Zach Slater and Kendall Hart
Encyclopedia
.jpg)
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s and a supercouple
Supercouple
A supercouple or super couple is a popular or financially wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or even obsessive fashion...
from the American
Television in the United States
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one...
daytime drama All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
. Zach
Zach Slater
Zachary "Zach" Slater is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. He was portrayed by actor Thorsten Kaye from May 20, 2004 to November 19, 2010; Thorsten returned to the role on August 5, 2011 to September 23, 2011...
is portrayed by Thorsten Kaye
Thorsten Kaye
Thorsten Kaye is a German-British actor.-Early life:...
, and Kendall is portrayed by Alicia Minshew
Alicia Minshew
Alicia Herschenfeld best known as Alicia Minshew is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Kendall Hart on the daytime drama All My Children.-Early life and career:...
. The couple is often referred to by the portmanteau "Zendall" (for Zach and Kendall) on Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
message boards. Originally scripted by former All My Children head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
Megan McTavish
Megan McTavish
Megan McTavish is an American television actress and soap opera writer. McTavish is best known for several head writing stints on All My Children.-Early career:...
, the couple was never intended to be a serious romance; notable viewer response to the pairing led All My Children writers to reconsider and script them as true loves.
The couple became one of the primary focuses of the show, and their popularity resulted in their being named a top soap opera couple. In 2006, newspaper Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
took interest in the appeal of Zach and how his romance with Kendall incites jealousy from female viewers abroad. In late 2007, TV Guide Canada named the pairing one of soap opera's best supercouples.
Writing
In 2005, the writers created character Zach Slater. He was introduced in the "back from the dead" Maria SantosMaria Santos
Maria Carlos Martins dos Santos is a retired female backstroke and medley swimmer from Portugal, who competed for her native country at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.-References:*...
storyline. At the time, the series was focused on Kendall Hart's romantic involvement with Ethan Cambias
Ethan Cambias
Ethan Cambias is a fictional character on the long running ABC daytime soap opera All My Children. He was portrayed by James Scott from 2004 to 2006...
. Ethan was later revealed as Zach's son. Head writer Megan McTavish
Megan McTavish
Megan McTavish is an American television actress and soap opera writer. McTavish is best known for several head writing stints on All My Children.-Early career:...
had not planned on writing Zach and Kendall as being seriously romantically intertwined; Zach was only supposed to marry Kendall as a temporary "roadblock" in the way of Kendall and Ethan's relationship and later for the coupling of Kendall and her former love, Ryan Lavery
Ryan Lavery
Ryan Aloysius Lavery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children, as portrayed by Cameron Mathison from January 12, 1998 to 2002 and from 2003 to 2011. The character is set to come back in January 2012 when the series returns online...
. In their Best & Worst December 13, 2005 issue, Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
stated: "We thought the 'Zendall' union was a bump in the Kendall/Ethan road, not its own destination. This enabled Zach and Kendall's growing affection to sneak up and surprise us as much as it did them. When they ended up in love, it felt like a happy accident, not some writer's 'You Will Love This Couple' dictate and on daytime, alas, that's not something you see every day."
Storyline
Zach Slater sues his son, Ethan Cambias, for control of Cambias Industries. Ethan strikes back by having Zach's casinoCasino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
shut down. At this time, Kendall Hart, Ethan's girlfriend, has just broken up with him. Their breakup is due to Kendall being appalled at Ethan's lies during their relationship. Zach takes this opportunity to propose marriage to his son's lover — he propositions Kendall with the deal that they both can get back at Ethan for his betrayal, by marrying each other. Kendall agrees and the two secretly marry. Kendall plots to help Zach regain his gaming licenses. When Ethan finds out that the two have married from Zach's own lips, he lashes out, declaring that Zach is dead to him; he no longer has a father. Zach is alarmed at how deeply he has hurt his son by taking up with Kendall, and offers Kendall her freedom from their marriage arrangement. But Kendall is tired of heartbreak and love causing her pain, reasoning that it's better to be in a loveless marriage than in a loving one full of betrayal. She decides to stay married to Zach after all, and the two grow close in their unexpected friendship.
