NO! NO! A thousand times NOOOOOO!

 

Spoiler warning!

 

I’ve been pretty patient with the sloppy writing, character assassination and things that simply don’t make sense on All My Children. I’ve watched it faithfully, albeit shaking my head sometimes. But I figure that on soaps, it eventually comes out in the wash. After all, it’s just a show, right?

 

Now it’s personal.

 

I watched riveted while Zach sat by Kendall’s bed vowing to do anything it takes to honor her wishes and make sure her child has a chance to be born healthy. I was a good sport here because “they” said Kendall was only 28 weeks pregnant even though everybody knows she’s was pushing her eighth month when she went into her coma.

 

Okay, I think. I’ll go along with this. It doesn’t add up, but it’s just a show – and very soapy at that. So I get temporary amnesia and forget that Kendall conceived little Spike on Sept. 20. I get into all of Zach’s tearful pleas for her to come back to him. And when he’s carted off to jail, I really felt for the guy. He was ready to shoot anyone who tried to take her baby. He was willing to resist arrest. Risk contempt. Basically, risk years in prison. He was willing to die for that child.  “I won’t let Kendall die without me,” he defiantly told Derek. And those scenes in jail. “My wife needs me. She can’t leave me like this.” Zach (TK) said those lines with the most anguished voice I’ve ever heard.

 

So why, oh why, would it be more important for him to run off with Dixie to find Madden when, for all Zach knows, his wife is dying. He doesn’t know she’s going to wake up any moment. He thinks she sacrificed her life for her son. And he wanted to be there above anything else – especially since Madden is no longer a factor in Kendall’s life. Spike is fine, and Madden can’t take him away. Dixie wants help in finding Madden. That’s all well and good, but doesn’t Zach have people for that? Why did they choose to mutilate Zach’s character in such a way?

 

Why indeed. So Zach can be a suspect in Madden’s burial and/or murder.  I can fully believe that Zach is capable to torturing Madden to get the information. I can totally believe that he would kill the evil doctor. (Although I don’t think he will.) But I can never, ever believe that he would choose to run after him when five minutes earlier he was frantic to get back to his wife.

 

Sorry writers. You’ve gone too far. Be creative and think of another way for Zach to be a suspect and still make it somewhat believable.