Zach Young

"''They have been lying to me my entire life! Everyone lies to me!"

- Zach

Zachary "Zach" Young (formerly Dana Taylor) is the son of Deirdre Taylor and Mike Delfino and the adoptive son of Mary Alice and Paul Young.

Early life
Dana was born to Deirdre Taylor, fathered by Mike Delfino, who had left her before finding out she was pregnant. Deirdre later told Mike she had had an abortion. This meant that Dana was left with his drug-addicted mother, who was a regular patient at a rehab facility that employed Angela Forrest (born November 18, 1965, died September 26, 2004). When Deirdre needed money for drugs, she went to Angela and her husband and sold Dana to them for some money, them not being able to conceive any children of their own. Angela and Todd forest accepted this offer. When the mother is later hospitalized, Angela realizes that she must leave and thus she and her husband change their names to Mary Alice and Paul Young and move to Fairview with Dana - now named Zach. ("One Wonderful Day")

When Zach was four years old, his birth mother returned to take him back. Mary Alice and Paul (his adoptive parents' new names) did not want this to happen and after Deirdre put up quite the struggle, she ran at the stairs to get Zach, Mary Alice quickly picked up a knife and stabbed her, killing the young girl. Mary Alice went upstairs to retrieve Zach's toy chest and Zach awakes to her emptying it of toys, Mary Alice tells him to go back to sleep as she takes it downstairs. Paul is skeptical that Deirdre won't fit in the box but Mary Alice says they'll make her fit (by chopping her up) and she looked at her arms,paul asked what was she doing and she repled looking to see if she was really clean(from drugs). At this point, Zach walks down the stairs and sees his parents over a dead body, (looking like paul killed her) he is told to return to bed as his parents bury the body under the uncemented area that would later become their pool. ("One Wonderful Day")

Zach spent many happy years with his mother and father and, on a seemingly ordinary day, Zach's mother received a note which caused her to retrieve a revolver that had never been used and put a bullet through her brain, leaving her family devastated. ("Pilot")

Season 1
"Thank you, Zach. You have just made this really easy for me. You are now forbidden from seeing or talking to my daughter ever again! And if you come within ten feet of her, I will call the police, and I will have you arrested! Now get out!"

- Susan Mayer

Following his mother's suicide on September 26, 2004, Zach attends the funeral and continues with the wake at his house. Bree Van de Kamp gives him and his father breakfast tyoe things so that they have a decent meal to look forward to in the morning. Later, at night time, Zach is awoken by a mysterious noise, one he recognizes. He goes to his back yard to investigate to find Paul taking a pickaxe to their pool. ("Pilot")

Zach stares at the new hole in his pool and it is revealed that the item retrieved from it is a toy chest. Paul wraps it up and dumps it in a lake. ("Ah, But Underneath")

Zach Young asks Paul why there has been no obituary put out in the paper for Mary Alice, he accuses his father of not caring about her at all. Zach finds the gun his mom used to kill herself and confronts Paul as to why he kept it, before Paul can answer, Bree is at the door to invite Zach and Paul to a dinner they are throwing in Mary Alice's honor, they refuse the invite but Zach thanks her for remembering his mom. When Zach is asleep, Paul sees a news report about the discovery of the toy chest and Zach becomes suspicious when he wakes up and Paul turns it off. Paul puts a "For Sale" sign in front of their house in the middle of the night. ("Pretty Little Picture")

The girls notice that Paul and Zach have been arguing a lot more lately and so Bree decides to go over there and invite Zach over for dinner. When at dinner, Bree shares her story of her mother's death and Zach begins to tell her why his mother killed herself and it was something he did, however, he gets scared and runs out. Bree invites Zach over for dinner again but must cancel at the last minute, this causes Zach to break into Bree's house and decorate it ready for Christmas. Bree does not press charges against him. Paul and Zach fight again and Bree goes over to check if everything is alright, Zach assures her everything's fine and she leaves, he does not tell her he struck his father. ("Come in, Stranger")

