MACYLIGHTFOOT

I think they need to be careful with Matt not to tie him too much to Sasha. Don't get me wrong, I love them as a couple and it's the first time Sasha's had a boyfriend that didn't completely ruin her character. However, at the moment, we only ever see them together. I know the main character get so many episodes a week or however it works but when they're always together they're always in the same episodes so there's very little room to expand Matt as a character by having him interact with others. His moving in with Leah is a good start because we get the odd scene here and there where he's slightly more vulnerable than when he's with Sasha. As enjoyable as they are as a couple they need to give Matt the odd scene where he's doing something else. Not to be a Negative Nelly but I think it's safe to assume that Demi will be leaving the show in the next year or so, or at least her original contact will be up, so more than likely we're going to end up with Matt still being in the Bay without her and we don't need it to be another Tamara or Natalie where they have no life outside of their relationship.

It's just another case of what happened with Natalie. Brought in to be a Braxton plot point, once that's over they have no idea what to do with the character and they're left floating around aimlessly for a few months and then they leave in some low key way. This baton has been handed to Phoebe now.

She was dating some other guy a few weeks ago. There was pictures of them smooching in a pool somewhere.

Leah said Matt is 17. Although they haven't been specific about other characters ages Sasha had her 16th birthday on screen ages ago, so I think she should be 17 by now too.

They built up a relationship between Sasha and Spencer when they were helping Rosie but it wasn't romantic. It was Dex and Indi that randomly decided they liked each other and pushed for it to happen right then and there. It may well have developed naturally into a romantic relationship but the way they did it was rushed and Sasha, in my opinion, has been barely recognisable as Sasha while she was with Spencer. The brief interactions she's had with Matt have brought back the feisty and opinionated but ultimately big hearted Sasha we used to see.

In my opinion what's happened, so far, between Matt and Sasha has seemed very natural and, without spoiling anything, a lot of it has been much more in character for Sasha than anything we've seen from her during her relationship with Spencer. The only problem I have, from a story telling point of view, is how abruptly they've had her relationship with Spencer hit the rocks. That came out of nowhere, but then their whole relationship was a bit of a non entity as far as I was concerned anyway.

Personally I find Matt more believable as a teen than say, Spencer or Oscar.

She first appeared in late August 2011, so we're not quite there yet but yeah, getting there. I thought we were maybe at the start of her 3rd year, didn't realise we're nearly half way through it

Is it nearly 3 years since Sasha first arrived? I didn't think it was that long. I'm dreading the day the rumours about her departure start.

^ I don't so much mind how he behaves and I'm sure there's an explanation on the way. It's more how Sasha hasn't really called him on it. She had a few opportunities to tell him that the kiss was irrelevant because he was a complete jerk to her and Spencer and she wasn't interested in knowing someone who behaves that way. I suppose that's more of an issue with her though and not with Matt

I liked him up until how he was behaving after he kissed Sasha. Up to that point I saw him as just being a bit of a messer, didn't take things seriously, always looking to have a laugh but never really doing any harm. Blurting out to Spencer that he kissed Sasha was just mean and then his goading of them both during his speech was just a bit too much for me. I know he apologised to Sasha but Spencer was the one he should have been apologising to. I said it in the episode discussion for this week that I wished Sasha had called him out on his behaviour instead of just going to goo when he said she was cool. Even if she likes him that kind of behavior is juvenile and not something I would have thought Sasha would put up with.

I was the same with Matilda Hunter. Never could tell if they were calling her Maddie or Mattie.

Oh, I never knew she was from Tasmania... isn't Lisa Gormely from Tasmania too?

Does she really need a thread when she's most likely just a brief plot point rather than an actual character?

So.... what do we think? Early days but I like her so far. One of the few new characters of recent times that has just slotted in effortlessly to the show (maybe even since Sasha?). In my opinion anyway. She seems a good actress too, often when new people join it takes them a while to get into the groove the other actors have. I suppose the fact she's not supposed to know anyone makes it easier to play, she's not trying to sell a pre-existing relationship but all in all I'm fairly impressed. I know the "long lost relative" story has been done a lot but this one is working for me. She's brought out a more likable side of Oscar and a horrible side of Evie, up until now, but at least it's given the McGuire's a non cult story line to get on with.