Saturday Soapy Flashback: Evangeline and Laylah Williamson, The Sistahs of Llanview

 

No other sisters could top this duo. 

Hotshot lawyer Evangeline “Vange” Williamson and her younger actress hopeful sister Layla painted the town of Llanview red on One Life to Live. Evangeline first arrived as dating RJ Gannon and representing for his daughter Keri Reynolds in the custody case, a storyline that tragically ended. Layla arrived two years later just as Evangeline’s in the midst of a terrifying stalking ordeal. Interestingly, Layla acquires a job as a waitress at Antonio’s owned Capricorn, RJ’s old place originally named after Keri’s zodiac sign where so many of his scheming lies took root. 

Layla (Tika Sumpter) almost gets shot by John McBain’s police force when Evangeline (Renée Elise Goldsberry) rescues her. After Evangeline chastises Layla for coming, she allows sis to move in. The friendship between Evangeline, Antonio (Kamar de los Reyes), and Layla grows delightful.

After bringing Layla’s belongings to Evangeline’s tastefully decorated apartment at 345 Fuller Street, Apt. 42, the girls go clubbing at RJ and Rex’s co-owned spot, Ultraviolet. Unfortunately, at the same time, the stalker trashes Evangeline’s home, leaving her so shaken up that she buys Layla a oneway ticket back to Los Angeles. Layla adamantly refuses, gung ho on offering her support by staying put. Ex cop Antonio becomes the next best idea. The trio’s beautiful friendship lends itself to short yet poignant conversations between Antonio and the sisters, at times separate one on ones or all three simultaneously. Highlights include Layla sharing a candid monologue on beauty to Antonio and Antonio confiding with Evangeline what he would give to again see his presumed dead brother Cristian.  

Absolutely adorable how Vange always pulls Layla into a squishy side embrace. The big smiles on their faces light up scenes. Now Layla planting a sour if the moment kiss on a taken Antonio— a big no no. Haha. 

Once the stalker mess ends, Evangeline lets Layla move in. All the sister fun fluff ensues, showing an engaging other side to Evangeline, a girlish, humorous, fiercely protective sibling. Yes, Evangeline shared many scenes with Nora Buchanan (as did Nora’s daughter Rachel and Keri), but the moments between Evangeline and Layla delivers what the audience needed, a break away from Evangeline’s love woes, courtroom drama, and danger constantly finding her. 

The girls sing Aretha Franklin’s Ain’t No Way over a pint of ice cream, Evangeline reminiscing about her failed relationship with John. The girls fall asleep on the couch together, showing that they’re each other’s safe haven.

Unlike other sibling relationships, either estranged (i.e. RJ and Hank Gannon) or the frosty sister enemies to cordial respect angle (Jessica and Natalie Buchanan), the refreshing dynamic of Evangeline and Layla hits the right notes, sweet and entertaining. The little tidbits on their upbringing— Layla stealing Evangeline’s jeans when the latter was fourteen or Evangeline constantly bossing Layla around— sounds typical, familiar. Sometimes we never forget the things a sibling does to/for us. The good and the bad occurrences holds our memories captive, especially if growing up together, seeing each other everyday for what seems a forever permanence. Evangeline exclaiming, “we’ll have each other’s backs!” to Layla conveys an authentic expression of reciprocal, unconditional love— the very promise lacking in her failed romantic relationships. 

RJ (Timothy Stickney) calling Evangeline (Renée Elise Goldsberry) a “self hater” in front of Layla (Tika Sumpter) when he’s mostly been with white women— pot meet kettle. 

Layla’s acting aspirations soon inspire Antonio to use her as an instrument for the upcoming custody battle between him and RJ. Evangeline—who’s representing Antonio— has chooses not to support this fallacy. Antonio qualifies as a gray character, dangling between the fence of leading by his heart and letting his anger blind rationale, partly why his romance with Keri failed. Evangeline knows he has a terrible temper and doesn’t want to see her sister hurt. Plus, she may often be hired by some of the most unsavory felons, Evangeline prefers obeying the law. Although Layla amps up the feign act, Antonio is not as convincing. This arrangement doesn’t depict him in a good light. 

