Maddy Osborne - Kassandra Clementi

[jodlebirger]

Maddy was a spoilt self centred brat when she came to the bay. She came from a home where they were concerned about material things and she was used to get things her way. But she was insecure deep down, and was good at heart but needed someone to steer her in the right direction. But Roo wasn't the right person to do that. So she stayed like a brat until her cancer illness, and then progressed. I think that was a perfect build up to a relationship with Oscar. He was her friend through it all. So it made no sense what happened after. It really irritated me. Because it was the first young couple in years that had a good build up. 

Matt is a kid from Mangrove River which means he has a different background as Maddy. I still think backgrounds are important, it made you the person you become even you can change direction (from being a brat to be a nice person). But where you come from does always matter. So I don't think Maddy and Matt are compatible. I want her with Oscar, because until his mother's death he had a similar upbringing as Maddy which have inflected him the way he is. Matt will always carry his Mangrove River background with him. I know there are exceptions but normally it is like this. I find this the same thing as people screaming about Nicole and Aden some years back... I always thought their backgrounds were colliding, while Belle and Aden had more identical background which formed them as characters. 

I want H&A writers to use the characters background. And most of all, when they are building up someone as a couple as they did with Oscar and Maddy (and Liam/Bianca, Kyle/Phoebe and many more), I want them to develop them and not break them up let them move around all the time. And I also want them to build couples on their storylines, develop them naturally. Because now we are seeing to much of people moving around very quickly. Much more than earlier on the show, even if there was a break up we always knew they will end up back together... or the break was more naturally after a long time. 

There is a reason why we haven't had golden couples in years. Remember the days of 2008 where we had Rachel/Tony, Jack/Martha, Aden/Belle and several more who was developed over time. Or earlier when we had Will/Gypsy, Beth/Rhys, Beth/tony and more... even if there were break ups these relationship developed naturally over time, even the breakups and make ups. 

[Angelica]

I want to like Oscar and Maddy together but something about their relationship has always felt so flat. When Oscar first developed feelings for Maddy, it did feel quite shallow. That Oscar was very much blinded to Maddy's flaws because of his physical attraction to her, and instead built her up on a pedestal (which by the way, is a very teenage thing to do). Very reminiscent of Edmund and Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park. And then Maddy ended up going through a lot, and Oscar was there for Maddy, and their relationship really developed from there. Except now that Maddy is responding to treatment, and things in her life are getting better, it just feels like Oscar is a redundant aspect of her life. They are a teenage couple, still in their honeymoon period, and yet every time I have watched them recently, it feels like they are further apart than when they broke up.

When Evie first tried to set up Matt and Maddy, I rolled my eyes at how contrived the situation. Now, I still don't necessarily want Matt and Maddy together. But when I watch them interact, I do think there is something about the way their characters interact that just works. They just have a very natural chemistry that just works. It kinda reminds me how back in the the day, I could often get frustrated with April's character and yet, when watching April/Dexter feel that there was something about them as a couple that just worked. In the end, I think that what might seems better on paper doesn't necessarily translate better on screen.

But then again, I always think they made a mistake breaking up Spencer and Maddy so early on - as I think so far with her potential suitors, he has probably had the best combo of being a nice guy + having a good natural chemistry with her.

While in general, I do want the " nice" guy to triumph (see Robbie/Tasha, Dexter/April or Tony/Rachel), I am not sure I see Oscar/Maddy lasting (nor wish it).

[Red Ranger 1]

I think that Oscar and Maddy have suffered a bit from the show not giving them enough attention, with Oscar at least seeming low on their list of priorities.Because when the relationship is actually given its turn in the spotlight, it is perfection to me, such as their date at the beginning of the year.I saw the clip of their reconsummation (still a week or two away in the UK) and it saddened and slightly maddened me that anyone could watch that episode and think they should ever break up.Everything the relationship needs is there, we just need to see more of it.They're not the sort of fiery, passionate relationship that some people seem to want Maddy and Matt to be, they're something deeper, more meaningful.To me, it knocks spots off April and Dexter, which was a masterclass in how not to do this sort of relationship: Dexter wasn't a nice guy but a selfish one who broke up his friend's relationship because he wanted her for himself, April got a personality transplant from a mature young woman into a weak whining child because no-one could write Dexter with a mature girlfriend, and it ends with two chronically immature characters getting married as if they'd last five minutes in the adult world.Just my opinion, and I know they were popular with some, but to me Maddy and Oscar is everything that relationship could have been and wasn't.They haven't destroyed the core of Maddy's character in order to make her fit in with Oscar, they've shown what happens when a strong young woman and a nice guy meet and let it develop naturally.I'd forgotten this myself until I looked over the profiles but when Oscar first came to Summer Bay, Maddy was the one who had his back and was defending him to the bullies and trying to convince him not to let it get to him (which gives the lie to the perception of her as someone who was always self-absorbed), which does suggest to me that, while Oscar gave Maddy a lot of leeway, possibly more than he should have done, it wasn't purely physical: If someone had done that for me at that age, I'd have fallen in love with them too.

