Ric and Matilda - What our forum members thought

Indiana/Mattie

I watched the episode when the gang find out about Cassie's illness a few days ago and, as usual, Indiana got me crying again! What is it with this girl?! Sometimes I find Matilda a little too self-centred and whiney, but when it comes to the dramatic emotional stuff she's great. Indiana's a great actress. (Cat123)

I particularly enjoyed Indi's portrayal of Matilda's 'lost' phase. She can really bring out all the emotions when necessary and pull the audience in. Indi is a fabulous actress and deserves to win a logie! (bttb-rox)

In the UK episode yesterday, she stole the show with her emotional performance after breaking down after opening Beth's birthday present. It was a really strong scene that she made seem effortless to act out. (Danifan)

I loved Indiana's acting in that episode. She was so great. And indeed, it was a really strong scene but she acted that scene very good! I like that about Indiana Evans. She is very great in acting emotional scenes. I especially liked her acting in the bulimia storyline. There were some great emotional episodes. And I think it's hard to act such an emotional scene, but Indiana did a great job. It looks so real and every time she cries in an episode I also have to cry. I had that with the bulimia storyline and with the episodes when Beth died. Especially the episode when it was Beth's funeral. I loved her speech! And I was really crying! (Liska)

Indiana is a great actress!... Matilda is such a believable teenager, with her problems and insecurities and whatnot... I think that Indiana really does a great job in the role. (tyty0932)

Mark/Ric

I'm going to miss Ric's funny quirks. He has some great lines over the years, and I always felt was great for the ad libs. His joke about the guys with the beer talking about their feelings was typical jokey blokey of him. Nice guy and great character. Well done to the creators of Ric and to Mark Furze for always portraying him so well. (Mistified)

When you look back it's evident that Mark improved a great deal as an actor throughout his four years on the show. For me, his work with Indiana was some of his best, with Ric and Matilda's tulmultuous relationship an exciting and different pairing to watch.

His relationship with Cassie was also something I found particularly interesting. One minute they were a couple and the next they were brother and sister - it was all rather weird...but fascinating at the same time. In the end I think there was just too much water under the bridge for anything to happen again, so it was lovely to see their sibling-like bond grow.

Arriving as a fragile and incredibly confused teen (with serious anger issues!), Ric left as a happy and content young man and Iike that that's how he left. Part of the show's foundation is based upon kids coming to the Bay with problems that they need help with and Ric is a classic example of the kind of turnaround a lot of the characters go through before they leave.

Ric was a funny, charming and well-built character played by a talented actor and I'll miss him enormously. (bttb-rox!)

Mattie & Ric

I've probably posted this a million times, but I've always wanted Ric and Matilda to get together. Even though Matilda and Lucas were cute together, I've always felt Ric and Matilda were sort of 'meant to be' right from when they first met. (Adia)

I'm such a huge Mattie/Ric fan whether as friends or a couple. They have had a great chemistry from the beginning. Matilda befriended Ric when nobody else would. (Jen)

They made such a good couple because they were good friends and both understood each other and helped each other out completely. Mattie kept Ric on his toes and vice versa. Matilda was such a good friend because she listened and helped him through the Cassie-gate. (Katiepie)

I liked Ric and Matilda in the beginning. I wanted them to get together and I was so annoyed when Cassie came in and ruined it. So I'm glad they finally got together, it's like they went through other relationships and stuff, only to realise that the one they are meant to be with was right there in front of them. When Ric first came he was a bully, but it was Matilda who gave him a chance, and he started to become a better person. Because of her, in my opinion.
I just think Ric and Matilda are a great couple. (Stevie)

The ending

That was gorgeous. I'm not even a Mattie and Ric shipper and I smiled through their entire reunion. I thought the curtains closing was very symbolic as well. (Jamey Maria)

Rattie were cute. Eventually. It picked up when they were talking to each other on the phone, and still talking on the phone when they were only a couple of meters apart, hehe. A cute and familiar scene. I think that scene would have been a good way to end the episode, but I suppose leaving them in the bedroom was a nice ending too. (emmasi)

I loved the Rattie scenes, though I realised throughout the show I'm going to miss them a lot. But I thought the writers did a really good job of it, and I liked the way the whole thing played out... except for both of them jumping to conclusions as usual, but I guess you have to take the good with the bad. (frizbee)

Omg, I have just realised that it was the last ever episode with Ric and Mattie. The way they closed the curtains was kind of symbolic of them leaving. I am going to miss them. I'm glad they are happy. (xknomex)

Although it was kinda cheesy I loved how Ric and Mattie got back together, and it really was nice to see an ending of an episode like that as well, and a couple leaving the show together, in a sailing-off-happily-into-the-sunset-kinda way. I don't think we've had that since Tasha and Robbie! (Eli)

I really enjoyed last night's episode. The Ric and Mattie ending was perfect, in my opinion. The fact that they are both willing to commit to their relationship, outside the securities of Summer Bay shows how much they have grown and developed since they first got together, or even since they both arrived in the Bay. I didn't comment on Mattie's leaving party, but I was really pleased how they mentioned that Matilda was the last of the Hunter's (an end of an era!) Similarly, I think it was appropriate that Miles got the news about Cassie's baby in this episode. Mattie, Ric and Cassie were the core group of teenagers for quite a few years, so I think that it was nice to close the chapter on this group of teens...... The closing of the curtains, again was really symbolic of the end of an era. Cassie, Ric and Mattie have all grown up and seems as though that all have their own happy ending. Obviously, the misunderstanding between Mattie and Ric was slightly predictable, but I think that they way it was approached was very telling of the type of characters Ric and Matilda have become. Ric, has grown into a great character. He is one of the best redemption stories of H&A that I have seen. He was originally an angry boy, but has become a young man that is still fiercely protective of his family and friends, but now knows that violence is not the answer. The Ric of old, would have probably knocked Nathan's block off when he saw him in Mattie's bed, but instead we saw him storm off, only to come back and sort things out.... Similarly, Matilda is finally figuring out what she wants. Beth was concerned that Matilda was too young to be in a serious relationship with Ric, but I think she has proven herself to be committed to Ric and her future. Recently, I have even become annoyed with these two as a couple as they didn't seem to have much direction, but I think that starting anew in Perth is a great ending for this couple. (Jen)