Cowboy Romance
11 ‘Ransom Canyon’ Burning Questions We Need Answered in Season 2
[Warning: This post contains MAJOR spoilers for Ransom Canyon Season 1.]
Ransom Canyon is our new obsession. The cowboy drama, which dropped on Netflix on April 17, is an addictive, soapy binge.
Season 1 ended with multiple cliffhangers, including a woman claiming to be Yancy’s (Jack Schumacher) wife showing up at Gracie’s and giving Ellie (Marianly Tejada) a devastating shock. There’s also fallout from the reveal that Sheriff Brigman’s (Philip Winchester) wife was the one to cause Randall Kirkland’s (Hubert Smielecki) fatal car accident to contend with. None of that touches the still-developing love triangle between Quinn (Minka Kelly), Staten (Josh Duhamel), and Davis (Eoin Macken). It seemed like Quinn made her choice between the two men in the final episodes of the season, but her romantic future was still a mystery as the finale credits rolled.
Series creator and executive producer April Blair spoke with Swooon about the show’s romances and talked to our sister site TV Insider to break down the first season, but there are so many secrets on the show that we still have questions about what will happen in Season 2. Swooon has compiled 11 burning questions Ransom Canyon must answer if the show is renewed for a second season.
Ransom Canyon, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
1. Who is Yancy's wife?
Perhaps the biggest shock of the Ransom Canyon finale was a strange woman showing up at Gracie’s looking for Yancy. She claimed to be his wife, which was stunning because Yancy asked Ellie to marry him earlier in the day. The newly-minted co-owner of Gracie’s was holding the white dress she wanted to marry in at the couple’s planned midnight wedding on the Fuller Ranch. She dropped it when she heard who the woman was, and like Ellie, we need to know what this woman’s story is. We know that Yancy has had a shady past, but why would he insist that Ellie marry him if he already had a wife waiting? There’s something very fishy going on here. After a season of giving Yancy the benefit of the doubt, this is going to make it really hard to trust him going forward.
2. What was Staten's immediate reaction to finding out who was responsible for Randall's death?
Sheriff Brigman made the tough call of arresting his ex-wife, Margaret (Sarah Minnich), after he discovered that she was responsible for Randall Kirkland’s accident and had her boyfriend Kit (Casey W. Johnson) help cover it up. We know that the sheriff delivered the news to Staten, but we did not see his immediate reaction. He was later scene stoically staring out over his land, but what did he say to the sheriff when he found out what happened? Will this change his relationship with Lucas (Garrett Wareing) considering it was Lucas’ brother who covered up Margaret’s involvement? This news can change so much, and it’s strange that we didn’t get to see the immediate result of Staten knowing the truth of what happened that night with his son.
3. What is Staten & Quinn's relationship status?
Staten’s reaction to Randall’s accident is just one of the mysteries surrounding that character. After many episodes of playing chicken with Quinn, the couple finally made it official after hooking up during a tornado. She broke things off with Davis, and it looked like Quinn and Staten were finally going to give their relationship a real shot. But Staten didn’t have a great reaction when Quinn told him about potentially taking a piano gig in New York to pay off Gracie’s loan from Austin Water and Power. Things got worse when Staten and Davis got into a fight at the bar after Quinn begged Staten to stay away from him. He left his lavender bracelet on the bar table at the end of the night, leaving their relationship status unknown. Was this just a big fight, or is Quinn officially back on the market?
4. What is Davis' endgame?
Davis played it cool when Quinn ended their relationship, but he’s definitely still salty about losing his girl to Staten. Getting in that fight at Gracie’s did not help matters. He ended the season hopping into the backseat of Sam Kirkland’s (Brett Cullen) car, implying that he’ll be teaming up with the senator to squeeze Staten out of the Double K ranch. We know that Davis needs the Austin Water and Power deal to fix his money issues and secure an inheritance for his son, Reid (Andrew Liner). The deal will also mean big dollars for Sam and his next senate campaign, and they both would enjoy seeing Staten humbled. What is Davis’ ultimate endgame, though? Does he think kicking Staten off the Double K will help his case with Quinn? Does he think that Sam is more trustworthy than his brother-in-law? He’s obviously plotting something, but it’s hard to tell if this is the best move for his ultimate goals.
