On 24 January 2020, Netflix released the final 10 episodes of ‘The Ranch’ and, clearly, the series’ fans weren’t ready for all the Bennett-goodness-madness coming to an end.
Created by Don Reo and Jim Patterson, the American sitcom ‘The Ranch’ revolves around the Bennett family and stars Ashton Kutcher as Colt Bennett, a failed semi-pro football player, who returns to Colorado to reconnect with his roots and join his father Beau and brother Rooster in running the family cattle ranch. Alongside Kutcher, ‘The Ranch’ also stars Danny Masterson, Debra Winger, Sam Elliott, Elisha Cuthbert, Kelly Goss, Dax Shepard, and Megyn Price.
Highlights:
- ‘The Ranch’: A look back at the past
- ‘The Ranch’ Part 8: Series finale explained
- Ashton Kutcher not in favour of ‘The Ranch’ Part 9
‘The Ranch’: A look back at the past
Premiering on 1 April 2016, ‘The Ranch’ reunited ‘That ’70s Show‘ co-stars Danny Masterson and Ashton Kutcher as brothers Rooster and Colt Bennett. Despite the controversies it wound up in, with Danny Masterson facing multiple sexual assault charges, ‘The Ranch’ maintained a satisfactory run with 4 seasons.
With 80 episodes across 8 parts, ‘The Ranch’ bagged the title of Netflix’s longest-running multi-camera comedy, beating ‘Fuller House’ by 5 episodes. The series struck the right chord with strong and surprisingly sensitive performances, coupled with a formulaic set-up. Since its premiere, ‘The Ranch’ has garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics. Reviewing ‘The Ranch’ for “Slate”, television critic Willa Paskin wrote,
“The goodness sneaks up on you. It is a sitcom that is meatier than it is funny, unusually in touch with the painful, disappointing aspects of life”.
‘The Ranch’ Part 8: Series finale explained
Both fans and critics will agree that ‘The Ranch’ ended in the best way possible. Yes, there were a ton of alternative endings that could have been possible, but, clearly, the makers and writers wanted to go for the happiest one. Giving a proper send-off to each and every character, was essentially a happy ending for everyone.
Colt makes the ultimate save! He does not just manage to make Lisa Neumann drop the lawsuit against him, but also sells her his livestock in exchange for Iron River. So Beau and Joanne get to keep their beloved ranch. Fans broke into tears when the stoic rancher Beau got up from his chair and hugged Colt and finally confessed how much he loved him. What a heartwarming moment!
Not just that, Colt and Abby get back together! While moving into their new house, Abby takes a pregnancy test, which unfortunately comes out negative. But, the false alarm gets them planning for a second child. Tissues, please! Luke opens up about his mental health. Fearing that he will suffer the same fate as Koosh, Luke finally seeks help and asks Beau to accompany him on his first Veterans’ Support Group meeting.
‘The Ranch’ Part 7 ended on a stressful cliffhanger. Who was in Nick’s trailer? Who pulled the trigger? With these looming questions, ‘The Ranch’ Part 8 episodes revealed the biggest surprise. It was Heather! When she tells Colt about it, he immediately rushes to the trailer and claims that Nick was already dead when he got there. But guilt-ridden Heather decides to turn herself in. Before she makes it to the police station, Heather’s mother Mary admits to killing Nick. Mary chooses to protect her daughter. In the series finale, Mary accepts the plea bargain offered by the court and ultimately avoids a long sentence.
In ‘The Ranch’ Part 8 episodes, Luke isn’t the only one beginning to put together the pieces of his life. At Maggie’s Christmas Eve party, Mary and Luke decide to go on a proper date. Meanwhile, Heather expresses her gratitude towards Colt for all that he’s done to protect her. Maggie decides to turn a new leaf by selling her bar and moving to Florida with her new partner Julie. In the end, with all the loose knots tied, the Bennetts gather for a nightcap and raise a toast to Iron River, the loved ones lost, and their future.
Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson and Sam Elliott saddle up for Netflix comedy ‘The Ranch’
Ashton Kutcher not in favour of ‘The Ranch’ Part 9
Speaking on “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast, ‘The Ranch’ star and executive producer Ashton Kutcher opened up about Netflix’s decision to end the series.
“The story was told. I love everything that we did. Everybody there was still highly in love with each other. We got to the point where we were able to let everybody know this was the last season, and that we were going to wrap it up, so everybody had time to find their next gig.”,
Said Kutcher answering questions on ‘The Ranch’ final part.
He added,
“Netflix owns the show, so it’s not like there was this big syndication boon that’s going to come if we shoot two more seasons”.
Rationalising Netflix’s decision to conclude ‘The Ranch’, Kutcher took a jibe at CBS’s ‘Two and a Half Men’. He said,
“I’ve been on shows where you keep going, and you keep going. And then you’ve got a brother who’s a gorilla”.
We can’t help but agree. After all, all’s well that ends well. Till then, as Maggie exclaimed, “Cheers to the fucking Bennetts!” What did you think of ‘The Ranch’ series finale? Tell us your views in the comments below!
