The Return of Joe Novak
Daytime TV Magazine, 1983
Article Provided By SabrinaSiobhan thought she was over Joe Novak—until she saw him again and realized her love was a strong as ever.
Joe’s letter had been perfectly clear. It was over between them and Siobhan was to forget him and go on with her life. The letter had come as a terrible shock to her, but with the help and love of Bill Hyde, the handsome police officer she had come to care for very much, she was on the road to recovery. In fact, she had even moved in with Bill. He knew she still loved Joe in her heart, but he was willing to be patient; he could wait it out because he knew eventually it would be him, Bill Hyde, that she’d love.
Then, one evening, Siobhan and Bill were on special duty. They were assigned to protect a congressman at a fancy party in a posh club. The evening proved uneventful until the end of the party when she and Bill were leaving. As they were leaving the club, they passed a man about to enter—it was Joe Novak! He didn’t see her and she was too shocked to approach him and just stood there trembling, instead. “What’s wrong, babe?” Bill asked sweetly, as he took her arm. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” As they headed towards home, she told him the truth, that she had seen Joe. “Stay away from him, Siobhan. He told you to forget about him and that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ll just get hurt.” “I’m sorry, Bill,” she told him sadly, “but it’ll never be over until I face him and find out why he ended our marriage.”
By threatening the head waiter at the club, she managed to pry Joe’s address from him. He was living in the penthouse of Max DuBujak, a multi-millionaire businessman reputed to be high up in the syndicate. She arrived at the penthouse and insisted on seeing Joe Novak. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Novak is out,” the butler informed Siobhan. “I’ll come back later,” she said and, as she turned to leave, the butler said, “would you care to speak to Mrs. Novak?” Stunned, Siobhan mumbled something and ran out of the penthouse, near tears. “My God, he’s married to someone else,” she said to herself. “That’s why he told me to forget about him!”
Although Bill begged her again to stay away from Joe, she was obsessed with seeing him. She returned to the penthouse again that evening, this time finding him in. The butler told Joe that a young woman was there to see him. Entering the room where Siobhan was waiting, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who it was. “Hello, Joe. What a surprise to see you here,” she said, trying to remain cool.
The two stared at each other, their eyes searching, filled with emotion. Finally, Siobhan said, “this was a mistake. I never should have come here. I have to go.” Before Joe could protest, she ran from the penthouse. But later, he called her at the station and begged her to meet him in a restaurant. “I have to see you, Siobhan. I have to explain what happened. Please,” he begged her, “you owe us this much.” Reluctantly she agreed to meet him.
When she saw him again she realized how much he had hurt her and how much she still loved him. “Why couldn’t you just stay away and let me be?” she cried. “Why did you have to come back to torture me? You told me to forget you, is it because you’re married?” He then proceeded to explain what had happened when he left the country after he had killed the mob hitman and saved Siobhan’s life.
He had gone to the mob Godfather, Bruhn, to explain why he had killed a member of the family. “It was to save my wife’s life,” he had told Bruhn. He asked to be let out of the crime syndicate and also asked for protection. Bruhn agreed—but only if Joe married Jacqueline DuBujak. Bruhn’s grandson was supposed to marry Jacqueline, but Bruhn didn’t want the union to take place. Joe was to make the young woman fall in love with him and then marry her.
“No!” Joe said, refusing adamantly. “I love Siobhan and want to spend my life with her.”
“Then you will never leave this island alive—and officer Siobhan Novak will disappear without a trace. Do you understand what I am telling you?” Bruhn asked.
Joe understood. “I had to marry her, Siobhan. I did it to save your life,” he explained. “Does she love you?” Siobhan asked. “Very much,” he replied. Then Siobhan asked, “Do you love her?”
Joe looked deeply into her eyes, “I’m fond of her, but I love only you. I can’t let you go!” How can you do this to me,” Siobhan asked tearfully, and ran from the restaurant. Joe tried to stop her, but couldn’t and he watched miserably as she ran out of his life.
But it wasn’t over, not by a long shot. Though Bill would try everything in his power to hold on to Siobhan, she would not be able to resist the power of her love for Joe. But how it would all end, was anybody’s guess!
Riding home in the limo that
evening after the party, Siobhan
told Bill that she had seen Joe. Bill
tried to keep her from seeing him.
Bill Hyde was Siobhan's
lover and partner. He
tried to be patient with
her never-ending love for
Novak, but it wasn't easy.
THE NEW JOE IS A CALIFORNIA KID!“Don’t they have any lawns around here?” asked Michael Hennessy, when he first saw Manhattan. Born and raised in California, Ryan’s Hope’s new Joe Novak had never set foot in New York before. Not only that, Novak is his first professional role in front of the cameras. Until now, it had been strictly stage roles—from “poor” Jud Fry in Oklahoma!, to Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar Named Desire. So where did he get that great New York sounding accent he uses as Joe Novak? “That’s why they call it acting!”