Mason Morgan

Ahead of his screen debut, Pledger described Mason as having a "positive outlook on life", being family orientated, and "a hopeless romantic".[3] He also said Mason "leads with his gut and stands up for what he believes in and will always stick up for the little guy."[3] Pledger later called his character "a free spirit" and a positive person to be around.[4] The actor explained that following the death of their parents, Mason's siblings helped him to grow up and unlike them, Mason has not had to take on many responsibilities.[4] Of the comparisons to the Braxton brothers, Heywood said the Morgans had a different dynamic, while Pledger added that family comes first for the Morgans.[5] Mason is a medical student, who struggles to fit in a social life in between studying and working out in the gym.[3] Pledger called Tori a good role model for Mason and as a result, they share a very close relationship.[4]

Pledger shares some similarities with Mason, particularly his dedication to attaining his dream job. The actor explained, "I've done that in my life with acting. Maybe it's not the same formality as studying to be a doctor and having to do a seven-year introduction to it before you even start but, definitely, if I was passionate about it, I would definitely do it."[2] The character's appearance changed in 2017 when Pledger shaved his "trademark" curly hair in favour of a shorter haircut.[6] Pledger later said that he thought a shorter haircut was best for his character at that point, but that he was beginning to grow it longer for Mason again.[7]

Mason, Justin and Brody, along with their dog Buddy, are almost involved in a car crash with Martin "Ash" Ashford (George Mason) while they are driving to Summer Bay to join their sister, Tori.[8] Ash swerves across the road in front of them while texting. After coming to a stop, Justin immediately gets out of the car to confront Ash, and Brody and Mason desperately try to keep them from getting into a physical fight.[8] The Morgans continue their journey to the Bay, where they find Ash talking with Tori and Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) on the beach and another fight almost breaks out, until Tori reveals that Justin, Brody and Mason are her brothers.[8] Ash accepts that he was in the wrong, while Justin is glad his family have made it to the Bay safely. The siblings also wonder if they will be able to stay in their new home, leading to the start of their first major storyline.[8]

An Inside Soap columnist observed that the Morgans had been hiding something about their past from the Bay's residents.[9] They initially keep to themselves and Justin warns Tori against befriending local doctor Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor). Stewart explained that there were a set of rules that the Morgans had to live by, which related to their secret.[10] While studying at home one day, Mason is visited by his former girlfriend Lara Adams (Elle Harris). Lara tells Mason off for not staying in contact with her. Justin arrives home shortly after and finds Lara and Mason together.[11] He orders Lara to leave, while warning Mason that he has compromised the family. Stewart confirmed that Justin's reaction had something to do with the family's secret.[11] Lara comes to the hospital to see Mason, who asks her to leave in case she is seen. Later, while he is looking for Lara, Mason comes across an upset Evelyn MacGuire (Philippa Northeast) and he comforts her. Lara sees them together and assumes Mason is also dating Evie. In an effort to reconnect with Lara, Mason tells her that his family are in witness protection. Later that day, Brody mentions that he is being followed, so Mason admits that he told Lara about their secret. Justin decides that they need to pack up and leave.[10]

After Tori is threatened by Spike Lowe (Jason Montgomery), the family's police liaison officer Atticus Decker (John Adam) has them moved to a safe house. As they wait to find out where they will be moved to next, the family agree that they are tired of running from the people who killed their parents.[12] When his siblings begin arguing, Mason slips outside to meet up with Lara. However, he soon learns that she is working for Spike and Blaine Varden (Ashley Lyons), the man who killed the Morgan's parents. Spike and Blaine trick Mason into telling them where the safe house is and they hold the family hostage.[12] Blaine produces a gun and threatens to kill them all, before revealing that Justin knew the truth about the circumstances that led to their parents' deaths.[12] Mason is one of nine characters involved in a plane crash, after Spike sabotages a plane being used for Tori's birthday trip. Justin attempts to warn the pilot, Duncan Stewart (Benedict Wall), but a broken pipe leaks carbon dioxide into the cabin and everyone passes out. However, Duncan does manage to crash land the plane in the sand first.[13] While most of the passengers escape major injury, Mason is "panic-stricken" when he realises that Brody is missing.[14]