Paul places Zach in a mental institution and is told he has severe depression and borderline personality disorder, and is on antidepressants and mood stabilisers. Susan and Julie discover where Zach is and so Julie breaks in to recover information. Zach and Julie talk and he tells her that his purpose for being there is something to do with what happened to "Dana". ("Running to Stand Still")

Paul learns that Zach has escaped the institution and questions Julie about it as he knows the two have been writing to each other and wants to see the letters. Julie refuses to let him see them and Susan promises Paul that if they know something of Zach's whereabouts, they will tell him. It is revealed that Julie is lying to Paul and her mother as she is harboring Zach in her bedroom. ("Suspicious Minds")

Julie continues to hide Zach in her house and Zach is unfortunately in the house when Susan is trying to seduce Mike, when Susan thinks somebody is there, she hits Mike over the head with a thighmaster, thinking he is an intruder, the two of them then find Zach and must confront Julie. Julie is mad that Zach is given back to Paul, who seems to hate him, and Paul tells Zach to repress his memories. ("Come Back to Me")

Susan comes home to find Julie making out with Zach and demands that Paul do something about the new relationship. Paul tells her that her point is moot as he and Zach are moving, Zach is very mad about this. Zach invites Julie to his school dance and Paul and Susan chaperone. After overhearing that Julie knows something about Dana (that Zach thinks he killed his baby sister) she tries to get information from Paul at the dance. After the dance, Paul tells Zach the truth about his past and afterwards, Zach blackmails his father with the information, therefore, they do not move. Zach returns to Susan to get Julie but when she does not let him see her, he hits something towards her, causing her to throw him out. ("Your Fault")

Zach decides to throw a neighborhood pool party as a way to spend time with Julie, he is saddened to learn she may not even be attending, however, once her mother leaves, Julie heads for the party. When there, Zach tells Andrew Van de Kamp and his friends to take it easy which leads to Andrew teasing Zach and humiliating him. Zach mentions to Julie that he could kill him if he wanted to as he knows where his mothers gun is, before he mimes shooting Andrew, Julie tells him that that isn't funny but he assures her that it is. Julie leaves, creeped out by Zach. ("Impossible")

Detectives arrive at the Young house and inform Zach that a dismembered woman was found in a child's toy chest, he lies and says he doesn't know anything about it before he confronts his father. Zach is invited in to Felicia Tilman's house for some banana bread and they discuss Dana. ("Children Will Listen")

Late at night, Zach throws gravel and Julie's window and accidentally throws a handful in Susan's face. When inside to help, Julie tells him to leave. Zach reappears to Susan who tells him that Julie does not want to see him anymore, Zach yells at her before being summoned by Paul, Felicia sees this and thinks back to a conversation she had with Martha about a baby being stolen - Zach. Later, Susan's kitchen is set on fire and Zach is the culprit. ("Fear No More")

Paul drugs Zach, telling him that they are moving, and when Felicia finds him to be unresponsive, she takes him over to her house. When Paul comes to collect him, Felicia tells him to leave, knowing he killed Martha. She tells him he shouldn't take Zach with him as not being a fugitive for the rest of his life will be better for him. ("Sunday in the Park with George")

Zach is very maddened to find out that his father has left for a life on the run and has left him less-than-pleasable parting gifts. In the baseball mitt he is left, Felicia finds a note saying that Paul didn't really leave Zach and gives him a meeting place, she rips this note up. Felicia then tells Mike where Paul will be and Mike kidnaps Zach's father. ("Goodbye for Now")

Zach becomes angry with Felicia when she refuses to tell him where his father is, he ends up beating her with a hockey stick and she goes to hospital. Zach takes his mother's gun and heads on over to 4356 Wisteria Lane to kill Mike, who has his father, however, Susan arrives to feed Bongo and Zach has to take her hostage. Edie drops in to tell Susan that Felicia Tilman was attacked and Susan has to get rid of her due to the gun-toting Zach. Susan tries to reason with Zach who insists that everyone lies to him. Later, Mike arrives home and walks up the porch, ready to go into his home, unaware that Zach is in there waiting for him... ("One Wonderful Day")

Season 2
"Empire is a highfalutin word, but that's what I've built. Unfortunately, an empire can only be ruled by an iron fist and a strong gut. I wanted to give it to you, Zach, but I'm starting to have my doubts about you."

