Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Abandons
There are plenty of juicy conflicts in The Abandons, but none bigger than a land war between two matriarchs: Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey), who owns the farming land of Jasper Hollow, which lies on the outskirts of the frontier town Angel’s Ridge, run by the very rich, exceptionally powerful Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson).
The two have always had an uneasy relationship, but in the series’ first episode, Constance’s son Willem (Toby Hemingway) rapes Fiona’s daughter Dahlia (Diana Silvers), and is murdered by the Nolan family because of it. They hide his body, burying it deep underground. Much of the season follows Fiona’s efforts to keep the secret hidden, but all things come to light eventually, and Constance discovers the truth.
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For a moment before this discovery, it seems that peace might be achieved between the two families. Constance offers to buy a piece of Fiona’s land that would be mutually beneficial. Fiona takes it to her family as well as Miles Alderton (Ryan Hurst) and his daughter, who also live on Jasper Hollow. The majority agreed to sell the land, but Fiona goes against their wishes, refusing to sell any of her land to Constance. We were promised hell is coming at the end of Episode 6, and the finale, “This Was Meant to be My Peace,” certainly delivers. Let’s break down the biggest twists and turns of the Season 1 finale of The Abandons.
Are Trisha and Elias still together?
Constance’s scheming is beginning to cause her own undoing. Trisha (Aisling Franciosi), turns against her own mother after learning that her friend Jenny, who discovered Constance was working with the criminal gang known as the Red Masks, was killed. As punishment for abandoning her mother, Trisha is forcibly drugged and taken back to the Van Ness home. After waking, she is told by Constance that her brother Willem (Toby Hemingway), whose death provided the impetus for the main conflict, was buried by the Nolans, including Elias (Nick Robinson), her boyfriend.
Furious, Trisha goes into town to find Elias. Their budding romance has always been troubled, given their families’ rivalry, but Elias being a part of Willem’s death is too much for her to handle. She’s beside herself in disbelief that the man she loves could kill her brother, but Elias doubles down, calling Willem a monster for raping his sister. “I love you, but I’d do it again,” he tells her. Devastated, Trisha walks away from Willem with a sense of finality. However, their love is undeniable, and the real reason that Willem was killed is a shock to Trisha. Perhaps with enough time to process who Willem was and why he was killed, she’ll be able to forgive Elias, and their relationship can start anew.
A rivalry becomes a war
After Constance finally discovers the Nolan family is behind the death of her son, she kidnaps Dahlia with the help of the Red Masks, bringing the bubbling Nolan-Van Ness rivalry to an all-out war. Constance, who now knows that the Nolans killed Willem, slashes Dahila’s cheek open with a knife. But Dahlia does not whimper or cry like Constance wants. Instead, as Constance walks away, Dahlia sees Constance’s bravado for what it really is: fear. “You are so scared,” Dahlia says, taunting her. And she’s right: Constance can only look at her in silence before walking away.
That night, Fiona arrives at the Van Ness’ estate alone. She surrenders her weapons to the Red Masks and makes her way to Constance’s home. Fiona would do anything for her children, and it appears that she’s willing to strike a deal to free her child. It quickly turns ugly as the matriarchs verbally spar: Fiona says she’s come for her daughter, but Constance brutally retorts that “Nothing much remains of the murderous c-nt.” While Constance’s men pin down Fiona, Dahlia is brought out, and Fiona sees how much pain her daughter is in. Constance takes it further, driving a knife into Dahlia’s leg and twisting it, telling them their anguish is nothing like what she’s experienced losing her son. Furious, Fiona spits at Constance, calling her a “fucking c-nt.”
While it initially appeared that Fiona came to the Van Ness estate alone, it was really part of a larger scheme to take Constance’s empire down. Miles Alderton (who Constance’s son tried to blackmail with his criminal past to turn against Fiona) and Fiona’s children band together to take down the Van Nesses, using Fiona’s presence as a distraction to infiltrate. Miles uses his considerable shooting skills to kill the two men holding back Fiona. It’s a shock that allows Dahlia to break free and stab one of the Red Mask men in the neck. Elias, on horseback, brings a wagon full of burning barrels, driving it directly into the Van Ness home, setting it aflame.
In a matter of moments, Constance’s empire has crumbled. The army she’s been building has perished. Some of her own children have turned against her, and her exquisite home is in shambles. She retreats into the house, and Fiona follows, determined to end their feud once and for all by killing her. They fight in Constance’s bedroom, exchanging blows and chokeholds as the smoke and flames overwhelm them, knocking them both out as the fire builds around them.
Those not killed in the ambush of the Van Ness estate watch the house burn to the ground, wondering who—if anyone—will survive in the long-brewing battle of the matriarchs. Someone, as it turns out, does emerge victorious in their fight. But whether Constance or Fiona survives is left as a cliffhanger. We see the silhouette of someone in the flames, but before they emerge from the house, The Abandons cuts to black, ending its first season. I’d expect Fiona to be the one who survives, but you’d be a fool to count out Constance Van Ness. It’s also entirely plausible that both Constance and Fiona survived—and given how fun it is to watch them together, I have a feeling this is the most likely option.