Summer Bay Newbies (November - December)

BridgetThumbnail.jpg









Bridget Simmons


She arrived unexpectedly at Tony's door just as he was beginning to rebuild his relationship with Rachel. Tony was devastated when Rachel failed to appear for their wedding and turned to Bridget for company while away from the Bay.
 
She appeared to see him as an opportunity for a new start in a new town and was upset when she found him once again drawing close to Rachel
.
She confided in Alf that she had nothing and desperately needed a job. Alf offered her some shifts at the club until Tony objected and said that that would make it difficult for him with Rachel. A friendship developed between Bridget and Alf and he offered her the opportunity to work at the Bait Shop.

When she told Martha that she was a cancer survivor a bond formed between them. Martha valued her friendship and came to rely on her for emotional support.

We began to wonder when an old friend appeared in the Bay and hinted that he and Bridget had been partners in scams to con people for money. He blackmailed Bridget for money and she borrowed the money from Alf.

Let's get some thoughts on what our members make of this complex character...

Bridget I like, and I really hope her feelings for Alf become genuine even if they're not now, the way Izzy really fell in love with Karl. I think she does genuinely like Martha. (Formerly Known as FKAJ)

I don't want to be saying this, but I really, really, really don't like or trust her. At all. It's a huge shame, because she seemed to be just what the Bay and Martha/Alf needed. But her constant pushiness and the way she's not so much got but forced her feet under the table annoys me! How dare she treat Alf like he's some kind of meal ticket and use Martha to get closer to everyone.
(JackWilkins)

I'm trying to like Bridget too for Alf's sake but as others have said she may be a gold-digger and is only after Alf because he's well-off. She only started to like him when blabber-mouth Colleen told her so. (Natasha)

Bridget began as such a warm and likable character, and she did seem to like Alf, and to be settling in well. One wonders why she feels the need to scam others out of their money, but I suppose that old habits die hard. It will be interesting to see if she has real feelings for Alf when the truth comes out, which it inevitably will, as he will be devastated when he learns of her deceptions. (Bareenfan)

There was a likeability about her when she first arrived. She was understanding of the Tony and Rachel situation, which suprised me, and treated Martha like an old friend when they first met. I'm dissapointed about the latest developments relating to the money, as I didn't think she would steep that low.
(bttb-rox!)

With thanks to john003au for the article
.

MatthewThumbnail.jpg 









Matthew Lyons

Like the majority of the Bay's teens, Matthew brought drama and unpredictably with him almost as soon as he hit our screens. After watching a video in school of people somersaulting off of buildings, he threw Jai's schoolbag on the roof of Summer Bay High to see whether he was as invinsible as he was making himself out to be. This was later followed by him pusing Jai into the water at the wharf after a confrontation.

Following those two incidents, it was a while before we saw Matthew again. But when we did, he wasn't any less of a troublemaker. Using the computers at the school and Diner, he started to talk to Ruby Buckton online under a fake identity - Skye. With Ruby's dad having recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, she felt she could talk to 'Skye', as her gran was apparently suffering with the disease too.

When Ruby eventually discovered Matthew's lies, she hit the roof and vowed to get revenge. With a hint of payback in her eye, it was clear that Ruby wanted to get back at him big time and, seeing the perfect opportunity whilst at the Surf Club, decided they should meet up later. With her plan hatched, Ruby told Jai and Annie that she needed their help. The Plan: She wanted them to film Matthew skinny dipping on the beach. They voiced their concerns but Ruby wasn't taking no for an answer, leaving them to hesitantly agree. With the camera recording their every move, Ruby told Matthew that she had always wanted to skinny dip with a guy she really liked. Matthew was keen and so took off his clothes, leaving them behind along with his bag as he headed for the water. With her plan in full swing, Ruby started to rush off but was suprised to find a letter in his bag, revealing that his gran really did suffer from Alzheimer's and that he was glad he had someone to talk to.

After reading the letter, Ruby felt guilty about her scheme and told him that she was sorry. The apology came too late for Matthew, however, as the videos had already been posted on the internet. Roles were reversed and Matthew now wanted to get back at Ruby.

In a bid to give her a taste of her own medicine, Matthew plastered copies of Ruby's journal in the school grounds. After seeing pages of her private diary all over the lunch area, she told Matthew that he was the scum of the earth and walked off.

Matthew was later suspended from Summer Bay High because of the journal incident.

Here are the thoughts of some of our members on one of the show's latest additions:

I really enjoy watching the charactor of Matthew. Yes he's a nasty bully, but we know bullies exist in all schools. I'm looking forward to seeing him develop and grow up a bit. Plus it's interesting to see things from a bully's perspective. (ross_pirrelli_fan)

I'll start this by taking back what I said about Ruby and Matthew - neither of them deserve this! It feels like something that could have been a great opportunity for Ruby to have (eventually) found a friend. Instead, it's turned into a really childish game, which is happening at a dreadful time for them both. I say both, because I thought all along that Matthew did/does have a Gran with Alzheimers and I still believe that to be true! (JackWilkins)

Matthew deserves all he gets for pretending to be someone else. (CHARL3N3x)

Ruby and Matthew were a pair of idiots as well. Matthew is the scum of the earth, but Ruby provoked the guy. She walked away this time, if she walked away the first time she would not be in this mess. But he did exactly what she did, so maybe that makes her the scum of the earth too, he was hurting so he lashed out just like she did. It did not make it right. They were both wrong. (Corey)