Later developments in the storyline saw the Morgans meet Decker's nieces Hope (Jessica Falkholt) and Raffy Morrison (Olivia Deeble). They soon realise that Raffy could be their half-sister, after Decker admits to having an affair with their mother.[15] A DNA test confirms their suspicions, but before they tell Raffy, Hope steals Mason's car and attempts to leave town with her.[15] The Morgans eventually tell Raffy she is their half-sister and that they had to go into witness protection because their parents were killed by drug dealers.[16] The Morgan's secret is soon revealed to the rest of the Bay in the local newspaper.[17]

Mason shares a drunken kiss with Evie after a night out. The following week, they have dinner together and Mason confronts Evie about her drinking and partying. However, instead of talking to him about her issues, Evie just kisses Mason again and they have sex.[18] They agree to a friends with benefits arrangement.[19] Mason becomes concerned when Evie insists that she survived the plane crash because her deceased brother Oscar MacGuire (Jake Speer) is watching over her.[20] Determined to prove her theory, Evie takes Mason out in her car and begins driving recklessly, as she is convinced that she will not crash. Mason is "petrified" by her stunt and when they stop, he "lets rip at her".[20] Mason eventually develops feelings for Evie, but she reacts angrily to his admission and tells him she is not interested in a relationship with him.[19] A reporter for The Daily Telegraph noted the arrangement would not last long, after Northeast was photographed filming a kissing scene with Alec Snow, who plays Matt Page.[21]

Mason is involved in a love triangle when he dates Olivia Fraser Richards, played by Raechelle Banno (pictured).

Producers later paired Mason with Olivia Fraser Richards (Raechelle Banno) and formed a love triangle storyline with her ex-boyfriend Hunter King (Scott Lee).[22] Mason shows an interest in dating Olivia and she is "drawn to him".[22] Pledger told Alison Gardner of What's on TV that Mason "really likes" Olivia and readily accepts her invitation to accompany her to the formal.[23] The pair soon learn that Hunter is also attending, and Mason realises that Olivia still has feelings for him.[23] Olivia leaves Mason at the bar and begins dancing with Hunter, but she explains that she was just passing the time while she waited for Mason to return.[23] Pledger continued, "As the evening goes on, it's clear Olivia's still into Hunter. Mason's had so much to deal with because of his family's problems that he doesn't need Olivia to bring him even more heartache."[23] The following morning, Olivia visits Mason at the lifeguard station, where he is starting his new job, to tell him that what happened with Hunter meant nothing, but Mason replies that he does not need any more stress in his life. Later that day, Mason gets into a fight with Hunter. Pledger said that Mason "acts completely out of character" when he hits Hunter and is left feeling ashamed after Alf breaks up the fight.[23]

Olivia asks Mason if they can start their relationship over, but Mason rejects the idea. However, when they attend the Summer Grooves music festival, Mason and Olivia kiss.[23] Olivia later admits to Mason that she is worried about Hunter's decision not to return to school and he attempts to talk to Hunter, as he is annoyed that she is worrying about him all the time. They pair have to separated by Alf again, and Lee commented that while Hunter does not have a friendship with Mason, he wants to get better at dealing with things. Mason and Olivia are soon caught having sex at the Summer Bay Auto garage by Brody and Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger).[24] When Mason comes to The Diner to help Olivia out, he notices she is acting strangely. He soon learns from Alf that Hunter helped Olivia at The Diner the night before, leaving Olivia feeling guilty she did not tell Mason herself. Mason then confronts Hunter and asks him if he wants to get back together with Olivia, but Hunter says no.[25] Mason and Olivia's relationship becomes strained as he worries that she still has feelings for Hunter,[26] and when she admits that he is right, but wants to still date him, Mason breaks up with her.[27]

