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Post by caitlinp on Aug 2, 2010 19:52:56 GMT -5
I didn't quote it, but we've seen Reid be compassionate before, so the scene with Molly was not something that came out of the blue. Just off of the top of my head, I'd point out that one of his demands for the new wing was that they cater to those who don't have health insurance, he came up with a way for Noah to pay for his operation, when the plan was for the operation to take place in Dallas, he was patient with Luke when Luke accused him of purposefully botching Noah's surgery, and least we forget, he encouraged Noah to fight for Luke.
But, in that scene with Molly, Reid was still in character. He didn't come out and try to fill her up with a lot of false hope, or try to be to cutesy with what he said. He was actually being pragmatic.
He wasn't being compassionate with the nurse, but he's never been that way while he's on the job. That's not the way that he handles his business. It's not the way that a lot of doctors handle themselves when they are on the job.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2010 20:11:57 GMT -5
He wasn't being compassionate with the nurse, but he's never been that way while he's on the job. That's not the way that he handles his business. It's not the way that a lot of doctors handle themselves when they are on the job. Frankly, I’m not a big fan of this excuse either, because Reid can be just as cordial with people on the job and outside of it. And we have also seen him being a jerk outside of work; it can have consequences in both instances. For me personally, just because other doctors can be jerks doesn’t mean there aren’t non-jerky docs out there and Reid can’t be one of them. He just chooses his way in all the settings he’s in, and that’s for him to deal with, good and bad. He is what he is, and some people will like him as is while others won’t, but for me it's about who he is and how he acts, not the fact that because he might resemble others in some ways, that makes it okay or better.
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Post by Zathras on Aug 2, 2010 20:13:03 GMT -5
Yeah, I have to go with macari and caitlinp on this one, at least insofar as Reid didn't seem out-of-character for me today. He's always an ass, just sometimes it shows less than other times. He's brutally honest, but he can tame his words when he chooses. It just seems to me that he doesn't bother most of the time. Maybe he did so this time because he knew it meant something to Luke, and alienating Luke's family wouldn't be conducive to a happy relationship. I dunno, it's just supposition on my part. I can't deny that ATWT has been ... inconsistent with many of their characterizations over time. For whatever reason today worked for me. I did like the banter between them today. Van and Eric are getting better at playing off of each other in their scenes.
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Post by Bonobochick on Aug 2, 2010 20:40:08 GMT -5
He didn't seem to mind with Lily. Which belies to me last week's failed sensitivity training (and Reid's own comments that he doesn't give a shit & tells it like it is no matter what even if it's offensive) and wonder the whole point pushing that he had no social skills when interacting with subordinates and colleagues. And the world in general... then have that followed by scenes like today's as the very next time he is shown - a 180 in behavior and defying the statements made about it in the prior week's scenes by the character. I call shenanigans. Hence my Sybill comment, because it seems like whether Reid's an asshole or sweet or compassionate or misunderstood or socially inept, they're all his "REAL" personality depending on the scene even though the behaviors are incongruous. The writers need to pick a personality for him and have him own it instead of switching up his personality at a moment's notice & using him as a catalyst depending on the mood they want to set for a scene.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2010 21:07:28 GMT -5
Really, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the way you feel about the character, B-Chick. Because I think if the character existed as written in real life (I know, I know), there would likely be people taking him like you are as well. The fact that he takes contradictory tangents can believably create situations where his demonstrations of kindness or compassion are received with a lot of suspicion, just because he’s usually an ass. Others might just receive it positively as a nice change, and even others can decide to dismiss those kind moments altogether as complete b.s. As written as of now, it can go plausibly all of these ways, and it’s the character who bears responsibility for it all. Now, I don’t discount ATWT at some point overdoing it (in my view) one way or another. I don’t discount anything with this show. Hell, it could just be non-linear writing that coincidently works today for some of us too, lol.
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md1347
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Post by md1347 on Aug 2, 2010 21:24:18 GMT -5
^^ Those contradictory tangents, IMO, make the story hard to follow and give the impression that the character is all over the place. I didn't think the Reid we saw today was the Reid we should have seen. I was expecting more of "Kim and Bob's renewal" Reid and not, well, a half normal person. I was almost expecting him to say he brought brownies with him or something.