Zach consoles Kendall while she worries for her best friend, Greenlee Smythe
Greenlee Smythe
Greenlee Smythe is a fictional character from the daytime drama All My Children. She was originally portrayed by actress Rebecca Budig from August 11, 1999 to November 30, 2005, and was portrayed by actress Sabine Singh from April 20, 2007 to January 15, 2008...
, who is pregnant with Ryan Lavery's child. Kendall has seen Ryan angrily voice that he never wants children, and she fears how Ryan will react to Greenlee's pregnancy. When Greenlee relays to Ryan that they are expecting a child, Ryan goes on an angry rampage, destroying Greenlee's hotel room, and in some time, drives his motorcycle off of a cliff. Everyone presumes Ryan is dead. However, Zach discovers him alive. When Ryan strongly reasons with Zach not to reveal to Greenlee or Kendall, or anyone that he is still alive, Zach agrees, feeling that Ryan's temper is dangerous to Greenlee. He also sees Ryan's need to start fresh, just as he once had.
Zach comes into the knowledge that Kendall agreed to act as the surrogate for Ryan and Greenlee's baby when Greenlee's chances of giving birth became non-existent. He utterly hates the idea, and is determined to ensure Kendall will not go through with it. Once Ryan reveals himself to be alive a little after this, Kendall comes to the shocking realization that her husband helped Ryan fake his death. She is enraged at Zach, and states that she never would have taken on the task of being Greenlee's surrogate if she had known that Ryan is alive. Zach and Kendall fight on and off, but no matter their argumentative nature, Zach has developed true romantic feelings for Kendall. At this point, Greenlee has discovered that Kendall is pregnant not with Greenlee and Ryan's baby, but rather with Kendall and Ryan's baby. She spills this knowledge to the whole town, stating that Kendall has betrayed her in order to produce a child between Ryan and herself. Kendall is embarrassed and heartbroken at Greenlee's accusation, and tries to explain that Greenlee's eggs had been destroyed at implantation time, and if she had not used her own eggs, Greenlee would have been without Ryan's child for certain. Greenlee does not care to listen and soon leaves town. Zach sticks by Kendall's side and tells her of his love for her. Kendall is afraid of his declaration, and starts to distance herself from him. She asks for a divorce, not admitting that she feels the same way. Zach agrees to grant her a divorce, but Bianca Montgomery
Bianca Montgomery
Bianca Christine Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. In June 2010, Christina Bennett Lind replaced Eden Riegel, who portrayed the role from July 2000 to January 2010. Until Riegel assumed the role, the character was portrayed solely by child...
, Kendall's sister, counsels Zach to not give up on Kendall. Zach does as suggested, and informs Kendall of his love for her again. This time Kendall does not hold back and the two share a passionate kiss.
Zach and Kendall's romance is shot to crumbs when Kendall learns that Zach caused the blackout which spun her in the position of having to carry her own child with Ryan instead of Greenlee's. Zach voices to Kendall that he arranged the blackout to sabotage her chances of surrogacy because he wanted to protect her from a dangerous Ryan. Kendall does not care for Zach's reasons and breaks off her romantic ties to him, just as she is not feeling the maternal instinct. Zach also loses his son, Ethan, to death around this same time, and loses Kendall as well.
He becomes friends with a woman named Dixie Cooney Martin
Dixie Cooney Martin
Dixie Cooney Martin is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. The character's run lasted from July 1988 to June 1996, again from July 3, 1998 to February 26, 2002, from December 23, 2005 to January 31, 2007 with appearances from May to June 2008 and April 2010 before...
, and when he finds out that Dr. Greg Madden has manipulated her into giving up her child, he warns Kendall of Madden, who happens to be Kendall's OBGYN
Obstetrics and gynaecology
Obstetrics and gynaecology are the two surgical–medical specialties dealing with the female reproductive organs in their pregnant and non-pregnant state, respectively, and as such are often combined to form a single medical specialty and postgraduate training programme...
. Kendall does not listen to Zach at first, but it is not long before Kendall admits that she needs Zach in her life. She tells him that she still loves him, and the two reunite. They are married at sea. This happy reunion does not last long though. Shortly after, Kendall is thrown into a coma after construction materials fall on her, in what is a botched murder attempt by her best friend, JR Chandler, in a drunken effort to kill his wife — Babe
Babe Carey
Arabella "Babe" Carey Chandler is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. She was originally portrayed by actress Alexa Havins, from October 13, 2003 to October 8, 2007, and then by actress Amanda Baker from October 8, 2007 to October 31, 2008...