A new love interest for Mason was introduced in the form of guest character Beth Ellis (Anneliese Apps) in August 2017.[28] Beth tells Mason that she is a nurse and they soon bond while he is a patient in the hospital. Beth's friendship helps Mason's recovery from injuries he sustained in a car crash.[29] While looking for Beth, Mason soon learns that she is actually a patient. Mason is "furious" that Beth has lied to him, but she soon reveals that she is dying.[29] Beth explains that she needs a heart transplant, after being diagnosed with a serious heart condition five years prior. Mason urges Beth not to give up hope that she will get the transplant and they share "a heartfelt moment", which led a New Idea columnist to speculate that they could be more than just friends.[30] Mason later asks Beth out on a date and she accepts. Of their romance, Pledger told Tamara Cullen of TV Week, "Beth brings out the best in Mason. He's playful and has no inhibitions with her."[31] When Mason finds Beth's bucket list, she tells him that she accepts that she is not getting any better and is starting to reconsider her treatment. When Mason tries to reassure her that she will be fine, Beth gets angry and Mason is forced to apologise.[31] He then surprises her with a champagne lunch, where they bond further and kiss. Pledger commented, "Mason has never had a connection with anyone else like this."[31]

Mason finds Beth's bucket list and sees that she has fun and "romantically charged" things on it, which Mason wants to help her complete. Mason comes up with the idea of a James Bond style trip to the casino.[32] During the journey, Beth passes out while she driving. Mason is "petrified" and worried about the harm to Beth's health. He is also left feeling helpless as he cannot do anything about her condition.[32] Mason asks to meets Beth's parents, but she is reluctant. However, Mason later meets Beth and her father Alan Ellis (Blair McDonough) at the beach, so he introduces himself. Alan is unaware that his daughter is dating anyone, but he invites Mason to lunch with Beth and her mother Jackie (Rachael Coopes), where Mason tries to make a good impression.[33] Both Apps and Pledger hoped Beth and Mason's storyline would raise more awareness about organ donation in Australia.[34] Pledger also thought the plot could increase the number of people willing to be organ donors.[34] Both actors found the storyline tough to film, with Pledger calling it "a harrowing experience".[34] The storyline concludes with Beth's death. Mason wants to make the most of the time they have left and organises a lunch on the beach. But Beth collapses and Mason rushes her to the hospital, where she tells him she loves him. Beth goes into cardiac arrest and dies.[35]

Mason becomes a victim of his brother Brody's drug addiction when they are in a car crash together, which leaves him with temporary paralysis. The storyline begins when Mason finds Brody searching through the bin for drugs, as he is suffering a relapse. Mason knows that Brody needs help, so he manages to get Brody into his car to drive him to rehab.[36] During the journey, Brody is convinced that his dealer William Zannis (Caleb Alloway) is following them. He suddenly grabs the wheel, causing the car to leave the road and crash.[36] Brody suffers minor injuries, but Mason's condition deteriorates and he is placed in a coma after he loses the feeling in his hand.[37] Tori is forced to tell Brody, Justin and Raffy that Mason may never walk again, as he has severe spinal damage. The diagnosis prompts Brody to sell his restaurant and leave town for a private rehab.[38] Weeks later, Tori prepares to take Mason off the ventilator and wake him up, so she can assess how much damage there is to his spinal cord. But Mason fails to wake up and a neurosurgeon informs Tori that they will need to wait until the spinal shock has worn off.[37]

Days later, Mason finally wakes and is able to tell Tori that he cannot feel his legs. As he fears that he may never be able to walk again, Mason undergoes a series of tests and is told that once the swelling goes down, he may regain some feeling back.[37] After Mason is discharged from the hospital, Brody attempts to apologise for causing the accident. Mason "erupts with fury" and attempts to strangle his brother.[39] Justin and Tori try to get the brothers to reconcile, but they struggle to get through to "an increasingly-bitter" Mason. Justin later takes Mason to see their parents' graves to remind him that the family needs to stay together. Mason then accepts Brody's handshake, ending their feud.[39] Pledger later posted a photo of himself walking around the outdoor set on his social media, confirming that Mason would recover from his paralysis.[40]

During the serial's season finale, broadcast on 27 November 2019, the character was killed off after being shot by a member of the Ouroboros gang, who had taken several characters hostage in the hospital.[41] In an interview with TV Week, Pledger confirmed that his departure was a joint decision between himself and the producers, saying "it was a creative decision because it benefits the show the most at this time. And it gave me a bit of time to prepare for a lot of things as well, so there was no stress. I mean it was just so good."[41] Speaking about his final scenes, Pledger called Mason "heroic" and compared his death to an intense song, explaining that there was a lot of momentum and "a bit of a crescendo moment" when he was killed.[41]