeing Roxy really worried," Archer reminds. "It has also explored more with Rex (John-Paul Lavoisier). Natalie and Rex have a great relationship as brother and sister, but especially after what happened with Jen being killed, you see even more of a vulnerable side of Rex," she observes. "He's got such a great two-way character, where he can be the bad boy but, man, he's got a heart of gold."

Like so many ONE LIFE fans, Archer is on the edge of her seat. "You're glued to find out what's going to happen. I'm just loving it — as a viewer and a player."