Ryan, emmasi and John offer three very different views of Lucas as a character.
Ryan
Let's face it, generally kind, polite and quiet characters don't work well on soap, where conflict is usually the great storyteller. When I wrote a Lucas character profile in mid-2006 it was tiny, there was just nothing to write about. There had been a school play and a wee bit of trouble with Amanda, but in general that was it. Lucas had went around being polite and done nothing. Bizarrely I wasn't too bothered by him at this point, though I guess that might come from the fact that he hadn't done anything. Silence is golden as they say.
In effort, subsequently to find a way for him to contribute the show, he has went through periods of problematic behaviour, mood swings which have come and gone. This behaviour is said to be out of character, but he's been like it so much for the past 6 months it almost more out of character for him to be nice.
A pretty rotten character, and since I've never thought much of Rhys as an actor, I'm surprised that he's being offered these numerous film roles.
emmasi
Lucas is not a typical soap character. He doesn't demand your attention by attacking people or setting off bombs, or populating the township with illegitimate children. He's just a teenager with integrity who has realized that the world isn't the way it should be.
His place is not the spotlight, he's much more comfortable working behind the scenes. But he isn't scared to state his opinion, or to help out when it's needed. If called upon, Lucas will take center stage with as much conviction as anyone.
Lucas convinced his family to stop running from their past and settle down in Summer Bay. He took up the challenge of fixing Colleen's play, as well as the lead role when Aden had to unexpectedly drop out. He encouraged Alf Stewart to run for mayor, organizing the whole campaign almost single-handedly, because he couldn't let a "crook" like Josh West run unopposed. He spoke out against the unfair firing of his father when the school was making budget cuts. He acted out and let everyone hate him because he hated himself for betraying his mother when he felt closer to Beth. He helped Mattie to see her own worth when she was killing herself with an eating disorder, and made sure that Dean didn't use her, even though it made him look like a jerk. He was there for Lee and her baby when they had no one else to turn to. He backed Kim up when they were both falsely accused of assaulting Tara. He risked his own life by impersonating one of Johnny's gang members to get his best friend out of jail, and again when he tried to protect Lisa from her psychotic boyfriend, even though everyone else had written her off long before Denny wrote off the car... Lucas defended his family and friends against Geoff when he thought he was a threat, and was just as quick to be supportive when he realized that Geoff was the one who needed defending. He faced a shotgun-toting Bruce because he couldn't let Annie face the danger alone. And overall, he tends to put the needs of others ahead of his own because he knows what it is to have respect and consideration. He's always worried about how important decisions about his future will affect his family.
Lucas has unusually high standards of morals and ethics and a strong sense of what is right and wrong. He only abandons these when he feels that there has been an injustice against him or someone else. At those times, he feels like there's no longer any point to playing by the rules because no one else seems to. Then he can become vicious, violent, and even cruel, but his actions are rarely petty. There's almost always a deeper motivation, which is sometimes missed by people who just see it as a typical teen rebelling because he can. There is nothing typical about Lucas. He is one in a million.
His place is not the spotlight, he's much more comfortable working behind the scenes. But he isn't scared to state his opinion, or to help out when it's needed. If called upon, Lucas will take center stage with as much conviction as anyone.
Lucas convinced his family to stop running from their past and settle down in Summer Bay. He took up the challenge of fixing Colleen's play, as well as the lead role when Aden had to unexpectedly drop out. He encouraged Alf Stewart to run for mayor, organizing the whole campaign almost single-handedly, because he couldn't let a "crook" like Josh West run unopposed. He spoke out against the unfair firing of his father when the school was making budget cuts. He acted out and let everyone hate him because he hated himself for betraying his mother when he felt closer to Beth. He helped Mattie to see her own worth when she was killing herself with an eating disorder, and made sure that Dean didn't use her, even though it made him look like a jerk. He was there for Lee and her baby when they had no one else to turn to. He backed Kim up when they were both falsely accused of assaulting Tara. He risked his own life by impersonating one of Johnny's gang members to get his best friend out of jail, and again when he tried to protect Lisa from her psychotic boyfriend, even though everyone else had written her off long before Denny wrote off the car... Lucas defended his family and friends against Geoff when he thought he was a threat, and was just as quick to be supportive when he realized that Geoff was the one who needed defending. He faced a shotgun-toting Bruce because he couldn't let Annie face the danger alone. And overall, he tends to put the needs of others ahead of his own because he knows what it is to have respect and consideration. He's always worried about how important decisions about his future will affect his family.
Lucas has unusually high standards of morals and ethics and a strong sense of what is right and wrong. He only abandons these when he feels that there has been an injustice against him or someone else. At those times, he feels like there's no longer any point to playing by the rules because no one else seems to. Then he can become vicious, violent, and even cruel, but his actions are rarely petty. There's almost always a deeper motivation, which is sometimes missed by people who just see it as a typical teen rebelling because he can. There is nothing typical about Lucas. He is one in a million.
john003au
I really appreciated the relationship between Lucas and Belle. I don't think it was ever going to last a lifetime but it was what they both needed at that moment in their lives. Belle was hurting over her mother and relationship with Drew etc and needed the loving, caring nature of Lucas. Lucas on the other hand needed to grow up, loosen up and generally "get a life". Belle certainly gave him that even down to helping him lose his virginity. Both moved on but with valued added to their lives. I thought it was a nice piece of writing and characterisation.
Interestingly I felt that Lucas was one of those characters that the writers never really explored. So much more could have been made of his sensitivity and the vulnerability it brings. His relationship with Belle had so much potential but was really only an interlude on her way to Drew. His writing and his older woman experience.... I always felt his romantic involvement with Mattie was a real dead end and closed off the possibilities of a real brother sister relationship. His "relationship" with Annie could really have been explored far more and for much longer and no I'm not suggesting anything inappropriate between them!!