- Noah Taylor

Mike walks into his house and Susan grabs the gun from Zach, she stops him from getting away by aiming at him but she is tripped by Bongo and accidentally fires out of the window, giving Zach enough time to escape. Susan is shocked that Mike doesn't press charges against Zach and more shocked that they are called to the morgue as they have apparently found Zach, it is not him and Susan learns that Zach is Mike's biological son. ("Next")

Mike and Susan go searching for Zach down at a park with little luck. They decide to split up and Susan sees him, she chases him and he runs away. However, she soon catches up with him and the two go into a diner together, Susan convinces him to come home until she learns that he wants to restart his relationship with Julie. Susan then gives him money and tells him that he should go and search for his father, Zach goes to Utah and Mike is none the wiser. ("My Heart Belongs to Daddy")

After a while searching in Utah, Zach returns to Wisteria Lane and to Paul. Zach is confirmed the truth about his mother by Paul and asks Paul if he knows who his real father is, Paul lies and says he doesn't. Paul tells Mike to stay away from Zach now that he has returned and Mike tells Paul that if he tries to leave with Zach, then he will call the police. ("Coming Home")

Susan is shocked to see that Zach is home and goes to tell Mike, he reveals that he already knows but cannot go near him because of Paul. Julie tells her mother the perfect plan: bowling. Susan and Julie take Zach bowling and Mike "unexpectedly" stops by - the bonding begins. Later, when Zach is sleeping, Paul finds the bowling scores in his wicker basket, causing him to become mad at Mike. ("One More Kiss")

Zach goes to give blood and an annual blood drive and learns that Mike has the same rare blood-type as he does, thus piecing together that Mike is his real father. ("We're Gonna Be All Right")

Mike tells Paul that he and Zach should leave town as Detective Sullivan will be coming soon to take Zach, Zach is happy at this, having just learned that Mike is his real father. ("Thank You So Much")

Paul is arrested and beat up by prisoners and Zach begins to worry. Felicia and Mike want to help him and just as Mike tells Zach that Paul is dead, Paul is revealed to be alive after all. Zach agrees to meet his new grandfather, Noah Taylor, and tells him not to hurt his dad again. ("There is No Other Way")

Paul's porch is greased up, causing him to slip, and later, he and Zach are having a cookout and the lighter fluid has been replaced with gasoline, endangering both of them when the barbeque shoots up flames. Paul and Zach awaken the next day to their house being tented, Felicia Tilman is behind these various acts. ("Don't Look at Me")

Felicia continues her feud with Paul and when Paul and Zach find her in the kitchen, Paul tells Zach to throw out all of the food in case she tried to poison them. Later, Paul slips in blood in his kitchen, he follows a trail of it out to his garage where the cops arrest him, finding Felicia's severed fingers in the trunk of his car. He is arrested, however, Felicia Tilman is alive. ("No One is Alone")

Zach visits his father in prison and Paul tells him to get money from Noah for a good lawyer, Zach is reluctant but goes anywhere. When Zach is at Noah's, he is insulted by his grandfather, told that he has no guts, in reaction, Zach unplugs all of Noah's machines, killing him. As a result of this, Zach becomes extremely rich as he is the sole heir of Noah's fortune. He abandons his father to life in prison so that he, himself, can live the life of luxury. ("Remember, Part 1"/"Remember, Part 2")

Season 3
"Listen to me you pimply psychopath! You and I are never going to party! In fact, the only reason we're ever gonna be in the same room again is if you strangle a cheerleader and I wind up on the jury!"

