Zoe Anderson
Zoe Anderson | |
---|---|
Hollyoaks character | |
Pearl Anderson |
Zoe Anderson is a fictional character from the British soap opera
In addition to her work as a detective, Zoe's storylines have included developing a relationship with
Casting and characterisation
It was announced on 14 February 2022 that Garcia Brown had joined the cast of Hollyoaks as Zoe Anderson, a new detective and the granddaughter of
"Zoe is energetic, vivacious and headstrong. A wonderful detective by day, she's a wild child by night, one who loves to party."
Stephen Patterson from Metro on Zoe's personality prior to her debut (2022).[1]
Prior to her debut, Stephen Patterson from
"I didn't know what to expect coming into the show but I felt right at home the moment I got here, and I'm super excited for what's in store...There's more than meets the eye to my character Zoe – she has a lot of exciting moments on screen! I've had the pleasure of joining the Deveraux family and working with such warm and talented individuals like Kéllé Bryan, Richard Blackwood, Jorgie Porter, Jennifer Metcalfe, Eva O'Hara and more! I'm so eager for everyone to see what I've been up to."[3]
Brown has said that she likes that there are two sides to the character, with one being a "workaholic" that "won't let anything come in the way of what she has built herself up to" and the other being a character who "loves to party", let loose and be "around her friends."[4] Brown called her "headstrong" and commented that Zoe won't back down for anyone, and that Zoe has had "a lot to prove" due to becoming a DS at a young age.[5] Brown also joked that Zoe has "a lot of crime-stopping to do" due to the amount of crimes that occur in the soap.[5] Brown said that she enjoys playing the character and relates to Zoe a lot, saying that she portrays elements of herself when playing the character, though joked that she "does like to party" but not as much as Zoe.[4] She also called the character "all round fun", "loving" and "outgoing".[4] Brown also revealed that she often adds elements that she experiences everyday herself to the character.[4] In 2023, Brown told Inside Soap that "Zoe is big into visualisation and manifesting, and so am I. It definitely helped in my Hollyoaks audition, and I got the part!"[7]
Development
Introduction and early storylines
Shortly after the character's debut, Zoe was involved in a special episode focusing on
Relationship with Sam Chen-Williams
"Also, being with Sam was meant to be a bit of harmless fun and she never saw them starting a family. He was in deeper than her from the get-go - it wasn't on her vision board!...He has crazy abandonment issues because so many members of his family have left, and he pulls that out of the bag. Zoe does feel sorry for him, but that is the situation and he needs to heal. He can't put it onto her and the baby and the decision she's making - it's huge emotional blackmail."
Brown on Sam and Zoe (2023)[10]
Upon her debut, Brown teased a romance with
The following year, Sam tries to repeatedly catch criminal Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas).[11] Zoe warns Sam to stop but Sam plants drugs on him, leading to Zoe breaking up with Sam.[11] Patterson from Metro wrote that Zoe is "somewhat unsettled" by Sam's change of behaviour, and that Sam was going "to the extreme" to "prove his devotion to Zoe" as he does not want the relationship to end.[11] Zoe then finds out that she is pregnant after taking a test.[11] When Sam finds out, he makes several attempts to win Zoe back, who tells him that she will not get back with even regardless of whether she is pregnant or not.[12] Zoe plans to have an abortion due to not feeling ready to be a mother yet, and continues to deal with Sam's obession over getting back together with her, who refuses to accept that the relationship is over.[13] Sam pleads with Zoe to not go through with the termination but she tells him that work is her focus.[13]
Speaking to Inside Soap, Brown ruled out the possibility of Sam and Zoe getting back together, saying that she did not think that there was "anything left."