Laylah and Antonio let Evangeline on a plan of them being a fake couple for Jamie’s custody hearing. The funniest part was Evangeline bopping her sister on the head mid-fake kiss.

The revolving door of women of color in One Life to Live kept being on the receiving stick of silly lopsided triangles— Antonio choosing a younger Jessica over Keri and John McBain’s preference of Natalie over Evangeline. The writers recycled smart, sharp women versus the spoiled rich girls repeatedly. It’s a running gag that the Buchanan sisters always wind up kidnapped or missing and that the other woman winds up finding them. Evangeline and Layla offer help to John and Antonio respectively find Natalie, the kidnapped victim, and Jessica, trapped in her mind mentally and physically by her split personality alter ego Tess.

Evangeline goes blind after being struck by glass during the Llanview twister. Layla cheers her big sis up with a cute stuffed Nala from The Lion King.

Soaps are mainly watched for high stakes stories, wildly entertaining villains, and streamy slow burning romances, potential super couples that people rush home for. With Evangeline and Layla, two gorgeous sisters searching for love in the wrong places, we had a terrific charismatic representation. In Llanview together for two years— two years of constant mayhem and drama— the Williamson sisterhood foundation was the best part of their entire presence. Their connection felt too real, too loving, far too luminous and magical for the soap world. We loved the banter, the sass, and the confidence among their reflections at either Evangeline’s apartment, the club, or the Vega diner. 

Even if their foolish lovers didn’t put them above, the sisters always chose each other. What’s more heartfelt than that?

The Williamson sisters in real life— Renée Elise Goldsberry (Evangeline) and Tika Sumpter (Laylah).

Evangeline and Layla’s portrayers have been pretty accomplished post One Life to Live.  

Well-known for Broadway smash Hamilton, Renée Elise Goldsberry is a noted Tony, Grammy, and Soap Opera Digest actress/singer with nominations for two NAACP Image Awards, three Black Reels, three Emmys (two for Daytime, one for Primetime), Critics Choice, Astra, etc. Films include leading roles in Christine Swanson’s Albany Road and All About You. Among television cult hit Girls4eva, The Good Wife, and Altered Carbon. 

Former model, children’s book author, and actress/producer Tika Sumpter starred as Michelle Robinson in indie darling Southside With You, Bessie’s lover Lucille in dee rees’s award-winning Bessie, Delores in Whitney Houston produced Sparkle, and the voice of Maddy in the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Television roles include Watson, The Game (her Jenna Rice arc was a highlight), and Gossip Girl. Sumpter has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, a Gotham Award, and a Women’s Image Award. 

Not to mention having THE Julliard trained dancer/actress Janet Hubert aka the original Vivian Banks playing their mother Lisa Williamson. All that supreme talent on one soap in the middle of the afternoon. 

Twenty years later, it would be amazing to see Goldsberry and Sumpter unite on a future project—a film, television series, or even a web show. Their strongly believable sisterly chemistry made the soap bearable. The days they weren’t on was a simple waste of turning on the TV. 

Renée and Tika beautified the opening credits.

Nonetheless, One Life to Live fumbled hard on these two phenomenal Black women, their ends showing a continuous trend of callously mistreating Black and brown characters. Evangeline’s slow coma death by racism and Layla leaving town for Paris lacked the genuine care afforded to the prioritized characters. This also includes Keri’s madness descent before suicide, RJ and his brother Hank disappearing in the background, Rachel Gannon’s story, the list goes on. 

At least there are YouTube channels (Evangeline’s Heart and Wild Hearts Losers Club OLTL) with old episodes to look forward to rewatching the feel-good Evangeline and Layla content from beginning to end. The Williamson sisters were everything!