- Gabrielle Solis

Gabrielle is sent flowers but is unaware who sent them, she goes crazy trying to find out who sent them and it destroys her relationship with her boyfriend. ("No Fits, No Fights, No Feuds")

Gaby is delivered more and more items and becomes scared when a dress is dropped off within her house and gets Carlos to protect her. When the guy shows up, Gaby and Carlos tackle him and he is forced to call his boss saying that he had a problem dropping off the gift, the boss agrees to meet Gaby for dinner. When she arrives at the restaurant, Gaby is shocked to discover that her secret admirer is none other than Zach Young. Gaby and Zach share the dinner and her tells her of his new-found richness but she tells him that he is way too young for her and kisses him on the forehead, he then takes this as a full-on kiss causing her to beat him off of her and leave. He tells her he is not giving up. ("Not While I'm Around")

Zach continues to try to get Gaby to love him by bribing the judges at the beauty pageant she taught for. When Mike needs a lawyer, Susan gets Gaby to date Zach in exchange for Mike's bail and his defense. Gaby and Zach go out on their date with the agreement of one kiss at the end, his kiss is less-than-satisfactory when he does something close to eating her face and he professes he was told he was a great kisser, Gaby asks him how much he paid women to say that and he becomes silent and walks away, revealing he hired prostitutes. Gabrielle later goes to Zach and apologizes, telling him that the two of them can be friends. Zach pays for Mike's lawyer and agrees to go and see Paul in jail, he arrogantly and spitefully denies Paul's request to search for Felicia Tilman, saying that he has a future wife to think about. ("Come Play Wiz Me")

Zach doesn't take to kindly to being merely Gabrielle's friend, especially when her birthday comes around. He becomes extremely jealous when she decides to go out with Luke, his lawyer. On the date, Zach tells Luke to break it off or he is fired, he tells him to tell her that she is too old for him, in response to this, Gaby literally kicks Luke of her house. Zach swoops in after this to comfort a depressed and drunk Gaby... ("I Remember That")

Gabrielle is shocked to wake up in bed with Zach who seems perfectly happy with it, she does not completely remember the encounter but Zach now believes that they are a couple. Gaby gets Carlos to talk to Zach and he tries to talk to him in the urinals but gets distracted, he goes back and tells Gaby that if she had sex with Zach, she'd remember it due to him being... well endowed. Zach then proposes to Gaby in front of everyone at the Scavo Pizzeria and she declines it, pulling him outside and finally breaking things off for good. He tells her that when she is old and alone - she will regret her decision. ("The Little Things You Do Together")

Season 7
"You're fine?! You shot me! You shot your own father! Does that sound fine to you?!"

- Paul Young

Zach loses his vast fortune and his grandfather's empire to women, gambling and drugs, the latter two he has become addicted to, Hence he now lives a small apartment with cocaine for company. Mike comes to visit him and tells him that he and Susan have had to move out and the new tenant is Paul who has been released from prison. This makes Zach angry. After wracking his brain, Zach takes his mother's gun and uses it to shoot Paul, leaving him for dead after a neighbourhood riot. ("Down the Block There's a Riot"/"Flashback")

Zach's father turns out to be fine, and to keep himself from being arrested, Zach dresses up as a delivery man with some flowers and delivers the gun, hidden in a bouquet, to Bree Van de Kamp to ditch the evidence. ("Where Do I Belong?")

Paul is later shown the gun and knows who shot him. ("I'm Still Here")

Paul asks Mike if he knows where Zach is and Mike lies, saying he doesn't. Mike then visits Zach to tell him that his dad thinks he shot him, Zach admits to it and becomes panicked. Mike tells Zach that he needs to go to rehab but Zach doesn't want to as he believes his father will have him arrested. Later, Mike and Paul reach out to Zach and decide to take him to rehab. ("Flashback")

Mike drives Zach to rehab with Paul and, when Zach becomes restless, Paul pins him up against the car wall; Mike tells him to get off. They arrive at rehab and Paul checks Zach in but is nastily told by his son that he's the reason that Mary Alice killed herself, that he's evil and no one could ever love him. Zach is presumed to remain in rehab battling his drug and gambling addictions or has died from the former. ("Farewell Letter")

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.

Trivia

 * Zach originally had the last name Scott, along with his parents during the early draft of the pilot.