When the rumors last week started to swirl about a leading male character being fired, fan speculation was fast and furious. Initial reports that the character was male and married proved to be right --- and wrong. Though the performer in question is male, his character is not married.
The AMC Pages have learned that David Beecroft (Eliot) has been released from his contract. A spokesperson for ABC, while extremely pleasant and willing to answer questions on a variety of other non-related topics, was unwilling to confirm the report.
It's been no secret that the Brooke-Eliot storyline has fizzled since its inception. Shortly after Eliot revealed that he was really the man who had killed Brooke's daughter, Laura Cudahy, the storyline seemed to go nowhere. Additionally, actress Julia Barr has expressed frustration that the story has been relegated to a back-burner plot.
It is unclear why the writers decided to drop the storyline. Fans have been critical of the plot ever since the writers used jailhouse plastic surgery to explain why Eliot had a new face, one that Brooke did not remember.
Moreover, many fans were unhappy with the way the storyline had developed. Brooke and Eliot had a pinch of a relationship when Eliot revealed his secret. If the pair had developed a stronger bond and been in love, it might have made Eliot's confession more powerful. In essence, in some fans' minds, there wasn't enough oomph behind the saga to really generate feelings from the fans.
Brooke has apparently accepted, if not forgiven, Eliot's transgressions. The idea of Eliot and Brooke ever getting back together must have seemed impossible even to the writers. So, another of the men in Brooke's life will leave town. If you're keeping track, Eliot is added to a list that already includes: Dimitri, Jim Thomasen and Pierce numbers one through three.
Now comes the question of what to do with Brooke. Barr's fans have been irate over the writers' neglect of her character. Barr has hopes that she and Edmund (played by John Callahan) will be able to share some more on-screen time together -- even if a romance doesn't re-ignite.
Expect Beecroft's final scenes to air in mid-to-late January.
