Soap Opera Update Special;
April , 2000

Where Meg Lived and Loved -- When Meg first arrived in Sunset Beach, fresh off the farms of Kansas she took up residence at Surf Central with Casey, Michael, Rae and Mark. However, once she found her soulmate Ben, she moved into his beautiful beachside mansion. In the months that followed, Meg never added her personal style to the home, since Ben had the house built for his first wife, Maria, who was presumed to have drowned five years before Ben&Meg had their first encounter.

Memorable Moment -- Naturally, over the course of living together over the course of two years, Meg and Ben created many memories -- both good and bad -- in that home. One of the most poignant times was right after Maria had returned from the dead and Ben and Maria's son Benjy had been rescued following his kidnapping. Meg felt partly responsible for Benjy's kidnapping, since she was watching him at the time of the abduction. That, combined with ben's conflicting feelings for his first wife, pushed Meg to move back to Surf Central, until Ben decided which woman he wanted.
 
 

Soap Opera Digest;
January 4, 2000

#1. THE ROMANCE OF BEN AND MEG  Ben (screen name SB) and Meg (a.k.a. Dorothy) had a cyberspace romance that turned star-crossed after she ditched her no-good groom and moved to the Beach. But Meg's travails with two-timing Tim were a day at the ... well, you know, compared to her tortured relationship with Ben. Still, the duo's devoted fans always believed true love would triumph.

#5 TERROR ISLAND When Ben bought a house on a private isle for Meg, it  seemed like a sweet (if pricey) gift. Little did anyone realize that it  would set off a reign of terror. Meg threw a party for her pals there, but  soon Mark, Elizabeth and Jade were dead. Before breathing his last, Mark  pulled off his attacker's mask. It was Ben! Actually, it was Ben's  back-from-the-dead twin, Derek, who had abducted Ben and assumed his  identity. Eddie bit the dust before Ben escaped. The brothers' battle sent  Derek careening over a cliff.

#8 THE INTERLOPERS  Dana turned out to be Ben's not-so-dead wife, Maria, and  crashed Ben and Meg's wedding reception. Tess popped up with Benjy, Ben and  Maria's surprise son. Then, Derek secretly came back from the dead (again),  took his brother's place (again) and "reunited" with Maria. By the time  Maria caught on AND learned that Benjy was Derek and Tess' child, she was  their prisoner.
 
 

Soap Opera Weekly;
December 21, 1999

BEST COUPLE -- Ben and Meg 

Despite being estranged most of the year (thanks to the machinations of Tess, Tim, and Derek), this couple's longing to be together was as undeniable as the chemistry between Clive Robertson and Susan Ward.

MESSIEST BREAKUP -- Meg & Ben and Casey & Sara

Tess and Tim's diabolical plan to break up these couples in order to reunite Ben with Maria worked like a charm.  Tess created a love nest complete with empty condom wrappers so that Meg would think Maria and
Ben did the nasty.  Tim, meanwhile, caused a rift between Sara and Casey, sending Casey packing.  Casey and Meg later wound up on the pier and kissed;  Ben saw it.  Soon, after, a hurt Ben really did make love
to Maria;  Meg walked in while Maria and Ben were having sex in his office at the Deep. Ouch!!
 
 

Soap Opera Digest;
April 13, 1999

Readers Choice:  Ben and Meg's 1997 Kansas reunion.

What Happened:  Meg fled to her family's farm after Ben called her "Maria" (his dead wife's name) one too may times.  When Ben found out that he'd been hypnotized to do it (thanks to Annie), he headed for Kansas and set the record straight.  After Ben punched out Tim and rejected Annie, he and Meg enjoyed Kansas-style fun, which included country-western dancing and a romantic stroll through a cornfield.
 
 

Soap Opera Digest;
April 13, 1999

The Fixated Fella:  Tim Truman

Desperately Seeking:  Meg Cummings

Cause of Compulsion:  Tim and Meg were childhood sweethearts back in Kansas, but when Meg caught Tim messing around with her maid of honor (on Meg and Tim's wedding day, no less!), the honeymoon was over before it even began.  Tim followed Meg out to Sunset Beach, where, for the past 2 1/2 years, he's set his sights on getting her back - no matter what.

