We are a group of smart, fun, passionate and dedicated fans of All My Children's legacy couple Zach and Kendall Slater and the actors who portray them, Thorsten Kaye and Alicia Minshew.
For a moment there, I thought those maternal instincts would kick in and that you'd haul ass back to your place to ingratiate yourself to Colby with your stolen baby.
"No, I just realized that...um...I'm doing it again. Here...here I have this beautiful,baby boy, at home. My second chance. And I'm here having dinner with you. No wonder people think I can't be a good mother."
Silly me.
Apparently Liza didn't fake a pregnancy and steal a baby to get close to Colby, she fake a pregnancy and stole a baby to give to Colby. Liza is much too busy, with her Legal and Chinese food business, to raise a new child. She's been working overtime to try and get both Slaters off. Kendall, with her legal maneuvering. And Zach, with her Mu Shu.
PLANNING TO LEAVE AMC: Thorsten Kaye (Zach), Alicia Minshew (Kendall), Ray MacDonald (Joe) and David Canary (Adam/Stuart)
Nelson Branco - The Soapgeist: August 17, 2009
I can't say that I'm surprised about Ray MacDonald. But, even a hint of the other three and heaven help us...
Not quite ready to curl up into a ball of misery, with a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, Seal's Loneliest Star playing in the background, and a stack of Zen clips on DVD paying in heavy rotation.
Kendall: There it is. Right there between us, keeping us apart.
Zach: What?
Kendall: Ryan. I need to know. Is my relationship with Ryan, my past relationship, the reason that you're pushing me away?
Zach: It really doesn't matter.
Kendall: Zach, it does matter. I'm in love with you. These past few months have been hell. We got divorced. We almost lost Ian. I got convicted of murder. But instead of driving us apart, everything just brought us closer together. And it showed us what an incredible team we still are. The way that you fought for me and for our family, it just made me fall in love with you all over again. But every time I reach out to you, there's this wall. I hit this wall. And I keep asking myself, "What is this thing that's in the way?" And now I know. You can't forgive me for what I did with Ryan.
Zach: You're right. I can't. We can jump into bed together and be on each other all night, pretend everything's ok, but it isn't. We got to be honest with each other. You betrayed me. You broke my trust, you broke my heart. I can't let it go.
Kendall: So you're walking around carrying all this resentment towards me?
Zach: The moment they pulled me out of that hole, it was never the same. We both know that.
Kendall: But, Zach, I don't want to give up. You, Zach -- you're the man that I belong with.
Zach: Today.
Kendall: All right, you know what, Zach? That's not fair. That's not fair. I mean, you're treating me like I'm some petty fickle idiot.
Zach: You gave yourself to another man not once, but twice. And now, every time I see Devane, I don't know what he's saying to me. All I can hear is my heart pounding in my head, "That's the man that slept with my wife."
Kendall: Ok, stop it, please.
Zach: And then Ryan. My house, our bed.
Kendall: It's over.
Zach: Not for me.
Kendall: You want to hold this against me for the rest of our lives, that's your choice, not mine.
Zach: It's not a choice. I don't forgive. Not anyone, not ever. Not even you.
I know this scene from last week got mixed reviews. Some people thought “it was so good.” But others felt it was “sad.” And I even heard a few fans lament that it “broke my heart.” While I can certainly understand all of those sentiments, put me down in the “good” column. No, make that “great!”
In fact, I watched that scene with a smile on my face. Not because I’m angry at Kendall and want to see her mistakes harvested again and again. And not because I want to see Zach bleed. So why was I smiling? Because it was finally out there … the truth.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
It’s not about who betrayed whom in their relationship. It can be argued that they have equal blame in that. But the truth is that there has been betrayal. And things have been broken that crazy glue can’t put back together. Some things “I’m sorry” just doesn’t fix.
For me, last Wednesday’s show was about sticking the landing. It’s about Zach finally telling Kendall how her actions made him feel, and her finally hearing it. The truth has been tossed back and forth between them, but neither of them ever really owned it. Or earned it. It was a weapon to hurt or an excuse for bad behavior. But now I feel like they finally understand each other. And love each other with an even deeper love. And the last scene, with each of them reaching for the other through a closed door, solidified that for me.
Because the ugly truth was unleashed, it no long has the power to destroy them. Now the healing can begin. In fact, it already has.
But …
What really is the truth? Is Zach’s struggle really with forgiveness, or with fear? I submit he has already forgiven Kendall. He’s risked too much for her in recent weeks to make me believe he hasn't. His problem is with the forgetting part of the equation. And with having the courage to open up his heart to that kind of hurt again.
That comes with healing. And healing takes time. But, thanks to the long-awaited arrival of the truth, that healing is on the way.
So it’s not a big deal that “Guiding Light” is ending?
We’ve gotten used to soaps lasting so many years, the death of one takes on all this drama. But “Guiding Light” has been a poor performer for many many years.
Brian Frons, President, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group
I honestly don't know what is scarier. Is it that the Wall Street Journal turned to Brian Frons, of all people, to ask about the demise of Guiding Light (a show he hasn't worked for in more than 25 years)? Of was it that cold-hearted response given by the man that oversees the show of my favorite soap couple?
Good grief!
Even as fans of AMC are trying to grapple with their worries over what the future holds for AMC with the revelation of the show's move to LA, what in the hell are they supposed to find reassuring about comments such as this?