. The doctors inform Kendall's loved ones that if they go about the needed procedure to save Kendall's life, it will most likely mean the death of her unborn baby; if the baby is allowed to be born later than sooner, it will kill Kendall. Zach is naturally conflicted. He remembers Kendall's words of wanting the baby to grow up and have a great life, thus Zach painfully chooses Kendall's wishes. He knows she would choose the life of her unborn baby over her own life. He barricades himself in Kendall's hospital room, even occupying a handgun to keep everyone out, except needed doctors, until the baby is born. Spike Lavery
Spike Lavery
Spike Lavery is a fictional character from the daytime drama All My Children. He is the son of Kendall Hart and Ryan Lavery. Spike is the second grandchild of Erica Kane and her first grandson. His siblings are Emma Lavery, Ian Slater and Sara Lavery...
enters the world on May 31, 2006, and Kendall later awakes from her coma, now a mother to a beautiful baby boy.
Greg Madden is found dead weeks later. In the months that follow, Zach and Kendall enjoy their time with the newborn child. Problems arise here and there, but none like that of the Satin Slayer, a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
murdering the women of Fusion, a cosmetics company run by Kendall and her friends who helped to define it. The Satin Slayer takes Kendall hostage, and when it is revealed that the Satin Slayer is actually Zach's estranged father, Alexander Cambias, Sr.
Alexander Cambias, Sr.
Alexander Cambias, Sr. is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama All My Children, as portrayed by Ronald Guttman, from July 23, 2003 until August 2003. Guttman returned to the role on February 23, 2007 and left April 27, 2007...
, thought to be dead, but obviously still very much alive and that all he wanted is for Zach to have followed in his footsteps, Zach does everything in his power to save Kendall, as it all culminates on a balcony outside of a hotel room. Zach's father sets a contraption around Kendall's neck, which will kill her if its detonator goes off. Zach and Alexander struggle as Zach gets a hold of the detonator and will not let it go, even as he is shot in the arm by Alexander. Zach is able to sneak a spare knife from the sheath at his ankle and throw it hard enough at Alexander so that Alexander drops his gun. Zach rescues Kendall. He is determined to kill his father, but help soon arrives, and Alexander is sent to jail.
In early 2007, Kendall is elated to learn that she is pregnant with Zach's child. The two become centered in a peaceful place — until Kendall's former best friend, Greenlee, returns to Pine Valley and soon attempts to kidnap Kendall's son, Spike, feeling that the little boy should have been hers in the first place. While attempting to kidnap Spike, Greenlee changes her mind and feels that it is wrong; however, she is in a car accident, as Spike is with her, which contributes significantly to Kendall going into premature labor once she finds out what Greenlee has done. Zach and Kendall endure an agonizing time of worrying about the health of two sons. Kendall gives birth to a baby boy named Ian Slater, born July 26, 2007, premature. On August 6, 2007, it is revealed that Spike is deaf due to the car accident with Greenlee. Kendall bans Greenlee from her life, but later pretends to be her friend in an elaborate scheme of revenge against her.
In 2008, when Kendall discovers that Greenlee is not responsible for Spike being deaf after all, she feels great remorse for having exacted revenge against her. Soon, Greenlee and Zach go missing. After searching for the pair for weeks, Kendall and Aidan Devane
Aidan Devane
Aidan Devane is a resident of the fictional town of Pine Valley from the ABC soap opera All My Children. He has been portrayed by Aiden Turner, from June 6, 2002 to December 21, 2009...
(Greenlee's boyfriend) believe them to be dead. The two have sex during their grief. Afterwards, however, they discover their lovers alive. Overjoyed by this turn of events but also full of dread due to fear of their night together being revealed, Kendall and Aidan try to get back the sense of normalcy they had before. But matters become more complicated when Kendall finds out that she may be pregnant, and unsure of who the father is — Zach or Aidan. She takes a pregnancy test and is relieved when the test result is negative. She struggles to keep her conscience clear regarding her night with Aidan, however. Eventually, she reveals to Zach that she and Aidan had sex. Zach, who had already suspected (and knew) after putting "clues" together, has a difficult time accepting it at first, but soon forgives her. Zach and Kendall try to move on with their lives, all the while keeping Kendall and Aidan's tryst a secret from Greenlee.