Anything Goes:  First, Tim merely played mind games to win Meg's affection, but soon he resorted to dirtier tactics.  Last year, he kept the identity of Ben's presumed-dead ex-wife, Maria, a secret so he could have a trump card to ruin Ben and Meg's wedding.  He assumed that Meg would come running back into his arms, but he was wrong.  More recently, he recruited Sara to help him get Meg back, and after she assisted him once (by sending Meg to Palm Springs in a botched attempt to have her see Maria and Ben together),  he blackmailed her into helping him again by threatening to tell Sara's boyfriend, Casey, of her wrong doing.

Status Check:  Tim is still devising ways to keep Ben and Meg apart.  With the arrival of Benjy, the boy believed to be Ben and Maria's child, Tim is getting a boost to his cause.  Like that Titanic song, Tim's obsession goes on and on.
 
 

Soaps In Depth;
January 19, 1999 

SUN Boldly Goes Where Few Soaps Are Going Anymore  (edited)

In an age when most soaps are more likely to use potted trees and Astroturf to represent a park than venture into the great outdoors, rare is the week when SUN's characters don't jog down the beach or have a heart-to-heart conversation on the mythical town's pier.

But SUN doesn't just deliver viewers a day at the beach.  In fact, when supercouple Ben and Meg's relationship hit the rocks, the show hit the road and took the audience on a road trip to Kansas, where the duo reunited among the corn stalks.  Besides giving the show a unique backdrop, the remote had an added benefit.  "It allowed viewers to see that despite all the craziness surrounding Meg in California, she came from a nice, normal, working middle-class farm family," explains the Kansan's portrayer, Susan Ward (Meg).  "It was something people could relate to."
 
 

Soap Opera Digest;
January 12, 1999

Lately, Meg & Ben's attempt at romance hasn't exactly been what you'd consider a walk in the park -- anything but.  That doesn't mean, however, that their portrayers, Susan Ward & Clive Robertson aren't having more than their fair share of fun working together.  In fact, some love scenes were chock full of laughs -- especially when Robertson decided to pull a prank on the unsuspecting Ward.  "I had a towel wrapped around me that I had to take off," Robertson remembers, "and I told her, 'I'm not wearing anything.  Is that okay?'  And she looked at me and said, '...Yeah?...' "  Turns out Robertson didn't just let the joke end there.  In fact, he literally dropped his cover. "I got her going!" the actor chuckles.  "But when I took [the towel] off, I was actually wearing boxer shorts.
 
 

Soap Opera News;
December 29, 1998 

"Talk about your major conflicts. In one year, Meg has survived Terror Island, Shockwave and the return of
her husband's allegedly dead wife. She deserves a trophy just for endurance. But Ward remains a protagonist through whose eyes we watch the beach, and its her natural performance that keeps even the most outrageous stories on an even keel."
 
 

Soaps in Depth;
December 29, 1998 

Outside of Greek tragedies, no entertainment provided as much bang for our bucks as daytime's new soap on the block.  An evil twin, an earthquake, a tidal wave. . . you name the calamity, and it befell the beleaguered (and impressively durable) cast of characters.  And though the biggest drama may have taken place behind-the-scenes - Would NBC renew the show? - its go-for-broke stunts made support of its life a "shore" thing.

PANDEMONIUM OF SUNSET BEACH

Meg and Ben Wed At Last!

Meg's New Year celebration on her private island soured when a masked murderer went on a killing spree that left mark colder than a skinny-dipper in February.  With his dying breath, he pointed a finger at Ben, but the culprit turned out to be Ben's twin, Derek.

Later, Derek held Ben captive and impersonated him in order to inherit his fortune.  Ben escaped, but - lucky for Derek - passed out before he could warn everyone.  Derek snuck into Ben's hospital room and administered what he thought was a lethal injection, then made plans to have Ben cremated.

