Peyton's favorite son; Steven, concurrently, is uneasy about Martin trying to maneuver him into a political future. Rodney and Sandy enjoy dates but when Lee tries to strong-arm Sandy physically into returning to her marriage, Rodney surprisingly knocks Lee down with a punch. Fearing that Martin has now disinherited Rodney and Norman, Leslie blackmails Betty into stealing Martin's will, threatening to reveal a report which falsely claims Betty was dating several men while in New York. Betty is shocked when she reads the changed will—naming her the Peyton heir on condition she marries Rodney within a year of Martin's death. Martin hopes to maneuver Betty and Steven's breakup and Betty's remarriage to Rodney, but Rodney is aghast at the maneuvers and rejects Betty's apparent buying in to the Peyton image. Elliot discovers the odd belt buckle once belonging to Chandler that Rachel has carried was made in a Texas prison, and eventually that Chandler—real name Jack Forrest—served time for deadly assault. Elliot and Chandler get into a fiery argument that ends in violence and Elliot's jailing and Chandler's hospitalization. Elliot is free on bail and Steven as his attorney ramps up investigations into Chandler's past. In the hospital, Chandler vows harm to the Carsons for challenging him and sheltering Rachel. But Chandler subsequently leaves Peyton Place, enraging Steven and Elliot because Chandler never received justice for his crimes against Rachel and others. Meanwhile, Steven receives the detective report about Betty for his birthday party, investigates it himself, and tells a stunned party he received it from an anonymous coward—though he later confronts Martin and accuses the old man of sending it. Genuinely shocked over learning the conditions in Martin's changed will, Rodney urges suspicious Steven not to believe the detective report's lies. The truth about Leslie blackmailing Betty eventually comes out, and Leslie is denounced, while Betty is forgiven. Chandler returns and Lee reluctantly invites him to stay at his house. Rodney and Sandy break up and Martin offers Sandy money to leave town. Sandy spurns the money but leaves for California, and Lee accuses Martin of driving her out of town. Despite continuing to struggle with his feelings about his family heritage and his father's and grandfather's manipulations, Rodney tries to convince Norman to accept financial help from his grandfather. Posing as Elliot, now-returned Chandler picks Rachel up at night school, kidnaps her, and forces her away, where we