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Above: On the cover of the June 26, 2007 issue of Soap Opera Digest.
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AMC's Zach Snags The Chandler Fortune
Soap Opera Digest
Published June 26, 2007
JR’s plan to fake his own kidnapping in order to bilk estranged father Adam out of the family fortune goes awry this week – and as a result, everything that once belonged to the Chandlers ends up in Zach’s possession.
How does it all go wrong? “JR, [Zach’s] little idiot friend, ‘hired’ somebody who’s actually one of Zach’s associates [to kidnap him],” reveals Thorsten Kaye [Zach]. “What a fool he is. What fools these mortals be!” Since JR is in the dark about his employees’ true allegiance – and Adam is blind not only to Zach’s deception, but also to JR’s – Zach easily outsmarts both generations of Chandler men. “JR’s trying to screw his dad, but in the end,” grins Kaye, “he’s responsible for them both losing everything.”
With a little help from Adam, that is. Desperate to raise the $100 million the kidnappers are demanding, Adam seeks financial aid from Zach. “The cool thing is, at that point, nobody knows [about Zach’s involvement],” Kay continues. “So, it was great fun to play. Young Zach says, ‘What do you need this money for?’ ‘I just need it; can you give it to me?’ Finally, Zach says, ‘Okay, I’ll give you the money. $100 million, but as collateral, I need all the shares in your company, your house, all your cars.’ …He takes everything from him.”
Zach’s beef with JR is obvious – it was JR’s 2006 attempt to do in Babe that landed pregnant Kendall in a coma – but what does Slater have against Adam? “A father is responsible for his son in a lot of ways,” explains Kaye. “One of my lines to Adam was, ‘Junior’s not responsible for what happened to my wife the same way you’re not responsible for him being an entitled sociopath.’ The father and son thing always comes back, and this [story] brings a father and son together against a common enemy, which I think is interesting. And he is a worthy opponent for Zach -- not Junior, but Adam!”
At week’s end, the ransom is handed off and Zach is present for JR and Adam’s emotional reunion. “Adam is genuine; he really thought he’d lost his son. And the egg on Junior’s face, man… I thought it was great,” Kaye enthuses, “because Adam’s just hugging him, saying, ‘My son’s back, you’re alive, I don’t care what it cost me,’ and even after that, when he says, ‘We’ve lost the company to Slater, but I have you; you’re all I care about in the world.’ It’s like, ‘Whoops!’ Good stuff.”
And how does Mrs. Slater react to her hubby’s cunning? “She approves,” Kaye winks.