Greenlee and Aidan become engaged and want to move up their wedding date to June and not waste another moment. However, during Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter's wedding, Greenlee finds out from her father about Aidan and Kendall's one-night stand. She silently keeps quiet until deciding the perfect moment to reveal to Aidan and Kendall that she knows. She refuses to accept the given explanation. While Kendall tries to once again mend her friendship with Greenlee, Zach and Kendall seem to emerge as a stronger couple.
Later in the year, Zach and Kendall start to have problems. These issues are mostly due to Kendall interfering in the affairs of Ryan, Annie Lavery
Annie Lavery
Annie Novak, more commonly known as Annie Lavery , is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama All My Children. She has been portrayed by Melissa Claire Egan since July 10, 2006...
, Greenlee, Aidan, and Josh Madden
Josh Madden
Joshua "Josh" Madden is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. He first came to Pine Valley on June 17, 2005 and was originally portrayed by actor Scott Kinworthy until September 15, 2005...
(Kendall's brother).
On October 17, 2008, Zach is in the process of looking for Kendall buried under rubble due to a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
having just struck Pine Valley. He finds Bianca instead, and is surprised to see that she is pregnant. He later finds an unconscious Kendall. As an ambulance arrives for her, it is stated that there is not enough room for Bianca and Zach to ride along to the hospital. There is, however, enough room for Zach and Kendall's children to ride in the front seat of the ambulance. Zach and Bianca stay behind and discuss Kendall's fate. They also discuss Bianca's secret that she is pregnant with Zach's child via sperm donation
Sperm donation
Sperm donation is the provision by a man, , of his sperm, with the intention that it be used to impregnate a woman who is not usually the man's sexual partner, in order to produce a child....
, and Bianca's new lover named Reese. Zach had agreed to father Bianca's child for the couple, but did not know that she had gone through with the procedure of artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
, until now. The two wonder how Kendall, who is unaware of this pregnancy, will react to the news when they tell her. As Zach and Bianca continue to talk, Bianca goes into labor. Zach helps deliver the new child into the world.
On January 30, 2009, Kendall awakes and reunites with her husband, almost immediately finding out that he is the father of her new niece. Kendall at first seems okay with it, but secretly she is furious. In February, Greenlee is in a serious accident when Kendall driving on the wrong side of the road and arguing with Zach, drives her off the road she's presumed dead, leaving Kendall devastated. Problems in the Slater marriage become even worse and Kendall turns to Ryan again for comfort and they sleep together.
In March 2009, Zach, no longer able to bear Kendall's changed personality, leaves her and becomes even more focused on his friendship with Reese
Reese Williams and Bianca Montgomery
Reese Williams and Bianca Montgomery are fictional characters and a lesbian couple from the ABC daytime drama All My Children. Reese was portrayed by Tamara Braun, and Bianca was portrayed by Eden Riegel. On Internet message boards, the pairing is commonly referred to by the portmanteaus "Rianca" ...
(in which he had earlier engaged in a kiss). Meanwhile, Kendall declares she never stopped loving Ryan, and Zach serves her with divorce papers and tells her their marriage is over. On April 14, 2009, Kendall decides to start over with Ryan again and her divorce from Zach is finalized.
In May 2009, Ian becomes extremely ill with a heart condition and Zach and Kendall slowly began to grow closer. Soon after they hear that Ian will pull through, Zach and Kendall share a kiss, a kiss neither one is prepared for or willing to talk about afterward. On June 16, 2009, Kendall breaks up with Ryan, stating that she must provide the most loving home possible for her children with Zach.
Kendall is currently the suspect in the death of Stuart Chandler
Stuart Chandler
Stuart Chandler was a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama All My Children. He was a member of the powerful and wealthy Chandler family. He was portrayed by David Canary from October 1984 to May 28, 2009 & September, 2011.- Identical opposite :...
. Zach and Kendall find a loophole so that they will not have to testify against each other by getting married on June 3, 2009. All of Kendall's loved ones try to help her prove her innocence.