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Post by caitlinp on Aug 2, 2010 21:42:38 GMT -5
Frankly, I’m not a big fan of this excuse either, because Reid can be just as cordial with people on the job and outside of it. And we have also seen him being a jerk outside of work; it can have consequences in both instances. For me personally, just because other doctors can be jerks doesn’t mean there aren’t non-jerky docs out there and Reid can’t be one of them. He just chooses his way in all the settings he’s in, and that’s for him to deal with, good and bad. He is what he is, and some people will like him as is while others won’t, but for me it's about who he is and how he acts, not the fact that because he might resemble others in some ways, that makes it okay or better. I'm not saying that it makes it okay, what I am saying is that his attitude on the job has been well established, and it is part of who he is. But, we have seen more than one example that he knows how to be compassionate, and for the most part, when he shows compassion it is warranted, and when he is hard nosed, that's usually warranted as well, or there is usually a reason given for his demeanor. Despite what some have said, the man is not a villain or someone who's character needs to be redeemed. He's actually a pretty normal person, and best of all, he's a three dimensional character, which is sadly not the case for most of the characters on ATWT. For me, the character has depth, but I guess others see that as being contradictory. Nobody in real life is one way all of the time, we all have the ability, and often do, show compassion in some situations and not in others, most of us also tend to act one way at work, and another during our free time. I'd even go further and say that many of us act one way with our friends, and another with people who we don't know, or aren't very close to. IMHO, that's just part of being human. Reid is not a one note character, and their were reasons behind his behavior today, just like there have been reasons why he behaves like he does with Chris, and others at the hospital. Also, considering that we've seen scenes of Reid being compassionate over the course of this story, I don't understand how today's scene would go in line with making the storyline hard to follow. Nothing that he did today was out of character, including his talk with Molly, where he was truthful, but not mushy.
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Post by Bonobochick on Aug 2, 2010 21:58:33 GMT -5
I might be suspicious, Macari. Maaaaaybe.
Md1347, thanks for the laugh about the brownies.
I don't recall seeing it stated by anyone that Reid was a villain, explicitly or implicitly, nor do I recall seeing any call for redemption. What I see is issues with the writing for the character. Speaking for myself, I know I said neither. I said the writers need to pick a personality and have him own it. Two different things. Not being a fan doesn't automatically mean I think he's evil. I just remain unimpressed by the character and the contradictory behavior that is legitimized as the "real" Reid. I stated that he is haphazardly written and all over the place where no matter what scene it is, it's his "true" core personality even if the scenes that preceed or follow are in opposition to the characters own words or his behavior at the time. It's not too much to ask for consistentcy (well, with ATWT, it just might be) especially if it's coming from the character regarding how unapologetic he is about being direct to the point of rudeness with people.
Then why last week when he acted and voiced he didn't care to be compassionate? What was the point of it? It just seems like a waste of time to me to have something like last week's comments from the character & subsequent behavior followed by something totally opposite in behavior like in today's ep. IMO, it doesn't make him 3-D, it makes him seem bi-polar.
And while that is true, if someone goes around saying they believe in behaving in a certain way and then act opposite suddenly for any reason, it's cause for the side eye, IMO. It would be less contradictory if not for things stated by the character about not giving a shit about softening blows then is directly followed by him being Mr. Joe Sensitive & Understanding.
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Post by caitlinp on Aug 2, 2010 22:16:44 GMT -5
I don't remember him saying that he doesn't want to be compassionate. He said that he doesn't think he needs to change, and that he doesn't have a problem dealing with people. He's shown compassion in the past, I don't know how this can be denied, and he's shown that he believes he has to have this hard exterior at work, especially since he often sees patients who don't want to see him. He reacted to the nurse like he did because he felt that she was wasting his time, so what does that have to do with showing compassion for Molly? There are no similarities between the two situations. How is showing compassion for Molly any different from showing compassion for Noah? It's all about the situation, nobody in life is compassionate all of the time, or in every situation. There are times when it is necessary to be brutally honest, or even insulting, and others where it's necessary to be prop people up.
