Grief is a strange thing. It’s something that we all live with, something that can consume us, but also something that we can find ourselves letting go of, little by little. It’s not that we ever forget grief, we just learn to survive around it.
And for the McMurray clan, they are doing just that. They are learning to survive around grief. They are learning to journey through their new normal, living in a state of figure it out or lose everything. It’s captivating television, but it’s also a little bit confusing.
Confusing because I didn’t get the flashbacks, sometimes. Instead they left me confused. And that, well, that frustrated me. I knew that Ride had the best of intentions, and well besides, that, I don’t really have complaints about this episode.
Having watched it a few times (I know, I know – I have a million things to watch, I should be watching other things) one thing that I have noticed with this show, is that everything means something. Everything is meticulous, down to the costumes and the assumptions of who is good and who is bad.
After Cash’s, (Beau Mirchoff) win in Boulder, the McMurrays are back in business! But Isabel’s, (Nancy Travis) concerns about losing the ranch force her to consider other options, when Gus Booker (Tyler Jacob Moore), the handsome stranger who had approached Missy, returns with interest in investing.
As Missy (Tiera Skovbye) takes on a new role to help Cash, she persuades Frontier to let her work from Canyon under one condition – she promises to double their social media traffic. Missy comes up with an unconventional way to deliver the numbers, but struggles with being seen as little more than Austin’s widow.
Meanwhile, as Tuff (Jake Foy) and Valeria (Sara Garcia) team up to try and improve the ranch’s prospects, they are forced to confront their fractured relationship, and as Gus is given Isabel’s tour of the ranch, he takes particular interest in Missy, but he isn’t trusted by the rest of the family…especially Beau.
THE COACHING
I have to admit that I was a little taken a back with the opening, because I didn’t realize that it was a look back until Austin appeared. I want to like Austin, because we shouldn’t think the worst of people, but I find him to be annoying and self centered.
But it was a nice thing to see him com back for a bit, even in a memory, because we got to see the moments that Cash and Austin were together. But it also sets up the fact that Cash loved Missy and missed his time to tell her. Instead, he chose to help his brother and stand by as his brother proposed.
Missy was Austins coach and now she’s Cash’s. Cash is doing everything that he can to resist it, but he’s also recognizing that he needs Missy. He needs Missy to train him and that bull riding is going to take a lot more than just riding the bull.
Cash thinks that he can win if he just has a new bull. That’s what he tells Missy that he needs. But she knows that he needs to be an elite athlete and that is going to take training, all of which Cash routinely resists.
Cash is an ass at times, but I do believe that it’s not because he wants to be an asshole, but because he doesn’t know how to express emotions. He doesn’t know how to be around Missy, because he feels a connection to her and he doesn’t want to feel it, because it’s dishonoring his brother.
I admit, I don’t know what to feel about Cash and Missy, but I do know he needs her. I do think that his resistance to her is telling. And I do think that he needs to realize that Missy is allowed to make her own choices. She’s a grown ass woman and if she wants to be at the McMurray ranch, that’s where she needs to be.
I do think that when he comes around to the fact he needs her, and when Missy gets him the bull, it’s a good thing. But I also think that we’re only at the beginning of his feelings getting in the way.
DOUBLING THOSE CLICKTHROUGHS
You can’t watch this show and not just absolutely love Missy, but also be really pissed that (like most shows) they think that social media is easy.
While I don’t get why they think that Frontier jeans is the end all, be all, it’s not for me to judge the path. The writers have a story to tell and they know where it’s going. What I do know is that while Missy wants to stay on the ranch, she needs to realize she made commitments.
And she doesn’t always have to do things the hard way.
The head of Frontier isn’t too keen on her staying on the ranch and not moving to Houston. Missy says that she can double their click throughs in a week in order to stay on the ranch.
Things like this piss me off because it’s just not that easy and for them to act like it is, is downright frustrating. Social media is not that easy, people. It’s not that easy. But, yes, she could go the easy route and post on her husbands socials and people may follow and click through.
However, she chooses a different way, as she wants to make her own way. I can respect that Missy wants to be her own person, as she lost herself. One should never loose themselves when they fall in love, they should grow from it. They should be able to live a life together and apart.
Missy didn’t know how to do things without Austin. So finding herself is important. I feel for her. I feel bad for her. I want to protect her. I want her to find her own way, and know that it’s okay to be lost. I do think that one of the best parts of this show will be the growth of all of these characters. It will be great to see.
Because they are all growing and changing. Character evolution on this show will be one of its strengths if it continues the way that it is. Can’t wait to see how that continues.
THE TUFF OF IT ALL
Tuff is my favorite character on this show. Why? His bluntness and his loyalty is just everything that I love in a person. While I do think that everyone in this show has a secret, I am really not sure what Tuff’s is, but I will defend him until my dying day.
Just please don’t kill anyone Tuff, cause like I don’t want to have to hate you.
Tuff doesn’t trust Val, which I can respect. He has his limits and he knows that Val is hiding something. But what it is we don’t know. But every time that he confronts her on something she lies.
Tuff, however, stands by her. He deals with the everything she’s done because his Mom trusts and loves Val, and tells her to. But I also think that he likes having Val around because he cares about her.
Val has made her mistakes, but she’s trying. Granted she’s still shady AF, but she’s trying. When she’s willing to sell her horse to help the family, Tuff realizes that she’s not going anywhere and steps in to stop it. The two really do make a really good team.
I think one of the most honorable things about Val and Tuff is that they make the tough choices when no one else is really willing to make those choices. It’s not something that is easy, but for them, the McMurray’s are everything.
Sure, we don’t know what is happening with Val and the tattooed neck guy. We don’t know what is happening, but by the look on Tuff’s face he’s going to figure it out. His family has been through too much and he will make sure that he does everything he can to minimize any future hurt.
THE INVESTMENT
In order to keep the ranch, Isabelle takes on the idea of bringing on an investor. That investor turns out to be Gus. Now, as much as I want to like Gus, I don’t. I don’t because he comes on very strong and that’s just annoying.
Gus, I believe, wants to be a good man and he wants to find his own way. His family is in oil and they have a bad reputation. He claims he wants to strike out on his own and well, I can respect that. I don’t blame everyone for all their questions about what he really wants. I think he wants something.
And I think that has something to do with Austin. I think that Austin did something to him or his family and he’s coming for the McMurrays. Like, no one is that nice. No one. I don’t believe he’s on the up and up.
I think that Cash, Val, and Tuff are smart to not trust him. I don’t. I do know that McMurray’s seem to be what everyone wants to be a part of. I am just wondering why and what power this family really holds.
And why Gus wants to be a part of it… or paying them back…
Nothing makes sense.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- I feel like Isabelle is too trusting and I hate that we’re risking her really getting hurt.
- Someone explain to me why it is that I can’t trust Gus, cause we can’t.
- I will never look at sheep the same way.
- Val is really hiding something.
- I need to know what happened to Austin, cause there is something.
Ride airs Sunday nights on Hallmark.
