Ruby Buckton - Rebecca Breeds

[Slade]

Since I last posted I have to admit is been quite amusing reading some of these posts. I would love to see Morag put Ruby in her place. Most people with negative opinions of Ruby here have essentially said the same thing. Namely that Ruby is a person who puts herself and her needs before other people’s and no matter what she does seems to come up smelling of roses. Or to quote what JarlieFanEver said at times the way Ruby acts=selfish cow. Although I did like the stuff with Nicole when she confided in Ruby about her relationship with Liam I knew she wouldn’t improve anytime soon. As I said on the UK Discussion thread even when she’s not doing anything wrong I still find her annoying in particular some of her mannerisms. For instance whenever she speaks with Geoff and keeps on smiling as if to say “I’m really all that and I know it because the sun shines out of my backside” i.e. coming across as self-loving.

Regarding a previous comment, although Ruby was only really in the second half of 2008 that was when I liked her most when she played the agony aunt to Charlie offering relationship advice and was a friend to Annie and Jai. I even liked her when she wasn’t getting on with Nicole.

I’m glad pro-Ruby people have posted because some of the more recent posts (myself included) have been fairly critical of her and I wanted to read a different take on things. I agree Ruby’s not a bad person but again she’s quite a selfish and self-centred one. I’ve already given examples why in my last post but just to raise something in regards to an episode earlier on this week (UK Pace) after Hazem was kicked unconscious and in a life threatening condition and Geoff had injured himself trying to help everyone trapped in the Diner when she was at the hospital she was acting as if to say “It’s all my fault”. Yes this mess was indirectly her fault but I just hate the way everything always has to be all about her. She has to be the centre of the universe. And once again with this whole race riot Geoff has been hurt badly but it feels like there have been no consequences for her actions. I’m really disappointed with what the writers have done with her character, it’s like they have to have a spoilt princess type role in the same way they always have to have a badboy with a difficult home life.

It’s already been mentioned but regarding the whole thing with Grant Charlie already told Ruby that she was her daughter and she was raped. What more was there to know? Ruby promised her she wouldn’t pursue the matter but she went ahead and did it anyway. I know she went there for revenge but seriously what was she expecting to happen? Grant was just going to put his hands up and admit what happened.

I spent a lot of 2008 and some of 2009 really disliking Geoff and I had actually started to warm to him but whenever he’s with Ruby it’s like he’s redundant. He’s just her bodyguard. Xavier’s character was pretty woeful for quite a while too but since he’s finished with Ruby I think there’s been quite an improvement. It’s interesting how Leah believed (in the same episode I mentioned above) how whenever she was in a relationship with someone she seemed to have a detrimental effect on them. Almost like she was poison. It’s funny because I think Ruby has been out with two guys and IMO had a negative impact on both of them in regards to character development. I felt in yesterday’s episode there was actually some good stuff with Geoff and Xavier and Geoff and Martha where he wasn’t glued to Ruby 24/7. It’s like the person she’s going out with becomes completely gormless and is there to serve her.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Slade

[jldraw]

I agree that Ruby Buckton is a flawed character but so are most of the current residents in Summer Bay to one degree or another. You can blame shoddy writing but the fact is the writers probably are not writing for a group of fans who dissect character's motives on an internet message board and instead are just trying to create a by the numbers soap/drama that will continue to draw in viewers. Coming up with stock characters like a "spoiled princess" or a "bad boy with a difficult homelife" will continue to ensure that H&A finds an audience as these formulas have worked for years.

I mean the formula for most of the teenagers who come to Summer Bay remains the same to this day anyway. They arrive with some sort of issue or perhaps an undesirable trait and then gradually work through their drama in Summer Bay before ultimately departing. Some characters become more popular than others over time but they all basically start and end the same way.

As for Ruby Buckton specifically, I think much like a lot of the other young characters on the show right now she just isn't very well written. Rebecca Breeds has proven she can handle dramatic situations with the Ruby/Charlie storyline last year but Ruby much like the other characters just seems to float along at whim without any real sense of purpose or direction.

I do disagree about Ruby's desire to locate Grant though. While it would've been kind of her to sympathize with Charlie's issues with Grant, I would've found it to be more unrealistic if she didn't try to track her father down. I see Ruby's situation as being similar to a friend of mine whose parents got divorced when he was fairly young and it was because his father was an abusive alcoholic. Despite growing up with the knowledge that his father wasn't exactly the greatest guy on the face of the earth, he still decided to track him down years later.