Even with Molly Reid's words were not sugary or false, like they would have been if anyone else in that kitchen had spoke to her. He was honest, and still snarky, with the words that he used to calm her down and make her smile.
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Post by Zathras on Aug 2, 2010 23:31:25 GMT -5
He didn't seem to mind with Lily. Fair enough ;D.
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Post by Hawthorne on Aug 3, 2010 0:02:33 GMT -5
I didn't find Reid out of character. He basically has this harsh, cynical exterior with a soft interior that sometimes shows through. Today it showed through. Luke wouldn't be interested in him if there weren't these hints that he's a total softy deep down.
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md1347
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Post by md1347 on Aug 3, 2010 6:30:55 GMT -5
Despite what some have said, the man is not a villain or someone who's character needs to be redeemed. He's actually a pretty normal person, and best of all, he's a three dimensional character, which is sadly not the case for most of the characters on ATWT. It's the show giving that impression. Luke has to redeem Reid, make him human, fix him. The show is giving the impression that he's broke an that Luke has to fix him. Granted some Nuke/Noah fans hate him. I don't. I think he's a good snarky character but I just don't think he's a good fit with Luke. Reid saying "We're together" or whatever and then grabbing Luke's hand, just felt like something that tweens would do and not grown men. There was no love or lust, that I could see.
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Post by caitlinp on Aug 3, 2010 16:42:00 GMT -5
Despite what some have said, the man is not a villain or someone who's character needs to be redeemed. He's actually a pretty normal person, and best of all, he's a three dimensional character, which is sadly not the case for most of the characters on ATWT. It's the show giving that impression. Luke has to redeem Reid, make him human, fix him. The show is giving the impression that he's broke an that Luke has to fix him. Granted some Nuke/Noah fans hate him. I don't. I think he's a good snarky character but I just don't think he's a good fit with Luke. Reid saying "We're together" or whatever and then grabbing Luke's hand, just felt like something that tweens would do and not grown men. There was no love or lust, that I could see. I actually don't think the show is giving this impression, if this was the case then Reid would be a lot worse than he is. He wouldn't have shown compassion to Luke, Noah, Katie, and Molly. He wouldn't have had those quiet father/son like moments with Bob. And, if this was the case, Luke wouldn't have said what he did about Reid needing to be glad that he "likes him inspite of how he acts" (paraphrasing), that was a very important scene, which showed that Luke doesn't want Reid to turn into someone who he's not. Considering that Reid has shown these two sides throughout his run on the show, remember Reid helping Noah fund the surgery and demanding that the wing cater to those without insurance, happened months ago, how exactly can he be redeemed, or why does he need to be redeemed.
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HQ75
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Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)
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Post by HQ75 on Aug 3, 2010 17:40:29 GMT -5
Despite what some have said, the man is not a villain or someone who's character needs to be redeemed. He's actually a pretty normal person, and best of all, he's a three dimensional character, which is sadly not the case for most of the characters on ATWT. It's the show giving that impression. Luke has to redeem Reid, make him human, fix him. The show is giving the impression that he's broke an that Luke has to fix him. Granted some Nuke/Noah fans hate him. I don't. I think he's a good snarky character but I just don't think he's a good fit with Luke. Reid saying "We're together" or whatever and then grabbing Luke's hand, just felt like something that tweens would do and not grown men. There was no love or lust, that I could see. DITTO. Totally agree. I really like Reid as a character on his own and I can imagine boyfriend for him who would be better suited and believable and make me care passionately about him having a love life. Reid and Luke just don't seem compatible at all to me. I love Luke and Noah together. Totes. But I'm not at all opposed to either of them being with someone else if it works and is believable and I feel engaged. I loved Reg. He was sexy and smart and funny and when he looked at Luke it was very engaging and I thought HE would have made a perfect triangle for NUKE. That pairing had tons of potential and was believable. I just don't see it with Luke or Reid and I've given them plenty of time to make me feel it. I don't like the idea of it being Luke's job to teach Reid "how to be". That's crazy to me. It's not interesting to watch and it just makes Reid seem like a giant baby man. It also isn't anything Luke would ever be attracted to. Luke is all about folks being real and honest and warm and giving. Reid may be brilliant and he may have warm spots in his heart for Katie and the baby (perhaps Bob sometimes when he wants something) but he mostly just seems to want to "get" Luke but doesn't really know what to do with him now that he has him. It's just a weird way to end a show, it's a weird way to write the last month of Luke as a character. The whole thing just lacks passion, or emotion or any kind of romance. Where is the romance?