5. Where is Lucas going to college?
Lucas and Lauren (Lizzy Greene) had a rollercoaster romance throughout the season but ended Season 1 together and ready to tackle their future together. The question is: What is that future going to look like? Lauren injured her shoulder, jeopardizing her scholarship opportunity at the University of Texas at Austin. However, Lucas already has multiple offers from several prestigious colleges, including Brown and Columbia. Is he going to stay in Texas so he and Lauren can stay together, or will he head to the east coast for an Ivy League education? He’s worked so hard to get these opportunities, it would be a shame to see him pass on them, even if he and Lauren are truly in love.
6. Will Sheriff Brigman get a love interest?
The sheriff also had a rough season during the first outing of Ransom Canyon. His alcoholic wife left him, and he discovered she was having an affair with their daughter’s boyfriend’s brother. Then he had to arrest her for causing the fatal accident of their friend’s son. That’s rough. His daughter is also set to leave for college in a few months, leaving Sheriff Brigman with a big empty house. It feels like he needs the love a good person (we are open to options!) to give this man a bit of spark back in his life. He’s been through so much dark stuff that he deserves something fun to look forward to.
7. Will Yancy & Staten team up in Season 2?
Before Davis found out that Staten and Quinn were together, he and Staten were going to team up and combine their ranches so they could overpower Austin Water and Power. That went out the window once Davis realized he was going to lose the war for Quinn’s heart. In the meantime, Yancy inherited the Fuller Ranch. He was dealing with Cap’s (James Brolin) death and getting used to his new life, so Yancy and Staten didn’t explicitly discuss business, but they are both against the Austin Water and Power pipeline. Wouldn’t it make sense for them to combine their ranches instead? That could help Staten fight off Davis and Sam, and it would help Yancy gain more confidence in running this land he wasn’t expecting to own.
8. Will Kit get a proper redemption arc?
Kit was painted as a villain for most of Ransom Canyon Season 1, especially when he wouldn’t sell out Margaret. He’s clearly had a rough young adulthood, but he’s been given a second chance now that Margaret is finally paying the consequences of her actions. Kit still won’t have any fans in Staten or Sheriff Brigman, but is there hope that the can turn his life around in Season 2? Maybe he can find some work with Yancy, who also has a checkered past and could probably relate to the troubled young man.
9. What's the deal with Ellie's 'bad man' past?
Ellie has already turned her life around, but there were multiple hints that she’s got a thing for bad boys. Kai (Justin Johnson Cortez) was her first, and while she and the cop are now good friends, that reveal opened up a lot of questions about Ellie and the men she’s dated in the past. Is it really a pattern, or is she being hard on herself? What is it that drives her towards these men with questionable characters? And is there anything from her past relationships that can be applied to her burgeoning romance with Yancy?
10. Will we learn more about Quinn's time in New York?
According to Quinn, she left New York to care for her best friend Amalah when the latter woman was diagnosed with cancer. But then Quinn stayed in the canyon even after Amalah died. Quinn had a much more intense reason for leaving, and staying away from, New York in the Ransom Canyon novel. Is that something Blair and her creative team will bring into Quinn’s storyline in the Netflix series? It would be a powerful story to tell, and there’s enough mystery around Quinn’s time in New York, and her hesitance to go back, that it could be brought up in Season 2.
11. Will we get more group line dances in Season 2?
What is a country western drama without some quality line dancing? We finally got a group choreographed number in the season finale, but that number could, and should, increase in Season 2. If The Umbrella Academy can have multiple viral dance moments, then surely Ransom Canyon can give us some fun line dances to practice on TikTok. Let’s get those cowboy boots out and start steppin’!
