Elliot Reid, M.D. is a fictional character played by Sarah Chalke^[1] in the American comedy-drama Scrubs.

Profile

Elliot is a close friend and former fellow attending physician to series protagonist J.D. (Zach Braff). The boundaries between friendship and romance have often been crossed throughout the show's run.

She is also close to Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes) and Chris Turk (Donald Faison), the series' other chief characters. During the course of the show, she has had several romantic relationships, and becomes engaged to fellow Sacred Heart doctor Keith Dudemeister (Travis Schuldt) in season 6. She breaks off the engagement in season 7, however.

Family history

She is the daughter of Simon and Lily Reid (Lane Davies and Markie Post), and is of German descent. Her father is Chief of Medicine at a private hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut.^[2] She grew up privileged but love-starved; she once attributed her many neuroses to the way she was treated by her parents. Her mother, a cold, self-absorbed alcoholic, constantly pressures her about her love life and her appearance and encourages her daughter's insecurity about sex. Elliot also has problems with her father, as she is constantly attempting to get his attention and prove to him that she is a capable doctor. She eventually stands up to him in "My Fruit Cups" after he pressures her about her career choices and tries to push her into specializing in gynaecology. Subsequently, her parents cut off financial support, forcing her to fend for herself.

Elliot also has two brothers, both of whom are also doctors. Not much is known about Bradley Reid, however her other bother Barry, is revealed to be homosexual, and came out of the closest in a big way. At one point in his life prior to being a doctor, Barry used to be a male exotic dancer for Japanese businessmen, and would often "come home, his pockets full of yen". Although both are mentioned, neither have ever appeared on the show.

Career

Elliot attended Brown University,^[3] where she was in the sorority Omega Beta Gamma (which writer Janae Bakken was a member of, but which does not have a chapter at Brown^[4]) with best friend Melody O'Harra (Keri Russell).^[5] She also played tambourine in a Christian rock band in college. At Sacred Heart, Elliot begins as an intern and later becomes a resident after a gruelling, year-long internship. She serves as Co-Chief Resident with J.D. during season 4. At the end of that season, she briefly leaves to take on an endocrinology fellowship at North County University Medical Center, which ends five days later, after her research partner finds the cure to the disease they are researching. After a brief spell at a free clinic, she returns to Sacred Heart and becomes a senior attending physician. At the end of the episode "My Coffee", she accepts an offer to become a private physician, allowing her to receive double the pay, still work at Sacred Heart, and never have to deal with superiors Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) or Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) again.

Peculiarities

When first introduced, Elliot is portrayed as a socially awkward, hyper-competitive chatterbox who puts her foot in her mouth at every conceivable opportunity (in "My Mentor", she asks an overweight woman "When's the baby due?", and accidentally insults Turk's Jehovah's Witness mother by describing people of that faith as "crazed, annoying busybodies".)^[6] She also has a tendency to tell over the top, seemingly random stories about her childhood and past, which don't always get to the point she was trying to make. According to J.D. and various patients, her bedside manner is cold and mechanical, although in more recent seasons she's been shown to bond with several patients. Her bedside manner (or lack thereof) is the reason that Dr. Cox decides to split the role of Chief Resident between her and the more sensitive J.D.

In Season 3, Elliot undergoes a noticeable transformation; she begins dressing and grooming herself in a more sexually provocative manner, and adopts a somewhat more assertive and self-assured personality.^[7] This was the result of a directive from NBC's marketing department, which wanted the show to have a sexier female star to offer the network's coveted young male demographic. A short feature on the Season 3 DVD set entitled "The New Elliot" explains the reasons for the makeover, and the response it engendered from Chalke and the show's writers.

Chalke, speaking about her character, has stated how much Elliot has changed throughout the run of Scrubs. She has stated that at the start of the series, Elliot is a competitive and independent person until she realizes that she needs the help and support of her co-workers.^[8] Talking about Elliot's transformation in the episode "My Own American Girl", Chalke stated that the transformation didn't really help Elliot's life and that Elliot is still "on a never ending journey to find respect [in season four] and now she's a lot more confident and together."^[8]

Relationships with other characters

J.D.

J.D. and Elliot have a complex relationship, as they are close friends but often grapple with their romantic feelings for each other. In Season 1, J.D. and Elliot start a relationship in "My Bed Banter & Beyond", but soon break up. They repair their friendship, but it is later revealed that they still have feelings for each other ^[9] and they begin sleeping together again in "My Monster". But their arrangement to sleep together as "sex buddies" without romantic involvement ends after only a few days, with J.D. having realized that he had deep feelings for her. In Season 3, J.D. again realizes his feelings for her as she rekindles her past relationship with Sean, but later in the season J.D. and Elliot sleep together again ^[10]and although Elliot initially decides to stay with Sean, she later leaves him to be with J.D. However, this relationship ends when J.D. breaks up with Elliot after realizing that he doesn't love her ^[11]. In Season 4 they once again repair their friendship and then move in together in Season 5.

J.D. and Elliot also have a very close friendship, built on their shared experiences as residents at the hospital, similarities in their personalities and the knowledge of each other's quirks and issues. J.D. and Elliot often seek support and advice from each other on personal and professional issues. In the episode "My Cold Shower", J.D. realizes that he may still have feelings for Elliot; in the season finale "My Point of No Return", J.D. and Elliot lean in for a kiss after a night of discussing their doubts about their respective relationships. However, in "My Own Worst Enemy", the Season 7 opener, Elliot realizes she is making a mistake and pulls away, asserting that the almost-kiss had nothing to do with her feelings for J.D.

Later on in the season, there are some subtle hints that Elliot and J.D. may be getting closer, and possibly romantic. For instance, in the episode "My Waste of Time", the episode ends with J.D. and Elliot sitting in a cafe, commenting on how everyone thinks they're together, then playing with J.D.'s son Sam, as if they were a family.

Carla

Elliot and Carla initially clash over their duties at the hospital and because of Elliot's somewhat condescending attitude towards Carla, but they gradually grow closer. Carla becomes a source of personal and professional advice for Elliot; for her part, Carla reveals before her wedding (in "My Best Friend's Wedding") that she feels closer to Elliot than to her own sisters.

Keith

Elliot starts a sex-only relationship with Keith Dudemeister in "My Buddy's Booty", much to J.D.'s chagrin. Eventually, however, they begin a romantic relationship, and, after navigating a rough patch where Elliot starts to get scared she is getting in too deep, they declare their love for each other. Keith proposes to Elliot at the end of "My Turf War," and she says yes in the following episode. ^[12] Elliot soon realizes that she does not truly love him, however, and cancels the wedding in "My Own Worst Enemy".

Sean Kelly

Elliot meets Sean (Scott Foley) in late Season 1, when he is a patient of hers. Knowing that he has the many of the same insecurities as her, Elliot is instantly attracted to him and eventually asks him out. Their relationship soon ends, however, as Elliot finds herself unable to juggle a relationship with the stresses of her internship.

Elliot meets Sean again at the beginning of Season 3, when he is with another girl. They begin dating again (much to J.D.'s consternation, as he is once again in love with her). In "His Story II", Elliot cheats on him with J.D., but then quickly goes back to Sean when he proves his commitment to her. J.D. initially agrees to remain silent about Elliot's infidelity, but when Sean and Elliot begin planning to move in J.D. tells Elliot how he feels, prompting her to leave Sean for an ultimately doomed relationship with J.D.

References

es:Elliot Reid it:Elliot Reid no:Dr. Elliot Reid pt:Elliot Reid