However, Ben regained consciousness at the morgue, where dingbat mortician Diane fantasized that he was the hero from her romance novels. After escaping from her, Ben found Meg at a cabin, where Derek was planning to kill her.  But following a struggle with Ben on a mountain ledge, it was Derek who died.

While Meg and Ben made plans to marry, the bride-to-be befriended Dana, an amnesiac.  Tim realized that the stranger was Maria, Ben's dead first wife, and kept her identity a secret. . . until Maria innocently caught Meg's bouquet at the ceremony!  Meg fretted that Ben would leave her for Maria. And her worries weren't allayed much when Maria moved in with the happy newlyweds in the hope of regaining her memory so that she could be declared competent enough to sign divorce papers.
 
 

Soaps in Depth;
December 29, 1998 

REMEMBER THE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS THAT TOOK YOUR BREATH AWAY

Legend of the Fall -- Ben Evans and Meg Cummings

It was a sunset when Meg first caught sight of the handsome, mysterious stranger walking along the beach.  Although she had no clue that the man was her cyber-soulmate S.B., aka Ben Evans, local lore could have revealed as much.  Every Sunset Beach resident grew up knowing that the circumstances under which she had first sighted Ben foretold true love and everlasting happiness.  Theirs certainly would be a long, difficult journey, complete with competitive redheads and psychotic twins.  But in the end, their love would emerge all the stronger for it.  It had to.  Their love was the stuff of legends.
 
 

Soaps in Depth;
December 29, 1998 

SOME SOAP CHARACTERS CAN'T CATCH A BREATH EVEN ON HOLIDAY!

An eye for an isle.

Ben's Christmas present to Meg - an island to call her own - certainly took her breath away.  And Elizabeth's.  And Jade's.  And Mark's.  Only difference was, the last three were going to spend all eternity waiting to inhale.  They were murdered in a mysterious spree that began the minute Captain Grogan's boat - the only transportation to and from the island - left the docks.  How did Meg manage to make it to the "mourning" after? Well, some fancy footwork and a few good hiding spots kept her from the killer's clutches, but Mr. Murder managed some slick escapes himself.  His best trick: being a dead ringer for Ben!  It turned out, killer looks weren't the only thing he and Meg's fiancé had in common, either; the murderer was actually Ben's psychotic twin brother, Derek!
 
 

Soap Opera Digest;
November 3, 1998 

Griffin would like to see his character FINALLY release Meg to Ben and pursue one of the available BEACH babes. "I think it would be funny as hell to see Tim hook up with Maria, and Ben make the decision to
stay with Meg."
 
 

Soap Opera Digest;
October 13, 1998 

Would Hank prefer it if Meg ended up with Ben or Casey?

JOHN MARTIN: Though Casey's a heroic lifeguard, there's more security with Ben. Besides, Sara's going after Casey.
 

Soaps In Depth;
September 15, 1998 

Like all mother/daughter relationships, the bond between Joan, Meg and Sara is strong and sometimes
painful. "Meg and Joan always had a very close and instinctive relationship," says Potter. "They have the
same attitude towards life.

And what does the perfect mother wish for her family? "I hope Hank can let himself off the hook about losing the farm," she says, in character. "I hope Sara will understand that her parents love her and that she can come to them in a time of need. And I wish Meg would get the chance to marry Ben, for God's sake. And, hopefully they'll have a baby, too."

Spoken like a true mother.
 
 

Soap Opera Digest;
June 9, 1998 

He knows when you are sleepy, he knows when you're awake. Timothy Adams (Casey) pulls down the covers on his beachmates:

The Sleepyhead:

    "Sometimes [in the morning]. Susan Ward [Meg] is still sleepy. We do talk, but I don't think she realizes that she's speaking out loud. Sometimes, really early in the morning, like 6:30 a.m. out on location, she's like this sleepyhead who's not aware of anything, but she's cute when she's sleepy."

