arrived town doctor in 1973 soon becomes the town outcast for several decades after she is oft-suspected of negligent complicity in the apparent death her then-husband, Viki's father, and respected Llanview media mogul Victor Lord in 1976. Despite many truces, Dorian and Viki are considered frenemies, occasionally putting aside their animosity to work toward a shared goal, such as in their personal vendettas against the mistress of two of Viki's husbands, Echo DiSavoy. Despite her conniving and vindictive nature, she often displays tender and genuine compassion toward family and loved ones. For the duration of the serial, Dorian suffers from claustrophobia, which is explained to be the result of her mother Sonya's child abuse (actress Strasser stated that this character trait was added to mirror her actual illness). Dorian has a long list of people who she has scorned and fought over the years, ranging from the aforementioned Viki, to other members of the Lord, Buchanan, and Wolek families. Storylines 1973–1987 A newly minted physician, Dorian Cramer (Pinkerton) arrives in fictional Llanview, Pennsylvania on the episode first-run April 30, 1973, along with her mentally ill sister, Melinda (Patricia Pearcy). Dorian takes a physician position at Llanview Hospital, where she quickly engages in a romantic affair with her married colleague, Dr. Mark Toland (Tommy Lee Jones). Melinda, in the meantime, wants Mark for herself. Upon learning of their affair, she schemes to drive them apart. After attacking Mark with a butcher's knife, Melinda is sent to a mental institution in 1974. Dorian and Mark continue their affair. During an intense exchange between the two, Dorian makes a careless error on a medical chart, resulting in the accidental death of terminally-ill patient Rachel Wilson Farmer (Nancy Barrett). Fearing for their careers, the two covered up the crime; extenuating circumstance, meanwhile, lead Dr. Larry Wolek (Michael Storm) to be arrested instead. With the guilt on her shoulders, Dorian later wants to confess, while Mark is content with allowing Larry to take the fall. As they argued over how to handle the situation, Dorian accidentally falls down a flight of stairs and goes into a coma. Upon waking, Dorian confesses and is immediately fired by the hospital board. An angered Dorian, burgeoning medical career dashed, blames Victoria "Viki" Lord Riley (Erika Slezak), a prominent hospital board member, for her termination. This begins a rivalry that would last for decades. What Dorian didn't know, uncovered