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Post by Bonobochick on Aug 3, 2010 17:48:41 GMT -5
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Post by Zathras on Aug 3, 2010 19:50:04 GMT -5
So ... Luke apparently still isn't over Noah. Or something. His stated reason for not having sex with Reid is that he associates sex with Noah. Still. So he needs ... time. It sounds so much like something ATWT would do . But even given that, why on earth did he back away when Reid just went in for a kiss to begin with? I would be as annoyed as Reid appeared to be. Am I the only one who's underwhelmed by this turn of events?
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Post by caitlinp on Aug 3, 2010 20:17:03 GMT -5
Actually, Reid held out his hand, and Luke took it. Reid then pulled Luke to his side, but he didn't grab Luke's hand. I thought that scene was sweet, as was the huge smile on Luke's face, and the smile when he proudly said that Reid was with him.
Re: Luke/Reid « Reply #615 Today at 7:50pm »
I think he was saying that he associates the setting with Noah, and that Noah is the only man that he's ever been with. I don't think that it's about Luke not being over Noah, as much as Luke not being ready to take such a big step with Reid, especially after everything that he went through with Noah and his family. Noah is the one who he thought he would marry and be with forever, an he has to deal with that not being the case.
While I understand why Reid would be hurt by Luke moving his head, especially when the kiss looked like it was going to be a lot more chaste than the one that Luke gave Reid, I think he did that because he knew, based on Reid talking about the bed and being alone, that Reid wanted to do more than kiss, and Luke wanted to put the brakes on that before things went to far.
I think the scene would have payed better if they had been kissing first, and then Reid tried to nudge him towards the bed. But, the scene did give Reid a chance to give the right answer when Luke asked him if he was going to ask when would he be ready. I think Reid not asking the question, and his response, meant a lot to Luke.
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Post by caitlinp on Aug 3, 2010 20:51:55 GMT -5
Reg was portrayed by a day player, who was only in a few episodes. Someone came up with the total around the time that the character was killed, in order to show how stupid it was for the show to try to pass off the murder of someone who most viewers didn't know as if it was a big deal. Anthony Langford might have the exact figure, but I believe he was in less than ten episodes, so I'm not sure I could be so sure that he would have been a good mate for Luke.
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HQ75
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Post by HQ75 on Aug 3, 2010 21:55:02 GMT -5
I never said Reg was a major character. My point was I thought he and Luke had chemistry. Lack of Screentime is hardly an argument when it comes to ATWT.
Major long term characters who are legacy figures have suffered from lack of screen time. Lucinda disappears for months at a time.
The 4 scenes that Luke and Reg shared when he was ALIVE and flirting (and if you really watch, he had a lot of scenes or a day player over the course of 2 years) were really great and if there was going to be a real triangle, I thought they set him up as the perfect character for it (before they killed him randomly.)
For me it was all about the characters' interplay, not the number of hours on screen.
That's all I was saying.
