Ransom Canyon
By Sioph W. Leal
Ransom Canyon follows three ranching family dynasties who are locked in battles for control of the land, their lives and what legacy they will leave as outside forces are intent on destroying the Ransom County way of life. At the centre of it all is rancher Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel), who is healing from heartbreaking loss and on a quest for vengeance. Staten’s only glimmer of hope rests in the eyes and heart of Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly), longtime family friend and owner of the local dancehall, but she has also won the heart of Davis Collins (Eoin Macken), a rival rancher to Staten and also Stanten’s former brother-in-law. Everything in Ransom County starts to change when mysterious lone-rancher Yancy Grey (Jack Schumacher) arrives with his own hidden agendas.
Right from the beginning, the scenic shots welcome you into the world of Ransom Canyon. From the rolling hills, Visually, Ransom Canyon is a treat for the eyes. From the opening shots, the vast scenery gives the show a sense of place, showing how the land is all connected – much like the characters of Ransom County. The scenery serves as the perfect backdrop for the many different plots, but none more so than for Yancey Grey. Through Yancey, we see the grit and the hard work of a rancher while he works on his own past and agenda.
With a lot of characters, it’s easy for the series' potential to be buried under the weight of so many plots. A lot of the time, this wouldn’t be an issue, but the key plots such as the mysteries of Yancey Grey and the truth about what happened to Stanten’s is often buried or forgotten about, only to suddenly come back around in the last two episodes. When the episodes have a clear plot focus and aren’t side tracked by multiple romantic triangles, it’s at its strongest. The lack of focus with the storylines can also be a little frustrating and actual development seems to happen off screen, so as a viewer, you are left wanting more character development but are left with others overexplaining things that we should have seen.
A romantic plot for multiple characters runs through the entire ten-episode arc, and none is more confusing than the love triangle of Staten, Quinn and Davis. From the first episode, it’s clear that Quinn and Staten have a history of pining, but David is the man of action. He says and does all of the right things yet it’s clear the show is lazily pushing her and Staten together. At the end of the first episode, Quinn has a big love confession to Staten that falls flat as we aren’t aware of their history, at this point, Staten seems indifferent to her. It would have been best if Ransom Canyon spent the ten episodes building on these two as a couple, instead of having them passively aggressively sniping at each other.
The mystery of Yancey Grey should have been the focal point as his story offers everything that was promised. From the mystery of who he is, romantic plot lines and the grit that comes with rancher life, but instead his story is often pushed aside or wrapped up very quickly.
Overall, Ransom Canyon had the making of a heartfelt, engaging drama but it juggles too many storylines. It offers beautiful visuals and the occasional compelling storyline, but it’s a project that was lost in its own ambition. Had it focused on the more compelling storylines with structure, it would have made it a much more interesting watch.