Sam's behaviour then gets worse when he sends Zoe a book on being a parent and managing a career.[14] Zoe is then uncomfortable when she comes home to find Sam in her flat, who has broken in.[14] She threatens to take legal action but agrees to give him five minutes to explain himself and tells him that she no longer loves him and is not keeping the baby.[14] Sam's half-sister and Zoe's friend Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson), who had assured Zoe that she would help with the situation after becoming concerned at Sam's obsessive behaviour, tells the police about Sam breaking in.[14]
Relationship with mother
Zoe's mother,
"Zoe feels betrayed by Sharon and can't believe she told her business to the person she had asked her to keep it from. They don't have the best mother-daughter relationship, Zoe was practically raised by her grandma Pearl as Sharon put her career before being a parent. I actually don't agree with Zoe hiding the pregnancy from Sam, they should've had a conversation. But Zoe thought it was easier not to tell him and get his hopes up, and she was making that decision for herself.[7]"
In 2024, Jamelia chose to leave Hollyoaks and Zoe was involved in Sharon's exit story, which aired in April 2024.[19] In the storyline, Sharon decides to move to Dubai and tries to persuade Zoe to leave with her, but Zoe does not want to leave her friends and family in the village.[19] Zoe then tells Sharon that she needs her to be proud of who she is now rather than taking her to Dubai to make up for being absent during her childhood.[19] When Sharon leaves, Zoe tells "tearfully" tells Pearl that leaving is "just" what Sharon does.[19]
Relationship with Hunter and Rayne's murder
Zoe later starts dating
Zoe becomes frustrated that she is unable to work and breaks up with Hunter, blaming him for being part of the murder investigation.
Storylines
Zoe arrives in Hollyoaks and accepts a job as a Detective Sergeant at Dee Valley University Hospital, replacing
Zoe and Sam try to prove that criminal Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) is running an illegal business but they fail to do so, with Warren threatening Zoe and warning her to leave him alone. Sam, who wants to impress Zoe and help her get a promotion, continues to try to catch Warren, with Zoe repeatedly telling him to stop. Sam goes as far as planting drugs on him which leads to Zoe, who is unsettled by his behaviour, breaking up with Sam. Sam refuses to accept the end of the relationship. Zoe finds out that she is pregnant and plans to have an abortion, not wanting to jeopardise her career. Sam pleads with her to not go through with the termination but Zoe refuses, telling him that it is her choice and that she does not want her child growing up like Zoe, who did receive enough attention from Sharon due to her dedication to her job. Zoe is angry at her mother for having told Sam about the pregnancy and threatens to report her for breaking patient confidentiality. Zoe is accidentally hit when she tries to break up a fight between Sam and Ethan due to Ethan having known that Zoe was pregnant and planning to have an abortion. Sam's obsessive behaviour grows worse, even going as far as sending Zoe a book on how to handle parenting whilst having a career. Sam then breaks into Zoe's flat to talk to her and she threatens legal action but agrees to hear him out. Zoe tells Sam that she no longer loves him and will not keep the baby. Zoe is accused of calling the police on a remorseful Sam but it is revealed that it was Maxine who actually did so.
Zoe goes on a date with
Reception
Garcia Brown was longlisted for Best Newcomer at the 2022
A month after her debut, Joe Anderton from Digital Spy wrote that Zoe had "already made quite the impression as someone who is dedicated to her job".[6] However, Anderton's colleague, Daniel Kilkelly, wrote that Zoe's relationship with Sam was "oddly portrayed" due to the characters "hardly ever sharing romantic scenes (or any screen time at all, for that matter) when they're supposed to be a couple."[30] Alice Penwill from Inside Soap agreed, commenting that their romance "does seem to have taken a back seat".[31] Johnathon Hughes from Inside Soap called Zoe a "glamorous cop desperate to prove herself" and added that she had made a "big" impact on Hollyoaks, and believed that Brown was one of the soap's "Rising stars".[16]
In 2023, Charlotte Tutton from the Daily Mirror called Zoe a "surprising suspect" in Rayne's murder and that "viewers will no doubt be hoping Zoe isn't the killer", as well as adding that Zoe being the killer would "certainly be quite the twist".[20] Sophie Dainty from Digital Spy placed Zoe fifth on her list of the biggest suspects of Rayne's murder and noted that she could not see Zoe killing Rayne, but added that "stranger things have certainly happened in Hollyoaks".[22] Dainty also called Zoe "level-headed".[22]
References
- ^ a b c Stephen, Patterson. "Hollyoaks spoilers: Garcia Brown cast as Pearl's granddaughter and new detective Zoe". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Knight, Dominic. "Hollyoaks welcomes Garcia Brown to the cast". ATV Today. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Harp, Justin. "Hollyoaks casts Garcia Brown as new detective for the village". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Youtube. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Penwill, Alice (19–25 March 2022). ""Zoe won't back down!"". Inside Soap. pp. 52–53.