To be honest, I think someone probably expects Maddy and Matt to be the next Aden and Belle: That they've gone "Right, Maddy's the bad girl turned good, let's stick her with the reforming bully from the wrong side of the tracks and have her teach him to be a better person."Whatever you think of the original, I think Maddy deserves more than to have a boyfriend who's more of a project, something Sasha was accused of doing with Matt, and Maddy was accused of with Josh.I think breaking up Maddy and Spencer did more damage to Spencer than Maddy, to the point that he never recovered, although it was the beginning of the first of many "Maddy goes off the rails" storylines as she got recast as a jealous ex, and it did come from the same attitude of "We want to give Character X something to do so we'll break up A and B and have A date X." To me, the best solution to all this is to keep Maddy and Matt as friends, and keep Matt and Oscar as friends, rather than breaking up another teen group by having them all crack onto each other's girlfriend.It's how Maddy and Matt work best, and it allows a relationship that has been built up well to continue.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Red Ranger 1

[jodlebirger]

Maddy is nothing like Belle. Totally different background. In many ways, I think that Belle never changed she was still the "wild one" through her stay on the show. But she matured a bit. And Aden was just an another version of Drew, just with a more in-depth family history. But still from the same environment, and both Aden and Belle (and Drew) came from troubled homes, but from the middle class. Maddy is nothing like this - her problem were that her parents were to concerned about material things than her feelings and interests - she was brought up in that kind of neighbourhood, and Matt is even more from a neighbourhood with unemployment, gangs, and crimes. 

Aden and Belle were two troubled teens who met and it became explosive from time to time. 

With Maddy and Matt, I will say we have the snobby but still good girl with the gang member/boy from the dark side. 

And by the way, I never believed in the romance between Maddy and Spencer, never saw the spark. They were never portrayed like they were in love and the writers should have given them an another reason for running away. The only reason why Spencer seemed to be damaged by the break up was that the writers weren't willing to give him decent storylines while they gave Maddy plenty of stuff. We have seen this with many other characters, who just are there for most of their stay without doing nothing. It doesn't mean they are bad characters with no potential or played by bad actors, but the writers don't have any interest in developing them. There were a plenty of things they could have done with him, and he even had a brother in the bay. 

In many ways I think that Spencer originally had more potential than Maddy. His background storyline seemed more realistic than Maddy's. But both background storylines and the way they came into the bay should have been written more consistent and with more depth. 

I also think that Maddy's parents should have been used more in the cancer storyline. She was still their daughter, and I think the way they were treated was unrealistic.

And I am disappointed that they didn't want Oscar and Maddy together, after all the build up. I don't think they feel flat... 

With all this said, I think still that Maddy is the most consistent teen with a the most natural development from the last 2-3 years, at least to May 2015.  eps.  We are five months behind Australia. 

Edited October 15, 2015 by jodlebirger

[Luke39]

Well it is kinda a stereotype or trope from fans to say a Braxton Guy or characters cannot develop. Or doesen't have the Background complex necessary. While in the past has not worked say they should of stuck with Liam and Bianca, or Annie and Jai e.t.c. I find it more interesting that way personally.  Like they say opposites attract, and while Matt and Maddie are from opposite sides of the tracks, and agree is like snobby girl still matured, and the bad boy. Matt is kinda becoming Oscar and Casey all rolled into one lol, so their is a balance their I like personally. And while Maddie and Matt do have contrasting backgrounds. They are also similar in the fact they are essentially both Foster kids. Oscar and Evie sorta, but at least they have their Uncle and Aunty. Matt and Maddie have no immediate family. But I guess if your a fan of a couple, one well twist it no matter what to put Catergory A and Category B in a good light, and the other in a dimmed one. I guess imo with Oscar and Maddie, I don't see the chemistry. With Kassandra and Alec, have tons of chemistry.

So in terms of chemistry I Think their is more potential to be explored, also a possibility they are more suited and have more commonlarities. I like the idea of them bonding over music, But that is just me, Oscar feels like he is still in the friendzone most of the time lol. but maybe that is just his character, or they haven't given Maddie and Oscar enough screen time to develop, of course he scored in one of Matt's caravans :P.

