Character Studies – Part Two

Cam Gigandet plays Roy Rayder, the co-star City Attorney of Charleston to Anna Wood's Jamie Sawyer, Yankee defense attorney in the CBS summer drama Reckless. Roy Rayder is pictured above in his two modes: the easygoing southern gentleman and the suave, understated but in-command lawyer.

Roy Rayder is the go-by-the-book City Attorney, unabashedly determined to do everything right. At times, he comes off as a tad self-righteous because of it, but his serious efforts to get the best and lawfully fairest results for the clients he serves make him an attractive combination of dedication and diligence. He's a bulldog if he believes he's right and will fight without mercy to get justice.

Complications arise when he finds himself drawn to Jamie Sawyer. Definitely not the "proper" southern belle type he's used to in Charleston, she possesses the same drive and passion to defend her clients as he does. He's the divorced father of two young girls and through the course of this first series, he warns his ex-wife Shelby about her engagement to a wealthy manipulative real estate magnate in cahoots with her father Dec Fortnum, Roy's boss at a prestigious law firm.

Midway through the season of Reckless, he grudgingly visits his mother to confirm some sordid information he received about her and the singular illegal action of his deceased play-by-the-rules City Attorney father. He listens to her explanation, but his judgmental pain surfaces in concluding their meeting.

The pop and sizzle transmitted between Roy and Jamie, their love-hate relationship when they're dueling in court, and their mutual respect for each other are all part of the extreme UST created by the writers of Reckless. Roy maintains his powerful presence with a slight southern drawl, his straightforward confrontations, his muted frustrations mixed with pointed and revealing expressions, all accomplished with rarely raising his voice. Matching Jamie's sensuality, Roy Rayder is a focused, determined, charismatic character who usually gets what he wants. Sparring with the woman he comes to admire, he finds himself conflicted in his priorities. Loneliness taunts him in the background of his life as it does Jamie. In many ways they're two of a kind, floundering emotionally, trying always to keep their jobs/clients at the forefront of their concerns and almost failing to do so when alone together.

The compelling two-hour Series Finale of Reckless puts Roy in the middle of having to make the toughest decision of his life, one he didn't see coming and one that challenges every desire to do the right thing. Suddenly the lines blur in his life, and the turmoil he faces accelerates in the final scene of this compelling replacement drama.

I can't imagine any actor playing Roy Rayder more effectively. Cam Gigandet owns this role. Again: perfectly done.

Lord, please do your work as only you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.