The Perfectionist:

    "Clive Robertson [Ben/Derek] likes to take his time and make sure everything is done right. Sometimes, at the end of the day, everyone wants to go home, but Clive's a true proffessional. I think it's the European thing. I think he's a little bit behind us fastpaced Americans, perhaps [laughs]."
 
 

Soap Opera Update,
June 9, 1997

"We all blopper, that's for sure" says Kathleen Noone (Bette). "I am always confusing Ben and Meg with Beg and Men. It's a natural thing that we all do, but instead of allowing it to stay in the scene along with the correction, the tape is usually stopped and the scene is redone. Whenever any if us see their names in the script, we pray that we'll be able to make it through a scene without totaly screwing up. I call it 'cathumpered' when your tongue gets tiped up over certain words and you end up sounding like 'blahaythatama'."
 
 

Soap Opera Digest
February 17, 1998

Who Was Hot-To-Trot:  Ben Evans and Meg Cummings

Love Location:  When Ben learned that Meg was snooping around a beachfront cave that was about to be blown to smithereens, he ran to save his love and got trapped with her after a cave-in.

Move Over, Cupid:  Ben and Meg expressed their love, and he suggested they make love for the first time. (Unfortunately, Ben was conked on the head during the cave-in and thought Meg was really his dead wife, Maria.

Was It Good For You?:  Making things worse for Ben and Meg was the fact that Annie saw the encounter when she broke through the rocks to rescue them. She wasn't happy... until she learned that Ben called Meg by Maria's name.

After the Fact:  Considering that Ben didn't remember doing the deed, and Meg was horrified by the fact that Ben mistook her for Maria, you could say things weren't exactly peachy the next day. With the help ofa hipnotist, Ben finally recalled what happened, and the guilt-ridden Brit followed Meg to Kansas to pledge his love.

About Place: The couple's subterranean sex setting is a fading memory these days. The cave was demolished to clear the way for a new development. Besides, Meg and Ben wanted to put the experience as far behind them as they could.
 
 

Soap Opera News,
December 22, 1997

Thanks to the great chemistry between actors Clive Robertson and Susan Ward, Meg and Ben's storyline was a definite success. But they were not solely responsible. The winning Sarah Buxton (Annie) and the
subtle Dax Griffin (Tim) as the duo constantly trying to break them apart deserve equal credit. They
provided tension, excitement and even some comic relief, which made the romance come to life."
 
 

Soap Opera News,
December 22, 1997

When they were corresponding via e-mail, no one ever suspected that Meg Cummings and Ben Evans would be the breakout supercouple of Sunset Beach. But defying the odds - not to mention Annie and Tim's schemes - seems to be what this pair does best. The sparks began to fly when the duo teamed up to prove Annie's innocence in the death of her father, and literally exploded during the cave-in when they first made love. While there are sure to be rocky roads ahead for this pair (how many people think Maria's really dead?), these two are meant to be together.
 
 

Soap Opera Digest,
December 9, 1997

As a farm girl from the Kansas cornfields who ends up in the far-off land of Sunset Beach, Meg (Susan Ward) has wide-eyed innocence, unspoiled charm, natural beauty and more importantly ... Ben. Nice going, girl. That's what you get for playing the field ... of dreams.
 
 

Soaps In Depth,
November 25, 1997

What a hoot it was to see staid, conservative businessman Ben Evans swigging beer from a bottle and doing the Texas two-step in the heart of, uh, Kansas. And while in Ludlow native Meg looked right at home in the neon-lit honky tonk, California girl Annie took center stage in her leather dress, complete with tassels. When it came time to line dance, Ben may have had his eyes traied on Meg's feet in an attempt to avoid looking out of place, but every other eye in the room was on Annie and her seductive interpretation of the twangy tune. Afterward, Tim introduced Annie to her newly-formed fan club, a group pf farmers, who eyed her like the prized pig at the State Fair. Blue ribbons all around for taking these city mice for a spin in the country. Y'all come back now, ya hear?
 
