Dr. Reid Oliver's Last Turn Of The World

One of the guilty pleasures of no longer working in an office is that between rounding and admitting and just hanging around the hospital waiting for the next mini-disaster, one can occasionally catch one's soap.

Of course, my favorite soap went off the air last year (allow me to pause for a moment to remember Reva and Josh . . . "Always, Bud").

Now, CBS is cancelling As The World Turns after a 54-year run.  I didn't care so much, because my favorite character, the deliciously-evil-in-his-younger-days, Dr. John Dixon, left Oakdale one day a few years back . . . without any explanation whatsoever . . . and never came back . . . well, until last week . . . at the invitation of another young, deliciously-wicked, snarky, brilliant, totally-hot neurosurgeon, Dr. Reid Oliver.

Oliver was so deliciously wicked that he unwittingly-but-maybe-not contributed to the break-up of daytime TV's first gay super-couple, Luke and Noah.

Oliver brought Dixon back to consult on the case of Dr. Chris Hughes, a noble-but-not-so-brilliant Pediatrician (and member of the soap's core Hughes family) who fairly-stupidly thought he had "beaten" the myocarditis that resulted from an unamed virus he contracted while doing charitable work in third-world countries (you see, he is very noble).  He basically ignored his recurrent & worsening symptoms and kept his family/potential-new-girlfriend (the hapless and annoying Katie - I think they're actually second-cousins) in the dark.  It really got on the fans' nerves . . . from what I've read in the chat rooms, most wouldn't care if he did kick the bucket (or get hit by a train).

Drs. Oliver and Hughes were both candidates for the Chief-of-Staff job at Oakdale's Memorial Hospital - a position being vacated by Chris's Dad, Dr. Bob Hughes. 

That side-story . . . which featured the Hughes family's HUGE sense of entitlement to the position (and all of their hob-nobbing with "the right people" to secure the position for Chris) . . . quite frankly reminded me a little too much of Asheboro, and was nauseating to watch.

Dr. Hughes-Junior wound up in heart failure and on the transplant list.  And Drs. Hughes-Senior, Dixon and Oliver (Katie's roomate - small town neurosurgeons being unable to afford their own digs) were pulling out their hair trying to find him a new ticker.

Long story short, Dr. Oliver wound up racing to the mythical Bay City to fight with a cardiologist who had "kidnapped" the heart that Tom Hughes (Chris's brother and everybody's lawyer) had miraculously secured for Chris.  Oliver's plan apparently was to grab the cooler and run.  He apparently was prompted by his new-found love for Luke.

On the way to Bay City, the usually-very-smart Dr. Oliver very stupidly tried to out-run a train and (of course) his crappy-for-a-neurosurgeon car stalled on the crossing.

His seat belt wouldn't unfasten, and the car doors would not unlock (as they often do in cheap cars unworthy of neurosurgeons), and, on Friday's "cliff-hanger", Oliver's car was hit by the train with him still in it.

(Driving tip passed down from my train-nut Father:  Airbags generally don't help in such situations.  When the crossing arm comes down and you hear the whistle - STOP your fricking car.)

Today, the deliciously-wicked Dr. Oliver was rushed to Memorial where he remained lucid enough to will his heart to Chris and suck face with Luke before he flat-lined from his conveniently undescribed (and totally unconvincing from the lack of gore, road-burn and his Glascow coma scale) mortal injuries.

Reid was even able to crack a joke to Luke before he coded . . . "Who'd have thought I had one (a heart) to give away?"

(Pause for a choke and sob.  It really was the stuff of great soap-suds.  It's actually a good thing that ATWT is getting cancelled, because otherwise scenery would definitely need to be replaced for all of the actors' teeth marks.)

The deliciously-evil, Dr. Dixon (who was a mere stud-muffin cardiologist when he left Oakdale - but who is now apparently a cardio-thoracic surgeon) performed the transplant as today's credits rolled.

(It's a real shame too.  I would have really enjoyed a story-line that made Dr. Dixon Dr. Oliver's baby-daddy.  Because those two were peas-in-an-evil-pod.) 

As I indicated before, the actors were all chewing scenery like the world will turn no more.

Of course, in two weeks, it won't.

That brings me back to the home front.

Two dear friends, who are gay, are considering moving back to Randolph County.  I've been concerned about that plan (still being fleshed-out), and this weekend, when they came in for a visit, I asked them very bluntly . . .

Are you two VERY SURE you want to be gay in Randolph County?  I mean, the powers-that-be just thought I was a lesbian and treated me like dirt.  You're the real deal. 

I don't want you to get hurt . . . because this place plays dirty and for keeps.

They assured me they would be fine and I need not worry. 

But I still will.  Because I love them.  Not in a gay way.  And not that there's anything wrong with that.

Anyway, during the course of their visit, the subject of As The World Turns imminent demise came up, and I told them about the gay super-couple-that-would-not-get-to-really-be-a-super-couple.  Today, after the episode, I e-mailed a summary:

I am very sorry to report that the gay "super couple" on As The World Turns is no more. The gay/noble Neurosurgeon was hit by a train on Friday, is brain-dead today (insert actors chewing scenery), and is donating his do-gooding heart to the almost-as-noble Pediatrician (straight and a "right person" in Oakdale) - who will, no doubt, be up and walking around tomorrow.

Chris will survive.  At some point in the near future, Luke will lay his head on Chris's chest and listen to Reid's heart.  Chris and Katie will get married.  Their first child will be named Reid.  Noah will return to nurse Luke's broken heart back to health.  Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 

All will be right for the right people in Oakdale.  But I'm really bummed about Dr. Reid Oliver.

I am very familiar with the story, you see.  The noble doctor pays the price for everyone else's happiness - with her - excuse me - his heart.