Edited February 14, 2010 by jldraw

[Red Ranger 1]

I do disagree about Ruby's desire to locate Grant though. While it would've been kind of her to sympathize with Charlie's issues with Grant, I would've found it to be more unrealistic if she didn't try to track her father down. I see Ruby's situation as being similar to a friend of mine whose parents got divorced when he was fairly young and it was because his father was an abusive alcoholic. Despite growing up with the knowledge that his father wasn't exactly the greatest guy on the face of the earth, he still decided to track him down years later.

I don't really agree.Although she showed an interest in getting to know Grant once they'd spoken and she'd started to doubt Charlie's version of events, initially it seemed Ruby just wanted to go to his house, shout at him for ruining her life and then leave, neither expecting nor wanting to ever see him again.Soaps have an unfortunate tendency to portray anyone who was adopted as having a burning desire to find their "real" parents.In real life, many do feel curious about where they came from but I think just as money feel that the family that brought them up is all they want.And, given that the story of her conception was about as bad as it possibly could be, Ruby certainly had good reason for not wanting him in her life.Actually, the thing that does strike me as curious if not unrealistic is that Ruby met her half-brother and sister, showed next to no interest in them and hasn't mentioned them since.

[lollypop]

Actually, the thing that does strike me as curious if not unrealistic is that Ruby met her half-brother and sister, showed next to no interest in them and hasn't mentioned them since.

Well after the Charlie kidnapping Grant storyline and his subsquent confession that he did in fact rape Charlie, maybe Ruby decided she wanted nothing more to do with Grant or anything connected to him. Or maybe the writers are leaving it open for a possible family reunion in the future. The whole thing was left with too many unanswered questions in my opinion and remains, even up to now, completely unresloved.

Charlie and Ruby went from barely speaking to Charlie acknowledging herself as her mother in the space of a few episodes. There was no big heart-to-heart conversation were they got everything out in the open and cleared the air. They just magically resolved their issues. Or maybe Ruby almost dying of a diabetic coma was the eye opener??

All I know is, this storyline will never be resolved. Charlie's too busy with the vile creature she calls a boyfriend and Ruby's too busy feeling sorry for herself and sneaking her way back into Xaviers bed. I for one can not see this ending in happily ever after.

I mean seriously, can you honestly see Charlie and Angelo with all their arguments and disagreements settling down and Ruby moving back in to play happy families with her "mother" and potential "stepfather". I don't think so. Actually come to think of it. I don't see Charlie ever having any more kids.

[vinny]

What happened to the friendship with Nicole and Ruby. I haven't seen any interaction with the two for a while. Have the writers forgotten about it ?

[ebrett84]

What happened to the friendship with Nicole and Ruby. I haven't seen any interaction with the two for a while. Have the writers forgotten about it ?

Nicole and Ruby seem to have one of the most bizarre relationships ever. First they hate each other when Ruby arrives. Then they have nothing to do with each other for ages. Then, out of nowhere, they're best friends during the Gardy and Trey storylines. Then they have nothing to do with each other. Then they were briefly really good friends again. And now they have nothing to do with each other again. I'm guessing they're still meant to be good friends, it's just one of those convenient off screen friendships that are so popular these days

[MeganSaturday]

I dunno Ruby seems to have neglected pretty much everyone else in her life since she got together with Geoff. Nicole, Charlie, Xavier, Leah...

[-Kevin-]

Is there anyone out there that can still stomach Ruby after her complete character destruction since the tail end of 2009 to now ?

[isadora66]

I'm trying, I really am. Because I do have empathy, but it can only get me so far. She is really hard to stomach now. And it's such a shame, as her characters used to be very likeable. And I adored her sibling relationship with Charlie. Honestly, I wish they would've never done the mother/daughter revelation storyline.

[alexx]

I cant stomach her, I've never been able to warm to her but I just tolerated her up until this year where she has got on my nerves more and more to the point where I cant stand hearing her speak/whine drivel in every scene she is in, she is one of the most uninteresting characters the show has written Imo

Edited December 7, 2010 by alexx