In a shower scene scary enough to rival the one in Hitchcock's Psycho, Sunset Beach's Susan Ward showed she can play much more than a feisty girl from Kansas. Though Meg wasn't stabbed to death, she experienced a horror of her own when she realized that the man with whom she was standing there naked was not her fiancé, Ben, but his crazed twin, Derek. The terror in Ward's eyes said it all; her fear was palpable. Making matters worse, she immediately flashed back to the island where the masked man -- Derek -- went on a killing spree. Her world as she knew it was over. And if this man was Derek, where, then, was Ben?

Ward was even better in subsequent scenes. She kept Meg balanced. She was shaking in her boots but could not let on that she knew she was with Derek. She was so tense she jumped at any sound or movement. Meg had to cover the fear in her voice, as she made small talk with Derek. She had to be affectionate and possibly even make love to a complete stranger. She was also frantically putting the pieces of the puzzle together in her head. Ward pulled off the juggling act with great aplomb. All of a sudden, all the things Meg intuitively felt had been off with Ben made complete sense.

Ward has always excelled at playing Sunset's spunky young heroine. This week, she got a chance to expand her range. She was so convincing, we felt just as terrified as Meg.

As Meg Cummings, Susan Ward has endured more than her fair share of hardships. Right from the start, when she discovered her groom-to-be, Tim, having a pre-nuptial affair with her maid of (not much) honor, Meg has been a babe in a thorny wood. But the same sunny outlook and sweet nature that made her prey for the likes of Tim, Annie and Derek also kept her afloat. Fortunately for SUNSET BEACH, Ward never let her character slip into the categories of victim or loser. She brings an earth-bound realism to her character's extraordinary circumstances, which ensures that the audience is able to relate to her experience.

The latest blow, however, has been too much for even the staunchest Pollyanna. Meg was forced to sit back and watch as Ben consoled the woman who really is his wife - and there was nothing she could do. Through her tears, Ward displayed a composure and a grace that demonstrated heretofore unsuspected strength.

When a character is dealt an unfair hand, she automatically wins the audience's sympathy. But now Meg's situation isn't black and white - she wants a man who another woman has claimed. And the way she's handling it is winning our respect, as well as our compassion, thanks to Ward's dignified portrayal.

You could see Meg's heart break 1,000 times over when Ben was unable to tell her that he loved only her. The horror in her eyes when she heard Ben profess his love to Maria was chilling. While playing a good person in an ugly, ambiguous situation, Ward is making the most of the opportunity to have her character finally grow up.