WINNERS & LOSERS 2013 RETURN – RIP MATT O’CONNOR

Tonight marked the 2013 return of Channel 7’s ‘Winners and Losers’ and viewers were treated to an emotional episode featuring Matt’s funeral.

Take a look back at this post I wrote at the end of last season’s finale – Matt will be truly missed:

Upon hearing that the finale of ‘Winners and Losers’ would feature a major character’s death, I immediately thought this was a Mel Rafter scenario all over again.

And well, having now watched tonight’s finale, I can say that yes, in some ways this death resembles the television tragedy of ‘Packed To The Rafters’ a few years ago.

Tonight we lost a much loved character – one that was an original cast member, had developed a strong bond with viewers and who was in an absolutely beautiful onscreen relationship.

The finale definitely teased viewers.  There were countless moments placing me further and further on the edge of my seat as I anticipated particular characters to lose their lives.  There was Doug with his drunk driving antics, Frances held hostage in her office and Bec’s near death road accident.

But just as she dodged one bullet, another one was fired right her away. 

Like Ben losing his love Mel in ‘Rafters’, Bec too lost her soulmate, Matt tonight.

And I guess it’s somewhat fair for me to draw these parallels as both ‘Packed To The Rafters’ and ‘Winners and Losers’ are produced by the same team and thus it is interesting to see how producers have tackled this emotional content the second time around.

What really broke my heart was Bec standing helplessly, just watching her husband diminish in a ring of deadly flames – truly heartbreaking!

I’ve been an absolute fan of Blair McDonough who plays Matt since his early days on television.  After being runner up on the first season of Australia’s ‘Big Brother’, Blair scored a major gig on ‘Neighbours’ and after leaving the show, his recent TV comeback with ‘Winners and Losers’ has made him a household favourite yet again.

The Verdict: He’s a phenomenal actor (with serious eye candy attributes as a bonus).  Blair and his onscreen character Matt will be deeply missed.

x Leeshie

Image Source: Yahoo!7