But like I said, I don't think this is a good enough reason to break up Oscar and Maddie, Maddie still has not shown any signs (yet) that she sees Matt romantically, even if their is potential their. I guess to you could compare Matt and Maddie to Aden and Nicole. That didn't work out of course lol, and Nicole eventually found an Oscar type in Angelo, didn't see her ending up with Angelo coming haha. But point is, does not mean it cannot ever work out with a Matt and Maddie dynamic. To me more chemistry is a better substitute for sustainability. But either way I don't really mind, I like Oscar and Maddie together, I am fine with Matt and Maddie as just friends. Problem is I can't not see Matt's supressed feelings being forgotten by the writers, it is leading somewhere, most likely a love triangle of sorts.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Luke39

[Slade]

I try and avoid the character discussion threads, especially the ones that are fairly active as I'm only following at UK pace but this time I just couldn't resist.  It has been with great delight that I've read the last couple of pages.  By the sound of things not only does the Oscar/Maddy relationship appear to be coming to an end but at Australian pace it seems imminent which means in the UK we have to wait weeks rather than months for the whole thing to be over (Yah!).  This may sound premature me celebrating but it's obvious from the initial posts.  Anytime something is going to happen in a soap they give small hints especially re relationships. So the fact that people are saying it looks like Matt is going to get together with Maddy means he's probably going to get with her (unless the writers decide to do a dramatic u-turn).

IMO Maddy/Oscar are an absolute joke.  I said this before but the foundation and basis for the relationship was created on pure desperation.  This I feel was extremely unhealthy.  Oscar was desperate because Maddy was the only girl in his life let alone the only attractive girl so as Angelica mentioned he effectively idolised her.  I didn't mind the writers doing this initially because I don't just think this an Oscar phenomenon or even a young person phenomenon but any male who doesn't have many opportunities to meet many people has the potential to put all their eggs in one basket, like he did and almost worship the object of their desire and it is good to sometimes show this.  Maddy knew that Oscar liked him but she used him to get back at his sister for stealing her previous boyfriend, she used him to get closer to Josh at the dance, she used him when she was bored and nobody wanted spend time with her and she used him to try and entrap Josh when she thought she was pregnant.  Whilst all these events may seem far fetched, I feel her behaviour is a classic symptom of her effectively lowering Oscar's value because he was so submissive and basically allowed her to treat him like this.

The desperation on her part came about in the fact that she actually appeared to fall for him. This is someone again who subconsciously to her I feel didn't rank as high as she did.  It wasn't like Spencer who was from a privileged family and gave all that up to be with Maddy.  She's a young very attractive person so why would she fall for him?  What did he have to offer her?  Initially I thought it was because she had a limited social circle but when they had a party for her when she was recovering from the big C there were more people there than I expected.  I still think that her not having a lot of friends was a possibility but because she thought she was going to die and was in a very dark place, he offered a very valuable support network.  This made her have an enormous amount of gratitude towards him.  I'm not convinced she is in love with him and I never have been.  I think she got involved in the relationship initially because he helped her and she knew he was loyal.  Oscar was right to finish with her the first time and Evelyn was unbelievably stupid to try and push them back together.  What person in their right mind would try and renew the relationship of someone the way Maddy treated Oscar before, especially her own brother?  I think Maddy stayed in the relationship since because she associates it with being an important part of her life i.e. Oscar supporting her through her worst time.  If she is now in remission, I feel perhaps it's hardly surprising that as far as she's concerned the relationship has run its course as she is no longer in danger so her outlook and perspective on things has changed.  She no longer needs that person providing her support.  Rather than playing it safe she can look at enjoying things and taking risks.  And it would obviously be a risk to get involved with Matt, given how his past relationship with Sasha was and the problems he had with his drinking.  But he would provide a greater level of excitement due to the nature of his personality.

I said this on the UK thread and again in agreement with Angelica but I feel Matt has more chemistry with Maddy than Oscar does.  As someone has already mentioned, Oscar seems more like a brother or even a gay best friend than a lover and I don't recall enjoying any of their interactions since they were officially a couple.  It feels at times they are like a boring old couple that have been together a long time.  Whereas I personally feel her interaction's are more fresh with Matt.  The way I see it Oscar's more of the provider type whereas Matt would be more of the lover type.  So if Maddy and Matt do happen it will be interesting to see how that pans out. although my main reason for wanting them together is to break her and Oscar up.  So even if they don't last I won't be too fussed.  It's funny because before she was diagnosed with cancer I disliked her intensely but since she's been behaving herself she's effectively become boring and outside the Oscar relationship has been relegated to effectively a support role.  So I really hope she goes back to being an unlikeable, self-absorbed bitch.  Purely for entertainment purposes I want to see more of the old Maddy and enjoy the backlash from some of the people who loathed her at the time.  You know I think I actually enjoyed disliking her.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Slade

