Should Zach Powers have been a 'trickster'?

[Ked]

It's been complained about that Zach Powers was set up to be this sinister, dangerous person with a long held grudge against Jason Colby, and yet... he didn't do anything. Aside from half-seducing Sable, Jason's wife, and maybe a few other minor things, but ultimately, he didn't do anything of consequence. And on some level, I can understand why the writers were hesitant to allow Zach to do anything that could really destroy Jason, as having a family patriarch, a "Blake Carrington", was part of the status quo.

But *something* should have been done with Zach, so why not just have him be a trickster instead? He's filthy rich with enough time and resources to do whatever the hell he wants, so why not just simply have him be somebody causes general mischief for shits and giggles? That would keep him from doing anything that would upset the status quo, while simultaneously at least giving him something to do. But I don't know, what do you all think?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I always want King Galen conflated and combined with Zach Powers -- ideally played by Montalban. Once Alexis divorces him (after they're re-couped and re-dethroned) he then goes over to THE COLBYS and picks up with old flame, Sabella.

But many of us also like combining Lady Ashley with Frankie, although I'm not sure how that would work.

 

[GillesDenver]

But many of us also like combining Lady Ashley with Frankie, although I'm not sure how that would work.

Well, it means that Jeff would have dated his own mother, which is not such a big deal on a show like "Dynasty" !

 

[Richard Channing]

Well, it means that Jeff would have dated his own mother, which is not such a big deal on a show like "Dynasty" !

I wouldn’t put it past Frankie.

 

[GillesDenver]

It's been complained about that Zach Powers was set up to be this sinister, dangerous person with a long held grudge against Jason Colby, and yet... he didn't do anything. Aside from half-seducing Sable, Jason's wife, and maybe a few other minor things, but ultimately, he didn't do anything of consequence. And on some level, I can understand why the writers were hesitant to allow Zach to do anything that could really destroy Jason, as having a family patriarch, a "Blake Carrington", was part of the status quo.

But *something* should have been done with Zach, so why not just have him be a trickster instead? He's filthy rich with enough time and resources to do whatever the hell he wants, so why not just simply have him be somebody causes general mischief for shits and giggles? That would keep him from doing anything that would upset the status quo, while simultaneously at least giving him something to do. But I don't know, what do you all think?

Zach was supposed to be a one-season character, like Nick Toscanny.
Zach was to convince Sable to marry him except that he was secretly still married to his greek wife. At the end of the season, Sable would find out about this, break the engagement with him and tried to reconcile with Jason.
Also, Zach was to be responsible for the murders of Captain Livadas and Muhoney, not his son-in-law, Spiro, who was a last-minute addition.

All the changes were made because Zach was apparently quite popular and the producers/writers wanted to keep him. But, as you pointed out, the consequence of that is that Zach did not do anything memorable during his two-seasons tenure in the show.

 

[Ked]

Zach was supposed to be a one-season character, like Nick Toscanny.
Zach was to convince Sable to marry him except that he was secretly still married to his greek wife. At the end of the season, Sable would find out about this, break the engagement with him and tried to reconcile with Jason.
Also, Zach was to be responsible for the murders of Captain Livadas and Muhoney, not his son-in-law, Spiro, who was a last-minute addition.

All the changes were made because Zach was apparently quite popular and the producers/writers wanted to keep him. But, as you pointed out, the consequence of that is that Zach did not do anything memorable during his two-seasons tenure in the show.

Interesting to learn! Now the question is, should Zach have been kept around? I rather like him in a general sense, so I'd vote yes, except of course, a character has to have something to do, which winds us back around to my original question if he should have been a "trickster" of sorts.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

What a great name for an Aaron Spelling character!

he was impressive with his iconic white suit and as the greatest adversary to Captain Kirk
- oh wait, different shows LOL!

 

[Soaplover]

Interesting to learn! Now the question is, should Zach have been kept around? I rather like him in a general sense, so I'd vote yes, except of course, a character has to have something to do, which winds us back around to my original question if he should have been a "trickster" of sorts.