 

Soap Opera Digest,
November 11, 1997

In any great fairy-tale romance, the man in white rides off with his lady love, promising to make all her dreams come true. Sunset Beach fans got their storybook ending when the dashing Ben Evans, dressed uncharacteristically in white, drove up to Meg's door in a convertible and swept her off her feet with a kiss.

The innocent far girl and the enigmatic businessman first found love on the Internet. Meg ditched her philandering fiancé in Kansas and cased her dream man all the way to California -- only to find that he was more Mr. Rochester than Prince Charming, haunted and glowering and ill-equipped for romance.

Meg finally did crake Ben's tough shell, only to face Annie and Tim's trickery. Courtesy of Annie's hypnosis, Ben called Meg by his late wife, Maria's, name once too often, sending her scampering home to Kansas with Tim. When Ben found out what Annie had done, he headed to Ludlow, Kansas, to reclaim his love.

Almost as sweet as the couple's reunion was their revenge. As Ben explained to Meg how Annie had manipulated them, the two realized that Tim must have been Annie's accomplice. Tim walked in on their conversation and our hero's fist sent Tim to the floor.

Of course, where Ben goes, Annie is sure to follow. After changing planes three times, Annie was carted to Ludlow in the back of a chicken truck. Stung by Ben's rejection of her apology, Annie shared a romp in the hay - quite literally - with Tim.

Meg has always been something of a misfit in the sophisticated, salty world of Sunset Beach, and it was fitting that Ben met her on her home turf to win her back. Beach took advantage of scenic middle America with exterior shots of Meg showing Ben around her hometown, including a romantic walk through the corn fields, Meg telling a touching tale of how she broke her arm as a child in the apple orchard by the bar, and a visit to the local country-and-western bar.

And what took place at that bar was as memorable a dance you'll ever see on daytime. Ben and Meg "battled" on the dance floor with Tim and a decked out Annie [shades of Cha Cha from Grease]. It was hilarious, refreshing and entirely within the context of the story.

Carol Potter returned as Meg's mom for the compelling heart-to-heart with her daughter. When Meg expressed her fears about giving herself to Ben, her mom pointed out, "you gave your heart to Ben a long time ago."

Meanwhile, Ben had his hands full with Meg's protective dad, Hank, played charmingly by daytime vet John Martin. Hank grilled Ben, questioning why he really came to Kansas. "Because I love your daughter," Ben replied, and Hank's wistful reaction betrayed regret as well as relief - he was no longer the most important man in his little girl's life, but he was leaving her in the hands of someone else who loved her.

Come to think of it, it was less a happy ending than a new beginning.
 
 

Soap Opera Digest,
October 28, 1997

[edited to include only Meg Bennett quotes]

Meg Bennett, head writer for SUNSET BEACH, concurs. "I think the broad storyline strokes tend to be the result of [a writer's imagination]," she says, "but the shadings that make characters specific, and really touching moments, tend to stem from personal experiences." The kind that never get erased from your memory bank. "I know when I write for Ben and Meg [Clive Robertson and Susan Ward], I pull [material] from romantic moments in my own life," says Bennett. "There are just little instances that come back to 
you." Like the time her mom uttered the immortal words: "It's the things you don't do in life that you regret." BEACH fans will recognize that as Meg Cummings's mantra. Laughs Bennett, "My mother said that when I was in junior high. Consequently, I'm the worst decision-maker in the world. Still, it's the little things like that that turn up. And there are probably a million of them."
 
 

Soap Opera Digest,
October 7, 1997

SUNSET BEACH fans have never before flooded our mailbag. That's not to say they're not out there, but up until recently, they weren't very vocal. Now, it seems BEACHcombers have developed a renewed commitment to their show, and they're telling us about it - a lot. Ben and Meg, BEACH's breakout couple, 
are now embroiled in a complex story involving two other favorites, Annie and Tim. One viewer thought of an appropriate punishment for Annie and Tim's interference in the supercouple's lives. "[They] should be made to stand on the outside looking in as BEACH has its first wedding."
 