While rumors are circulating that several longtime cast members were not very pleased about the move and aren't exactly inclined to relocate, many of us are trying to hold on to hope that our show is not going to be irrevocably changed for the worse. And it ain't exactly reassuring to read such a dispassionate response to the loss of another iconic soap from the man who just assured viewers of AMC that he has the show's long-term best interests at heart.
Many fans have expressed their concern that the powers that be, and Brian Frons, in particular, don't really give a shit about what fans really want to see on their favorite soaps. That concern is rooted in many of the decisions made by those in charge that seem to be counter to the expressed wishes of many long-time, passionate viewers. Loyalty seems to be a one-way street. Unfortunately, this craptastic interview by Mr. Frons seems to give credence for those concerns.
I have to put that qualifier on that statement because Charles Pratt is still involved in the storytelling (much to my everlasting horror). Frankly, I have zero faith in his ability to tell a story with any depth. It seems he is only capable of swimming in the very shallow end of the pool.
But, I guess the lesson to be learned in all of this is that if I hold fast, perhaps, Pratt will join his predecessors soon. In the meantime, as far as my Zen is concerned, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.
I’ve been perusing some of the discussion around the net and, it seems, that some are questioning whether or not the recent notification that the SoapMania (SoapNation) tour cancellations are another indicator that daytime is in real trouble. Frankly, I think that sets up a false correlation between the two outcomes. The failure to launch SoapMania has little or nothing to do with the ailments of daytime. The stated rationale used to establish SM was flawed from the onset.
From the minute ABC began touting SM during last year’s SSW as the great new “thing” to replace, or rather, to expand the outreach of SSW, I cried foul. There were so many obvious holes in that logic; I cannot understand how or why the person who made the initial pitch wasn’t sent back to the drawing board to try again.
The first question TPTB should have asked was “who” their target consumers were. The answer would have been:
a) Those who were already attending the annual SSW events; and,
b) Those who would like to attend events such as SSW, but who were unable to because of the geographical distance and/or the cost.
The second and third questions should have been IF and how they could reconcile the two.
If TPTB had done that, it would have been pretty obvious that these were two competing goals that simply could not be reconciled; however, were ones that could be pursued independent of each other.
Let’s look at who the attendees of SSW were: families – a large number who used the events at Disney as their annual vacation destination. It became a win/win proposition for all. The soap viewer in the family could pitch it as a vacation spot where everyone could have something they wanted fulfilled.With all of the theme parks, golf courses and sporting events, Orlando is an ideal spot to get folks to participate in shelling out their hard earned money to see their favorite soap stars.That pitch becomes a bit more difficult to justify to a spouse or significant other when you’re only heading over to a local hotel to spend $75 or more to sit and talk with your favorite star for an hour or two (no matter how much chicken they serve). SSW was FUN because people could bring their whole family and make a vacation of it, while stalking their favorite stars on the side.
SSW was also special because it only happened once a year. Let’s face it, it is much easier to plan a once a year, large event, where just about all the cast, crew, and staff are involved than it is to try and coordinate multiple events throughout the year where schedules are constantly being changed due to storyline changes and life’s unexpected mishaps. A once a year event gave the coordinators time to plan so that fan favorites included not just individual stars/characters, but also the “pairings” that are so popular in daytime. Not just the man/woman pairings, but the arch enemies or BFFs. Let’s face it; wouldn’t we all prefer an event that has both TK and AM? Well, SoapMania made those kinds of events less likely because of their shooting schedules.
SSW was more than just an opportunity to meet stars and receive autographs. The game and talk shows, parades, and host of other non-soap related events taking place over the course of an entire weekend made the cost of attendance well worth it. SoapMania tours would have been a poor substitute. And therein lies the problem…
There is no comparable substitute for the SSW experience.The cruises offer a, somewhat, similar experience, because there are a myriad of alternative recreational outlets, along with shows and entertainment, to enhance the meet and greet experience for attendees. However, because it is a cruise, the expense and the increased limitations on the number of people who can participate make it a less attractive option for many of the families who were SSW regulars.
I understand the network’s desire to reach out and expand their ability to reach the fans by having the stars of their shows participate in meet and greet opportunities in locations closer to them. However, the exchange of one type of event for the other was an uneven one.Sure, SM would have picked up some of those viewers who had neither time nor money to make the trip to Orlando for SSW. However, they were also going to lose a lot of those SSW attendees who were only able to participate because they could wrap it up as a “family” package deal.
AM Viewer: “Honey, we’re not going to Disney just so that I can stalk and ogle Thorsten Kaye. The kids really want to see The Mouse. And you’ve always said you wanted to golf where the pros have. Orlando has a TON of stunning courses.”
LeerySpouse: “I dunno. How much is this gonna cost? I don’t have a lot of vacation time.”
AMCViewer: “See, that’s the thing…it happens over the weekend so you would have to take too much time. And it usually fall around Veteran’s Day, so we can plan our family vacation around it. The kids will LOVE it!”
Win-win.
Bring it back. The interest in SSW was increasing, not waning. Fans of last year’s event even managed to coordinate an impressive activist protest over the weekend for fans to express their displeasure that the events were ending. It may be too late to coordinate an event for this year, but it is never too early to plan for a return of a better SSW in 2010. If anything, expanding the event to include a weekend on both coasts, at both Disney parks, would seem much more preferable than trying to make SoapMania work.
SoapMania was destined to fail. It’s time to bring back Super Soap Weekend. There just isn’t a substitute.
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