From the epsiodes I have seen of The Colbys... I liked that Zach was around as a thorn in the side of the Colby's.

I often think that had the show continued beyond season 2 that Zach would have been set up to be a bigger antagonist against Jason and the Colby's. In some of the season 2 episodes, it looked as though the ground was being laid down for that to occur with his entanglement with Sable... but her heart still lying with Jason and not with him. Plus... he had interesting interactions with Adrienne Shelley (who was developing into that show's Every woman ala Claudia Blaisdal).

 

[Willie Oleson]

I think what makes Zach's underwhelming villainy so strange is that they brought in Lucas Carter for a similar feud.
Why couldn't Zach be behind the assassination? And why didn't he team up with DA Moretti who also hated Jason for what he had (allegedly) done to his father?
And then they forgot all about that too and introduced psycho-Philip.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Ricardo Montalban was wrong for the part of Zach. Too old, too gay, too Las Vegas. And to think that Jason Colby had "mistreated" Zach's father. When was that, when Jason was 12 years old?
He didn't look like a serious threat in the romance department, for Connie perhaps, but not for Sable - and that's why we're going to recast Zach Powers.
I'm thinking of Franco Nero, who looked like this at that time.

Now that looks a lot sexier, doesn't it? The competition with Jason (even if he didn't want Sable anymore) would seem more natural, inherent, even.
I also like the idea that his deceased wife used to be a lot older than him.
And that his real problem isn't with Jason, but with Connie who abused him when he was underage. But daddy Andrew made the scandal go away and later forced his daughter to become the respectable Mrs. Patterson, and Zach wasn't compensated for anything. Scarred and tossed aside, he vowed revenge against the Colby clan.

During a passionate night with Sable he accidentally says "kiss me, Connie". Knowing Sable, she would use that Freudian slip in her war against the person who supported Jeff and Frankie.
Bitches!

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Ricardo Montalban was wrong for the part of Zach. Too old, too gay, too Las Vegas. And to think that Jason Colby had "mistreated" Zach's father. When was that, when Jason was 12 years old?
He didn't look like a serious threat in the romance department, for Connie perhaps, but not for Sable - and that's why we're going to recast Zach Powers.
I'm thinking of Franco Nero, who looked like this at that time.
View attachment 53284
Now that looks a lot sexier, doesn't it? The competition with Jason (even if he didn't want Sable anymore) would seem more natural, inherent, even.
I also like the idea that his deceased wife used to be a lot older than him.
And that his real problem isn't with Jason, but with Connie who abused him when he was underage. But daddy Andrew made the scandal go away and later forced his daughter to become the respectable Mrs. Patterson, and Zach wasn't compensated for anything. Scarred and tossed aside, he vowed revenge against the Colby clan.

During a passionate night with Sable he accidentally says "kiss me, Connie". Knowing Sable, she would use that Freudian slip in her war against the person who supported Jeff and Frankie.
Bitches!

Franco Nero's not "too gay" -- have you seen QUERELLE??

It hard for me to be objective, though, about Zach Powers because I want Montalban for King Galen but also Powers (ideally, the same character all smooshed into one).

 

[Ked]

I'm thinking of Franco Nero, who looked like this at that time.
View attachment 53284
Now that looks a lot sexier, doesn't it?

...No. Sorry, but I don't find whoever this is attractive at all. Believe it or not, I'm fine with Richardo Montalban. I enjoyed watching him play off of Stephanie Beacham.

 

[Ked]

I also like the idea that his deceased wife used to be a lot older than him.
And that his real problem isn't with Jason, but with Connie who abused him when he was underage. But daddy Andrew made the scandal go away and later forced his daughter to become the respectable Mrs. Patterson, and Zach wasn't compensated for anything. Scarred and tossed aside, he vowed revenge against the Colby clan.

During a passionate night with Sable he accidentally says "kiss me, Connie". Knowing Sable, she would use that Freudian slip in her war against the person who supported Jeff and Frankie.
Bitches!

Now THAT sounds interesting! Amusing, but interesting!