Dr Reid Oliver's Story - ATWT - Part 83

This is my chance to talk about Eric's acting. Yes I'm going all serious for a moment. For any actor to capture hearts of an audience of a dying show and to completely cause them to fall in love with a character so inherently UNLIKEABLE is astounding. I will give the writers credit for the concept and writing the lines and story for Eric to play. I give Eric full and complete credit for the LOVE for this character. I think it's rare for an actor so relatively unknown as Eric was, to enter a long standing show and transform a solid and seemingly unmoving fanbase into passionate fans of a new character. Reid is REAL to viewers watching and THAT is no mean feat to accomplish. Eric's acting, as I find myself saying so often, is organic and subtle. It's a LOT like Van's in a way. Eric acts without it seeming as if he's pretending at all. I know that is the very point in acting but it is NOT inherent in all actors ESPECIALLY not on a soap. Van is WAY above soap opera standard and so is Eric. There is nothing gimmicky or staged or forced about his portrayal. It's honest and real and done with, what seems like, the utmost professionalism and seriousness. I think THAT has been THE most wonderful thing about this story. The character of Reid is so REAL and VIVID because of Eric's acting that people fell in love so easily OR hated him so easily. I encourage both! I mean, intense hatred for a character shows that the actor's doing something right! However, there has been nothing short of PRAISE and such powerful praise for a new actor.
It's in his final scenes on this show that Eric takes your heart in his grip and either makes you so happy you're smiling like an idiot or crying so much you feel pathetic and have to remind yourself he's a fictional character. There's something so familiar and so real about Reid that people take his journey very personally and find themselves rooting for him so much and wishing him to have everything he wants and deserves ... it's odd, it's surprising and it's very special.

It's plain to see that Eric will go on to bigger and better things and I cannot wait to see what his career holds. To do what he's done with Reid Oliver on a show in it's dying days is remarkable so the possibilities are endless!
Wow, now that THAT shameless gushing is out of the way... to the show...

Katie's words. They hit you when you realise it ACTUALLY is and it's Reid's last day : ( It's all drama and heartbreak.
As I said in the previous video, I always see Katie and Luke as quite similar. Luke understand her and GETS her feelings and character... Reid wings it, he hasn't a frame of reference for feelings. Bless him, he's still useless and tries to do the right thing.

Ok, I know you're meant to feel so sad for Chris and I do (mainly for his family) but I can't help but think it's partly his own fault for letting it go on so long. I'm not going to be horrible here as, well, the guy's dying in a hospital bed but SERIOUSLY ... I said my piece a videos back about the fact his relationship with Katie's so rushed and poorly developed (imo anyway) that I don't really root for them... which makes the rest of the story SO much more of a bitter pill to swallow.