“The Abandons” (TV Series 2025) is a western-style revenge drama centred around two matriarchs, Constance Van Ness and Fiona. Van Ness is a wealthy mining family, while Fiona lives with her found family, aka the Abandons in Hollow. The rivalry between the two stems from Van Ness’s desire to buy the Hollow land for mining, but Fiona is unwilling to sell. The Hollow has three other families as well. Every decision is made with the consent of the four families. One day, Constance’s eldest son, Willem, commits an unthinkable act towards Dahlia, Fiona’s daughter. An existing rivalry turns sour after this incident. A series of events leads the two matriarchs to face off and fight.
This article contains spoilers.
The Abandons (TV Series 2025) Episode 1, “Orphans” Recap:
The episode opens in 1854, Angel’s Ride, Washington Territory — the wealthy Van Ness family strolls through the market. The matriarch Constance always assigns simple tasks to Willem. Trisha, the daughter, is advised not to go on rash adventures. The Van Ness family discusses business with the mayor. The problem is that the four families in Hollow are unwilling to leave their land, so Van Ness can’t mine there. That night, the cattle pasture belonging to Fiona and her adopted family (aka known as the abandons) is set on fire. The family tries to rescue as many cattle as they can. From afar, Constance watches the commotion. The family knows this is Constance’s doing.
Meanwhile, Fiona gives the sheriff the details of the attack, stating it is Van Ness’s doing. In the market, Willem eyes Dahlia (Fiona’s daughter), so Trisha tries to start a conversation. However, Isaac brings up the previous night’s attack. Seeing Willem threaten Isaac, Dahlia calls Willem a dimwit. Hearing this, Willem feels insulted, so he huffs into the bar.
From a distance, Constance notices this and asks Trisha about it. However, Trisha says something started bothering Willem. Elsewhere, Albert and Elias try to convince Walter (the other family of the Hollow) to join hands, but Walter ignores them. In the bar, Willem‘s friend Jack asks Willem to stop drinking as he has had enough.
What happens to Willem, and where is he?
Meanwhile, Fiona’s family decides to keep watch, taking turns. Two will be from each of their families, and two outsiders. That night, as Dahlia is alone in the barn, a drunk Willem arrives and forcefully tries to sleep with Dahlia. Just in time, Albert and the others come to stop Willem. Dahlia stabs Willem with a hay pitchfork. Soon, Fiona and the others arrive. Since Miles’s daughter is tending to Willem’s wounds, she knows what has happened. However, Miles says this is not his family’s problem, and they leave. When Fiona and Dahlia are alone, Fiona tells the girl how her husband died.
When Fiona lost her third child to miscarriage, her husband could not deal with it. So, the man would get drunk every night and beat Fiona. One day, the intoxicated man fell off the ledge from the rooftop. As Fiona says this, she steps on Willem’s neck, ensuring he dies. The next day, when Willem does not return home, Constance questions Trisha, who reveals the altercation between Willem and Dahlia the previous day.
Later, Jack tells Constance that he has found a skilled killer, Roache, to help the cause. Soon, Constance visits Fiona, who feigns ignorance about Willem’s whereabouts. Even Fiona does the same. So, Constance mocks Fiona for being unable to give birth to her own children. Fiona replies, family isn’t made by blood, but by the bond they share.
Later, Constance visits Walter, where Walter’s dog tries to attack Constance. When asked, Walter says he knows nothing about Willem. Afterwards, Constance meets Roache and asks him to keep a watch from beyond the mines. Meanwhile, Fiona and Dahlia try to convince Walter to join hands with them, but he refuses. In a bar, Elias is drinking, so Trisha joins him.
However, Garret (Constance’s second son) arrives and manhandles Trisha, which angers Elias. So a bar fight breaks out. At home, Elias apologises to Dahlia for not protecting her. That night, the families of the hollow meet to vote on whether to handle Willem’s murder among themselves or involve the law. The vote is tied. Just then, Walter arrives with his dead dog, and he knows Constance killed the dog. So, Walter votes to have the matter dealt with among themselves. They now bury Willem deep underground, and above him they bury the dog.
The Abandons (TV Series 2025) Episode 2, “The Hunt” Recap:
The episode opens in the market. A grizzly bear kills the mayor. The next morning, the whole town sees the mayor’s bloodied body. Garret suggests they have a hunting team to take down the grizzly bear. In the barn, Miles is still unhappy that they are hiding the truth. Just then, a couple of men arrive to ask for assistance in killing the bear. The group prepares to leave for the forest. Just then, Trisha flirts with Elias. As they leave, Constance asks Garret to come back alive. Later, Constance and Fiona talk. So, Fiona suggests Father Duffy must do the final rites for the mayor. In return, Constance asks Fiona to let go of the land, but Fiona declines. Father Duffy has risen through the ranks of the priesthood, which makes Fiona happy.
Why is Fiona angry with Duffy?
In the forest, Elias gives instructions to the group, which annoys Garret. So, Garret decides to stay with the orphans (the abandons) to keep an eye on them. Elsewhere, Roache sees Trisha playing the piano and joins in. A while later, Constance arrives and sends Trisha away. Sadly, Roache has bad news as he couldn’t find Willem anywhere.