Not able to live with the guilt anymore and with encouragement from Stuart's ghost, Kendall refuses to bargain and confesses to the murder, being sentenced to live in prison. Zach is able to get Kendall out of prison by paying a Kendall look-a-like a large sum of money (according to Jesse) in order to pose as her in prison. He is able to give Kendall a room in the house where she is to remain, not to come out for any reason, even to check on Ian and Spike. When asking Zach why she cannot stay in his room with him, Kendall concludes that it is because she slept with Ryan and that Zach has not forgiven her, which he confirms. He tells her that he will not forgive anyone anymore, not even Kendall. He does tell her that she is his wife and that he will protect her and his children no matter what.
Aidan and Kendall run away after the Kendall look-a-like is admitted to the hospital and Zach's plan falls apart. Eventually, Adam Chandler
Adam Chandler
Adam Chandler, Sr. is a fictional character from the daytime drama All My Children, portrayed by David Canary from December 1983 through his departure on April 23, 2010. Adam Chandler was one of the most devious and powerful individuals within the town of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania...
is revealed as the real culprit behind Stuart's murder, and Kendall is cleared. Just when she's about to return home, Aidan drugs and kidnaps her. Aidan drives a wedge between Zach and Kendall, intending to win Kendall back. Eventually, Zach realizes that something suspicious is happening with Aidan, and follows him to investigate. He manages to rescue Kendall and subdue Aidan, who is sent to prison. Zach and Kendall have trouble getting home, but they eventually get a miracle and are home in time for Christmas to spend with Spike and Ian. They decide to leave Pine Valley and make a fresh start elsewhere in the end of 2009.
In March 2010, Kendall finds out Greenlee is alive when she shows up in Spain, where she and Zach are staying. Greenlee accuses Kendall of trying to kill her to get Ryan to herself. Kendall denies this, but Greenlee refuses to hear this and leaves, not forgiving Kendall. In August 2010, Kendall comes back when Ryan is admitted to the hospital. She finds out Ryan is faking his prognosis because Greenlee, who is now married to David Hayward
David Hayward
Dr. David Hayward is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama All My Children, as portrayed by Vincent Irizarry from: November 27, 1997 - March 2, 1998, July 8, 1998 - November 28, 2006, October 23, 2008 - September 13, 2010, and returned on November 22, 2010.The character has been a top...
, is in trouble. Kendall initially doesn't want to get involved, but eventually decides to help Greenlee. Zach is close on her trail, and lets Kendall know he just wants her to be happy.
David drops dead at a party in September 2010, and both Ryan and Greenlee become suspects in his murder. While Greenlee is on trial for his murder, Zach returns, and hears about David's murder and the evidence Kendall and Greenlee discovered against Ryan. The three of them try to figure out the truth behind who killed David.
Reception and impact
Zach and Kendall's romance intrigued newspaper Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
in 2006. In their October 30, 2006 issue, the newspaper revealed that a significant portion of their female readers wanted to "literally trade places" with Kendall so that they could have Zach. The article was dedicated to which guys on television "make their readers swoon" — and inspires them to go through perplexing lengths in order to catch them on television. Thorsten Kaye
Thorsten Kaye
Thorsten Kaye is a German-British actor.-Early life:...
, Zach's portrayer, was their #1 vote getter, and beat out runner-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
s such as "McDreamy" Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award...
.
In their November 21, 2006 issue, Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
named the Zach and Kendall pairing "Zen Paradise" due to the "overwhelming calm" their fans get from watching them onscreen together. The demand for more screentime and better storylines for the couple led Soap Opera Weekly
Soap Opera Weekly
Soap Opera Weekly is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
to feature the couple on their cover; they reported the story first when All My Children finally gave into their "very vocal" Zach and Kendall audience. Underneath the image of Zach and Kendall, Soap Opera Weekly titled it "Exclusive At Last! AMC finally gives fans the story they want."
Zach and Kendall were titled a supercouple
Supercouple
A supercouple or super couple is a popular or financially wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or even obsessive fashion...
two years into their union, when, generally, modern-day soap opera pairings are rarely titled such. TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
summed up their take on the couple's intrigue, stating that Zach finally taught Kendall she had a heart and deserved love. "Nothing’s sexier when Zendall argue and bicker, except, well, when they enjoy make-up sex," the magazine elaborated.