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Post by Hawthorne on Aug 3, 2010 22:24:07 GMT -5
I don't know if it's even worth trying to analyze why Luke pulled back from sex with Reid because it's probably mostly P&G and the show avoiding dealing with gay sex.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2010 22:36:59 GMT -5
This epi was just okay for me. Not much aside from Reid’s continued food addiction and habit of taking it without asking, and Luke’s questionable haircut. I don’t know why I kept going back to that haircut every time he was on. It was just… weirdly coiffed. It’s also interesting that Reid pretty much acknowledged consciously opting not to be a jerk and throw insults around Luke’s family to please Luke, once again confirming that Reid’s actions and behavior come from very conscious choices from Reid himself. So, still no sex between those two grown men, but at least there was a kiss and Reid thinks Luke’s not far off from a Victorian heroine, LOL! It’s funny how it’s pretty much only when they kiss that I’m really reminded that Reid is shorter than Luke. And somehow Noah can still factor in somewhat screwing things up for Luke/Reid despite having been MIA for almost what, 2 months? Amazing power there, Ghost!Noah! At best this episode could be a good setup for the future, whatever it is, if ATWT does things somewhat right. I’ll be cautious again and just wait. I kind of agree with this. There’s no real romance … yet? It's kind of true of maybe all storylines though. It’s not even that I need romance, but for me, there has been a bit of a letdown so far overall. But it’s been better this week in general, because we’ve had more and better hints of the potential ways the relationship can go. I wish I could see more actual singular character growth as well, but at this point, I might be asking too much of this show.
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Post by caitlinp on Aug 4, 2010 18:19:59 GMT -5
The contrast between Chris begging/pushing Katie for sex today, and the scene between Luke and Reid in the honeymoon suite yesterday, was so strong. But, I can't shake the feeling that a show that things that Dusty's treatment of women is sexy, doesn't realize that Chris behavior towards Katie was inappropriate. I can't imagine the outcry from not only Nuke fans, but also bigots, if Reid treated Luke like Chris treats Katie. It was bad enough when Chris told Katie that it's time that she takes off her wedding ring, or, and this is a direct quote, that she needs to get over Brad's death, but now he's acting like a teenager and pressuring her for sex, and that this is explored during the next seven weeks.
I remember the claims from a few months ago that Reid trying to push Luke back to Noah was just Reid's way of trying to manipulate Luke, and while I don't think there's any evidence of that being true, I just can't get over how Chris has been behaving. I really hope that tptb are doing this on purpose in order to let Chris grow-up after he learns that he is sick. I also hope the contrast in the way that Reid is acting in comparison to how Chris is acting is something that the producers are doing on purpose.
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Post by esinegerp on Aug 4, 2010 19:58:54 GMT -5
at least there was a kiss this time...but sometimes it seems that American soaps are so overly cautious with gay couples that the long build up to them having sex leaves the show with little to say afterwards. For example on One Life To Live, part of the reason that the show fizzled was that once the characters finally had sex the show never really transitioned them into other storylines, or on ATWT after Luke and Noah got together initially the show had so much trouble coming up with consistent stories. With Reid at least the shows been able to work him into plots involving other characters and he had an identity before he was introduced as a love interest for Luke. The foreign soaps that have been more successful with long-term gay character storylines seem to be better about keeping the sexuality of their characters as just one part of their overall story instead of their whole reason for inclusion, i.e. AZWT & VB. I'm curious to see in the little remaining time left to the show if the writers manage to bring some of that balance into the Luke/Reid story.
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Post by overtherainbow on Aug 8, 2010 8:28:55 GMT -5
The last episode was.. aww LOVED it! And the kiss was just too cute! And them holding hands was cuteness overload!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2010 15:47:13 GMT -5
Today's episode was passable I guess. This Luke coaching Reid is really inane to me (even more when Bob and Luke discuss babysitting this 35 year- old man on the sidelines), and, as shown again today, so damn unnecessary. Hopefully that part of the storyline ends this week and we won’t have to hear about that teaching this more-than-capable-of-people-skills-when-he-wants-to grownup how to behave anymore. I’m thinking from this point on it’s more about Reid than Luke (or maybe even Luke/Reid?). Really, what is Luke doing these days aside from “babysitting”/coaching and following Reid around? It looks like the hospital is the new Java for Luke. Luke – the legacy character – just won’t get that individual growth and personal drive I was hoping for at all, will he? This show. But hey, there was a kiss (which was the best one for this couple IMO), and of course they had to add that doomed “Life is short”. Considering today’s confirmed spoiler, this is all I have regarding this show’s subtlety and idea of romance: . This show has an ability to make people bitter so fast, lol.
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