 

Soap Opera Digest,
May 6, 1997

Relationship Milestone: Their first real kiss.

The Scene: As part of their investigation into Del's murder, Meg and Ben faked a relationship. Neither admitted that they really had feelings for each other. After the Surf Central party, Ben asked Meg to dance on his balcony. The couple swayed in each other's arms. "I can't remember the last time I wanted to do anything as much as I want to do this," Ben murmured, planting a long, passionate kiss on Meg.

Stumbling Blocks: Annie and Tim have joined forces to keep Ben and Meg apart. The memory of Ben's late wife, Maria, also poses a threat. He keeps a painting of the dead woman in his living room -- how can Meg compete with that?

Current Status: Despite the fact that they're cyber soul mates, Ben is afraid of jumping into a serious relationship.

The Odds: Very promising. If Mr. Evans gets over his haunting past, Ben and Meg could end up being the supercouple of the BEACH.
 

Soap Opera Digest
September 23, 1997

The Avenger:  Annie Douglas

The Target:  Meg Cummings

How Come:  Corn-fed Meg was fresh off the bus from Kansas when she caught the eye of the man Annie's had dibs on for years, Ben Evans. He's been married to Annie's best friend, Maria, and when Maria died, Annie really, really wanted to give Ben more than just a shoulder to cry on.

The Plan:  Freak Meg out, so she'll hightail it back to where she came from. How? First, Annie drugged Ben to make it look like they had slept together. After finding an ally in Meg's jilted fiance, Tim, Annie forged pages in Maria's diary (which Meg was reading) so it appeared as if Ben tried to kill Maria. That led to Meg and Ben being trapped in a potentially deadly cave-in. Now, Annie has planted a post-hypnotic suggestion in Ben that makes him call Meg by Maria's name. Ick. When Meg decked Annie and the two got into an all-out cat fight, Annie's resolve for revenge got even stronger.

Why it Won't Work:  File it under L, for Losing Battle. That's because no matter what, Ben and Meg will always wind up back together. Even if Meg does return to Kansas, it won't be for long. Bottom line: there IS someplace like home.
 

Soap Opera Digest
September 23, 1997

SUNSET BEACH PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS (edited)

If it's broke, then fix it, seems to be the motto at Sunset Beach, the promising show with disappointing ratings of around 1.8 to 2.0.

It was time to take decisive action this summer. After six months on the air, the Nielsens were going nowhere. But instead of cleaning house or changing storylines midstream (yeah, that works), BEACH producers took a different approach. In an entire week devoted to recaps, dynamic voiceovers narrated the show's highlights, explaining the plots and the people. The scenes painted a rich portrait of well-defined characters and fast-paced stories.

The result was an entertaining primer for new viewers, faithful BEACH fans got to relive their favourite moments. There were Ben and Meg's romantic exchanges on the Internet and Olivia's tryst with the dashing Cole St. John. And, Annie, the shameless, spoiled redhead, who in the course of six months was arrested for murdering her dad, escaped jail, almost burned t death in a crematorium and allowed everyone to think she was dead.

Did BEACH's experiment work? Not for the number-crunchers, maybe, if they expected the gamble to pay off right away. But the festival of flashbacks was only the beginning. The next week, BEACH featured a dazzling new opening, with lively photos and a hip, new theme. And the week-long reprieve appears to have given the writers time to evaluate what's working and what's not. One thing that IS working is Ben and Meg, and now they've gotten a doozy of a situation keeping them at arm's lenght: They finally made love, but thanks to a bump on the noggin, Ben mistakenly believed he'd sex with his now-dead wife Maria. Annie, who's got the hots for Ben, was so tickled by the development that she started taunting poor Meg. Next thing you know, there's a brawl worthy of DYNASTY'S Krystle and Alexis.

Adventure, fast paced storytelling and humor... This is a show that wants to win you over; they're doing everything they can to invite you to visit SUNSET BEACH. You might want to stay a while.