We’re already halfway through this season of Ride and we’re just starting to understand the McMurray’s. We’re definitely understanding them because other people are pushing them to be better and to realize who they are. But, I will be the one to say that I don’t think that any of these character really know who they are.
And they definitely don’t know the men that have left them. They want to. They want to have trust in them. But the show is right when she says that the first step in trusting someone is getting to know someone. The problem is that none of them are letting down walls. Everyone has got a secret and if they aren’t willing to share their secrets, it means that they won’t progress forward.
But this episode pisses me off – because everyone is on a road that their deceptions are gonna cause so much harm. I don’t know how yet, but I feel like it’s definitely close to being there. To being something that they can’t come back from.
THE HAY BALES
With the weather getting bad, the McMurrays know that they need to get the hay in. It’s not an option to not get every last bit of it in.
You’d really be surprised at how much money hay can bring. It’s expensive as fuck. And it’s expensive to feed livestock. Yes, I am fully aware of the expense. I am from Iowa. It’s an all hands on deck day.
Tuff and Val have a moment, where he apologizes for what he has done, but also explains to her how he felt. He was destroyed when she left, because he needed her. Val was his best friend and she was gone. She was gone and he had no way to find her.
I think that for Tuff and Val – rebuilding that relationship will be difficult, but both of them want everything to be okay. Tuff is going to do his best to be there for everyone, but I think that in that he tends to neglect himself and that’s doing a disservice. He has a lot to give and needs to believe in himself.
The McMurrays need an extra tractor, but the only possibility is a broken down one. Val thinks that she can get it running, but is having trouble. She can’t figure out how to fix it and it’s driving her crazy. She doesn’t want to let Gus help (yes, he shows up).
Do I trust Gus? No. But I do think that things are still a little hazy. I think that Gus has an ulterior motive and whatever it is, will be bad. I also think that no matter what happens, he does like Missy. But I am guessing at this point that Gus is going to get screwed over too. I think that he’s going to invest in the ranch and his Dad is going to come out of nowhere and the McMurrays will pay for allowing him in.
But right now, we all need to give Gus a pass, because he fixed the tractor and the McMurray’s are going to be able to get all of the hay.
BIG DREAMS
While things are getting better for the McMurrays, Isabel is worried. She’s always worried about the ranch and that’s a big burden to bear.
Apparently when Dusty was alive, Hank, Isabel and him had big dreams. The wanted to build a state of the art rodeo building with everything you could ever imagine. For them it meant that people would flock to the town and bring in revenue.
Hank arrives and tells Isabel that he’s found the perfect plot of land and now all they need are investors. Isabel is reluctant to hear anything about. It was Dusty’s dream and revisiting that is too painful to her. It’s hard to watch Isabel as she looks around and sees Dusty’s things. She’s given so much to the sport and loosing her husband and son, it was too much.
I want to learn more about Isabel and Dusty. I want to understand why she’s hurting, but also why she is so angry. Because she does seem angry at Dusty for something.
Isabel doesn’t want to be a part of anything, because she doesn’t feel it’s right to make money off her husband and son. I have to wonder, why she feels that way. Because I believe that Dusty and Austin would want her to because the more their names are out there, the more they are a legacy. They wanted the fame and the fortune. They wanted to be known for what they accomplished.
Isabel does finally agree and I am glad that she does. It’ll be interesting to see how it unfolds.
THE BARBEQUE
Missy and Cash head to JB’s barbeque. He has one every year and it’s a matter of socializing with whose who of rodeo. Cash doesn’t want to be there, but Missy insists that it is good for him to be out and seen. Personally, I don’t blame Cash.
Hobnobbing isn’t for me.
Missy wants him in front of JB for sponsorships, but Cash is uncomfortable. Everyone is still fixated on his brother and that’s not helping him at all. Cash is complex, I get that. He doesn’t believe that he will ever be enough, but I wonder if he realizes he’s just that and more.
I think sometimes part of the reason that I love him and hate him at the same time is he doesn’t know how to communicate and tell people what he wants. He’s always putting himself second, but also not seeing that there is no reason to.
Cash is a good man, but he allows himself to make himself the victim or the martyr all the time and it’s frustrating as F***!
He does make an impression on JB, but also makes the commitment to ride in a rodeo in a week. The issue? He’s not ready to do that. He’s not even close to being ready. But Cash wants to prove that he is good enough and he wants to move out of his brothers shadow.
I do think that Cash is going to find his footing, but he’s going to do something drastic. He’s not Austin, and he doesn’t need to live thinking that he needs to be.
He needs to be himself.
And quite frankly, seeing him be himself is when I like him the most. The whole scene with Missy in the car? That was a vulnerable him that I could appreciate.
WHAT DID AUSTIN DO?
At JB’s barbecue, Missy is disturbed by seeing a woman that she’d seen talking to Austin. There is just something about the way that this woman is acting when she sees Cash and Missy together.
Seeing her jogs Missy’s memory and her mind floats back to the day of the barbeque when Austin and her arrived. The girl looked at Austin like she was in love with him. She had stars in her eyes just staring at him. She smiled big when Austin went to talk with her.
The girl needs to clarify with the two if they are together. Missy and Cash quickly remark that they aren’t together. You know, I will say this, the look in Cash’s eyes – the longing of him wanting to be with Missy makes me want to have the two of them together. But it’s not the time and I am not sure that it ever will be. But what I do know is that Cash and Missy are the best of friends and will always be there for each other.
Missy can’t get the girl out of her head. She feels as though she was missing something. She thinks that there was something that happened between Austin and the girl, but the girl won’t give her any information.
Missy can’t deal with the thought that Austin may have cheated on her. She asks Cash what he thinks, but Cash can’t tell her if he was or wasn’t. He knows that something was on his brothers mind, but what it was, he can’t say.
Missy can’t hide that she’s hurting and I feel horrible for her. The worst thing in the world is when you can’t get answers and answers are all you want out of life. Personally, I think closure is a lie. It doesn’t exist. You’re always going to want more information and more answers.
FIGHTS AND RIB NIGHTS
After the hay every year the McMurrays always feed the ranch hands. Barbeque and coleslaw are on the table this year. Isabel wants to do more, but she can’t because she can’t afford it and that really gets to her.
One thing I think we’ve all learned about the McMurray’s at this point is that they are a proud bunch. They don’t know how to accept easily and they also don’t seem to realize that who they are is good enough.
When they return, Missy says that she’s going to bed, but then Gus walks around the corner. He’s so kind to her and talks about why he was there. Cash can’t seem to keep his mouth shut and is so rude to Gus. When Missy says that she doesn’t need him to walk her to the truck, he calls after her and goes to follow.
Of course Cash wants to stop him and a fight ensues.
Now, look, these two won’t get along because they both want the same woman. They both are in love with Missy. The issue they don’t see is that Missy isn’t ready to move on. She’s hurting. She’s at a standstill because she’s mourning.
Gus says such cruel things to Cash that it breaks him inside. He tells him that Missy feels sorry for him and in a vulnerable moment he asks Val, when will he be enough. I hate that Gus has gotten in his head.
But the most painful part of this episode is seeing how bad that Missy is hurting. It’s seeing her step in the pen with the bull, face him head on and be angry that Austin is gone because of the bull. She wants to know if Austin cheated on her.
And well, I admit that I broke down in tears. Isabel watching the whole thing from her balcony, but knowing she can’t say anything. But I am glad that she does see everything, see how much Missy is hurting, because then she can help her.
And she can make sure the whole family does too.
Ride airs Sunday nights on The Hallmark Channel.