- ^ a b c d Anderton, Joe. "Hollyoaks newcomer Garcia Brown teases possible romance for Zoe Will she put love, or lust, above her work?". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Hughes, Johnathon (3–9 June 2023). ""Sam is blackmailing Zoe into having his baby!"". Inside Soap. pp. 46–47.
- ^ Alexander, Susannah. "Hollyoaks reveals more details of special episode airing next week". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Patterson, Stephen; Lindsay, Duncan. "Hollyoaks spoilers: Garcia Brown reveals viewers will be 'shouting' at their TVs amid harrowing knife-crime storyline". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Lewis, George. "Hollyoaks star Garcia Brown rules out future Zoe story". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Patterson, Stephen. "Hollyoaks spoilers: Pregnancy storyline confirmed for detective Zoe Anderson". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ Sarrubba, Stefania. "7 Hollyoaks spoilers: Two pregnancies and a change of heart". Radio Times. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Harp, Justin. "Hollyoaks' Zoe Anderson chooses to terminate pregnancy". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Patterson, Sam. "Hollyoaks spoilers: Sam Chen-Williams arrested in shock hostage horror". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ Warner, Sam. "Hollyoaks return for Jamelia confirmed as she reprises Sharon Bailey role". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b Hughes, Johnathon (10–16 September 2022). ""Zoe & Ethan might need each other one day!"". Inside Soap. No. 37. pp. 48–49.
- ^ a b Hughes, Johnathon (3–9 June 2023). "Some kind of SUPER-MA!". Inside Soap. p. 47.
- ^ Cooper, Brenna. "Hollyoaks airs harrowing pregnancy scene for Zoe Anderson as Sam obsession grows". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Anderton, Joe (24 April 2024). "Hollyoaks airs Sharon Bailey exit in latest episode". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Tutton, Charlotte (23 September 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Hollyoaks reveals surprising suspect in Rayne murder in big change for character". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Harriet (12 September 2023). "Hollyoaks' Zoe Anderson to make a mistake in Hunter story". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Dainty, Sophie (27 September 2023). "Hollyoaks – Who killed Rayne Royce?". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Gonzalez, Elliot (10 October 2023). "Zoe calls things off between her and Hunter in Hollyoaks". I Talk Telly. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Harriet (14 November 2021). "Hollyoaks' Zoe Anderson makes incriminating discovery in Rayne story". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (28 November 2023). "Hollyoaks teases dramatic arrest in Rayne storyline in 8 new spoiler pictures". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. p. 6. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b Kilkelly, Daniel (2 December 2023). "Hollyoaks hints at Rayne Royce's real killer in suspicious note". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Inside Soap Awards announces nominations and new category for 2022 event". Digital Spy. 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Inside Soap Awards announce final shortlist for 2022 ceremony". Digital Spy. 10 August 2023.
- ^ Rowan, Iona (20 December 2022). "The Digital Spy Reader Awards 2022 full results". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel. "Hollyoaks has failed the Chen-Williams family as another cast exit is confirmed". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Penwill, Alice (7–13 January 2023). "Soapbox". Inside Soap. No. 1. p. 43.