2010 All My Children Year In Review

Goodbye Adam. (ABC)

A look back at 2010…

Pine Valley had many stand-out moments in 2010. From a new headwriter who brought back the Good Ole’ Days for many of us (Thanks, Lorraine Broderick!!), to a few tearful goodbyes, All My Children had us alternately reaching for tissues and sitting in anticipation for something big to happen. Who expected JR and Annie to have a fling? Or Greenlee to actually marry – and defend! – David Hayward? Who knew we would lose so many of our favorite actors in a single year? Or see so many of our favorite actresses expand their repertoire to become true forces in soapland?

Without further ado, here are my highlights of 2010 in Pine Valley!

The year Pine Valley turned 40.
2010 marked a huge milestone in the life of All My Children: Pine Valley turned 40 and its citizens, fans and family all joined in the celebration. Although everyone who has been an integral part of our favorite soap opera town couldn’t be there, the writers pulled out all the stops to bring in as many fan-favorites as they could. And having some of the biggest and brightest stars reminding us why Pine Valley was named “Best Town In America?” Priceless!

David and Greenlee get married.
I’m not sure who was more surprised the day Greenlee raised her veil to marry David: me or my dog. Because I screamed so loud I think people could hear me three streets over. I was that shocked. I love a good soap opera reveal, and Greenlee’s back-from-the-dead, marrying-David reveal was big. I hoped it was her comeback. I hoped it wasn’t. I wanted it and yet I didn’t so when it really happened I was just shocked. And then, to see her push Ryan away and actually go through with it? It was just All My Children at its best. Kudos to the writers for that one, because you got me. You really got me!

Goodbye, Palmer.
We all knew it was coming, and yet the day it happened, the earth stood still. At least for me. I can’t remember a time when James Mitchell wasn’t playing Palmer Cortlandt, villain and hero, in Pine Valley. He was a character we loved to hate, an actor we had to watch and such an integral part of life for soap fans, that the day he died many of us grabbed the tissues and just held on. When AMC paid tribute to the man and the character, we held on again. And the end? When Dixie welcomed Palmer into heaven? Was there a dry eye in any house?

Angie’s eyes (and a baby, too?).
Debbi Morgan has been one of my favorite actresses since she first appeared in Pine Valley back in the 1980s. As Dr. Angie Hubbard, she has a depth and emotion that could come off as a little bit egotistical, but she makes Angie so likeable that the ego is forgotten at the door. In 2010, we were given the chance to laugh a little and cry a lot with Angie. As she lost her sight, as she lost her ability to heal and as she dealt with the reality of being pregnant and not being able to see her child, she had some tough questions to answer. Could she handle this challenge? Where was God when she needed him most? When she questioned her faith, I was right there with her. Weren’t you?

Goodbye, Adam.
The day had to come, and yet it was another day that the Pine Valley faithful dreaded: the day Adam Chandler would walk away from his beloved town. I think the writers handled the shift wonderfully, and gave David Canary some of his best lines ever in the days leading up to his exit. Who knew that Adam had another son? A guy named Miguel who he was nice enough to leave alone all of his life? Who loved watching Annie trying her feminine wiles out on Adam, only to be left in the cold? And when Brooke returned? Classic moments! I think my favorite part of Adam's exit was his reignited romance with Brooke. That made David Canary's exit from AMC, if not a happy occasion, at least a little bit easier to take. Kind of like that spoonful of sugar that Mary Poppins told us about when we were kids.

Zach dies?
From the moment Alicia Minshew took on the role of Kendall Hart, I knew great things were coming. Sure, we all got a little annoyed with Kendall from time to time, but over the years, Alicia has only become a stronger actress. That strength made Zach's death an event that, I hope, Pine Valley fans loved as much as I did. When she called Zach's phone, just to hear his voice, and then collapsed? Holy Cow! It's the stuff that real life is made of and isn't that a small reason why we watch soaps? Sure, we want to escape the mundane aspects of our own lives, but soaps also allow us to experience the high-highs as well as the low-lows of life – all from the comfort of our sofas.

I will miss Thorsten Kaye as Zach immensely, but I think this storyline really cemented Alicia Minshew as a huge force in the town of Pine Valley and soap operas in general.

David's not dead?!?
I hate it when villains get killed off. Why? Because to make a soap opera work, there has to be good, bad, pretty, ugly and conflict. There has to be conflict. Killing off a villain? It just kills the conflict. Sure, sometimes a villain has to die. But for me, the redemption of a villain is so much more satisfying. Plus, I get to watch the redemption fail and even more bad stuff happen. Call me crazy, it's what I love about soaps. So when David died earlier this year, I was actually sad. I know a lot of the Pine Valley faithful rejoiced. Me? I cried. Yes, David makes me crazy. Yes, I think he needs to be brought to justice. But death? That was a little extreme. So, when he popped up at Greenlee's sentencing? Color me thrilled. Excited, thrilled, stunned and…well, excited. I laughed, I cried, I screamed (again) and I got so excited for 2011. Because with the loss of Adam and Palmer and Zach, Pine Valley needs another villain-turned-hero-turned-villain. Someone to keep everyone on their toes – and to keep the excitement coming in our favorite town!

So, fans, what was your favorite moment of 2010?

- Kristina Knight
Writer, Soaps.com

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