[Luke39]

^ You make some valid points, and I generally agree with all of them. But I think things have changed for Maddie and Oscar since they got back together. Maddie realized what was in front of her the whole time Oscar, so she realized she was mistreating him. I think Oscar has been good for her, and been a big part of her maturity. I guess Maddie is more interesting when shes being a brat haha, but personally I enjoy this Maddie more. A Maddie who actually is the adult in her relationship with Roo, a strike contrast to the Maddie last year, who would sneak out to be with Josh. A guy like Oscar was a big part of her evolution. And besides Oscar and Maddie slept together properly, and I Thought that was nice. But other then that, it does feel like Oscar is in the friendzone most of the time. With Matt it does feel fresh, and it does seem they are better suited, and I enjoy Kassandra and Alec's chemistry, but whether or not this well lead to them getting together remains to be see. I guess you could say, Maddie and Oscar was never built on some longing or desire, or any amount of bond or chemistry from Maddie's point of view. Their is a dependency between them. Where as potentially Matt and Maddie is more fresh, and a bit more desire their. Either way its clearly leading to a love triangle, where I believe Maddie well eventually fall into Matt's arms, hopefully her development continues with Matt either way.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Luke39

[Red Ranger 1]

Without raking over old arguments, I think we can all agree that Maddy didn't treat Oscar very well during their first hook-up, and at times during her subsequent rebellion period. Does that mean he should have never had anything to do with her again?Not in my opinion.Does that mean she'll inevitably hurt him again?I hope not, I guess time will tell whether the writers agree.Perhaps that's another sign that hooking up with Matt would be a backwards step for her.For me, the interesting thing about Maddy and what made her so compelling wasn't her being a brat, it was the fact that she was always more than that, that she had a conscience, cared about people and felt regret afterwards when she'd hurt them, but had difficulty breaking the cycle.Which is why I think the first half of the year was handled well, with Maddy frequently in danger of dropping back into old patterns but realising and stopping herself whenever she was on the verge of throwing a tantrum or made a sharp retort.

I must admit I wasn't entirely convinced when Maddy and Oscar first got together, it felt like she loved him as a friend and just decided to give it a go.But by the time they broke up, the way she lit up around him and the crushed but mature way she reacted to him breaking up with her, I did believe she was in love with him.And that's continued into their new relationship and it has shone through for me whenever the show has actually allowed them moments together.I believe she's sincere when she assures him that she loves him the way she is and stops him feeling insecure about maybe not being the boyfriend she would be expected to have, which is why I would be hugely disappointed if she suddenly throws all that away and goes running to Matt.But then there is Matt, hanging around like some sort of harbinger of doom, and there wouldn't be so much emphasis on his having feelings for her if it wasn't going somewhere and I don't trust the show to have the integrity to make Matt the loser and have Maddy reject him and tell him she only sees him as a friend (which is what their previous interaction suggests), which means Maddy will probably end up looking fickle.Which would be a great pity.Just because people enjoy Matt and Maddy's interaction doesn't mean they should be a couple.

[Luke39]

Same logic applies for Maddie and Oscar too. Just because one may like their interaction, does not mean they should be a couple. Some have suggested Maddie well probably outgrow Oscar.Now this is not a basis for her and Matt, but it is a valid factor. Irony is Oscar was always in the friend zone with Maddie, even when they got together it still felt forced and awkward between them, even now. Even though Matt and Maddie are not a couple, their scenes feel natural too me. Just my two cents.

[Red Ranger 1]

The thing is Maddy and Oscar aren't in the friend zone, because they're doing all the things that mean you're out of the friend zone.There are times when it's felt forced but that's either down to new couple awkwardness or down to Oscar letting Matt's stirring get to him and trying to force things.To me, when they're in their groove, their interaction feels perfectly natural, whereas Maddy and Matt do not feel like a natural couple and are well and truly in the friend zone at the moment.That's how Maddy sees him and it's how Matt saw her, hence his bewilderment at Evelyn trying to fix them just because they're a boy and girl who talk to each other, until he suddenly...didn't.(Because apparently Matt's so shallow that if a female friend falls on top of him he's suddenly in love with her.)People talk a lot about Maddy growing out of Oscar but what would she grow into?Nothing that I'd want her to be.