the show right out of drama school and replacing Jake Weary*. Van really nailed it as Luke Synder who was like 17-ish on the show and coming out to his parents and family. That whole boyish naivety worked for a teenager but it feels like Van is trying to carry that same energy over to a 40 year old man and it absolutely does not work here.
*I always felt like Jake Weary got a bum rap when he left the show. He was honest about how demanding the schedule was for him as a 15-16 year old, trying to attend a public high school and work on a soap opera. When they told him they wanted him on set more for the coming out story, he told them he just couldn't manage it so they agreed to recast. People immediately accused him of being homophobic and quitting because he didn't want to play a gay character which is funny because his most prominent role in prime time since has been a gay character (in "Animal Kingdom").