Out in the forest, the group sets a trap for the bear. At home, Fiona and Duffy joke around. It seems Duffy is moving away soon, so the monthly visits will end. In the forest, as Walter and Quentin are about to gut a pig, the bear appears. Thankfully, the other members arrive in time to shoot the bear dead. After the mayor’s funeral, Fiona and Dahlia prepare to confess to Duffy. Inside the church, Constance expresses her grief about missing Willem.
In response, Fiona says she keeps Willem in her prayers, which stumps Constance. That night, Constance is upset as the investor Vanderbilt may pull out on his stake if Van Ness’ business does not pick up. The orphans hang out in the bar when Isaac brings Fiona a letter Duffy has dropped accidentally. So, Fiona reads the letter and asks the orphans to follow her. They now enter the Van Ness mining area to confront Duffy. The Van Ness family has bought Duffy. That is how he is getting money and other materialistic things. This also means Duffy intends to tell Constance about what happened to Willem. In anger, Fiona slaps Duffy, while Elias is ready to shoot. However, Fiona stops Elias and asks Duffy to leave as he is putting the burden of getting shot on an innocent.
The Abandons (TV Series 2025) Episode 3, “Triage” Recap:
The episode opens with Constance learning that Duffy is dead. It seems like Duffy fell, and along with him, the reins of the horse got tangled around Duffy’s neck, killing him instantly. Elsewhere, soldiers try to give the Cayuse a peace offering of goods. Just then, the rebels attack the soldiers. Many soldiers are wounded, including Grady.
In Constance’s office, Roache says Redbirds carried out the attack and that they need resources. However, the resources they need are in the form of war supplies. Despite the risk, Constance needs their help to instil fear in people. Outside, Fiona nurses Grady, and they become close. Later, Jack tells Garret about Constance’s plans to meet with the Redbird. At the church, Elias feels sad about the priest’s death. However, Fiona consoles Elias, saying that the burden is hers.
Who does Constance make a deal with?
Now that Trisha has arrived at the church, Fiona leaves the two alone. As they talk, Trisha says she feels distant from her family since her father died. Elias holds Trisha’s hands. That night, Fiona confides in a dying Grady that she is unsure of what the right decision is anymore. There is fear about the decisions Fiona will make in the future, as well as those she has already made.
As Grady is dying, he asks Fiona not to bury him in a graveyard, but to bury him under the stars. At home, Garret confronts Constance about her decision to work with Redbird. They are both worried about each other’s safety. In a bar, a drunk soldier tries to kiss Trisha, so Elias tries to fight the big man. Hearing Trisha scream, Garret joins Elias in fighting the soldier. However, Roache comes to their rescue. As Elias is on the ground, he notices Roache’s hand and is surprised.
The next day, Elias follows Roache to Van Ness’s house. There, Elias runs into Trisha and asks her what Roache was doing with Constance. Trisha thinks Roache is a scout, but Elias says Roache is a bandit and a member of the red masks. They now follow Roache and others to the Badlands. However, Roache has asked some bandits to keep a watch. As the duo approaches, the bandits try to kill them. Thankfully, Trisha and Elias escape.
Later, Trisha says she is not used to being cared for, and she is fond of Elias. Understanding the circumstances, Elias says many things will block their love, so he will not live on false hopes. Elsewhere, Constance agrees to supply Redbird with weapons in exchange for some favours. Meanwhile, Fiona and the group take Grady’s dead body with them to fulfill his request.
After Elias tells Fiona what he learned that day, Fiona gets an idea. They take Grady’s body, dress him up, and then apply something that attracts the wolves. Miles has followed the group and knows what they are up to. When the officials find the body, they will probably assume it’s either Willem or the one who looted Willem.
The Abandons (TV Series 2025) Episode 4, “Motherly Purpose” Recap:
The episode opens with Elias arguing with Fiona. While Elias wants to tell the Hollow families the truth about Duffy and Willem, Fiona disagrees. Now, Fiona says she will decide when she needs to reveal the truth, which makes Elias angry. Elsewhere, Roache asks Constance to buy weapons from the Russian swindler Arkansas.
In the market, as Albert is doing his chores, Elias chats with Trisha. Later, Lilla spots Lakuta (something sacred) hanging by a man’s horse. So Lilla fights the man. Soon, Fiona joins in, and they go their ways. Elsewhere, a priest and a teacher ask Constance for assistance in finding a teacher, as he is unable to manage everything. In the forest, Fiona chats with Lilla, who feels lost. On the one hand, she feels she would be betraying her people; on the other hand, she is a part of Fiona’s family. So Fiona consoles Lilla and asks her to look deep within her heart for answers.
What job does Constance give Albert?
In the market, Albert meets a woman named Lucinda. Suddenly, Constance approaches and hires Albert as the new teacher, since he is a free man with a university-level education. In the classroom, a boy looks at Albert and points out that he is a man of colour. Meanwhile, Lilla and Dahlia bring a new puppy to Walter, who is reluctant to keep the pup, but the girls sway his decision.
When Fiona learns about Albert’s new job, she hurries and argues with Constance. According to Constance, her only motive is to give Albert a decent job. In anger, Fiona reminds Constance of Willem, implying that she had better not mess with Fiona’s kids. Entering the classroom, Fiona hugs Albert and says she is proud of him. When it comes to Van Ness, Fiona’s judgment gets clouded.
That night, Constance meets Arkansas and makes a deal with him. The next day, Lucinda chats with Albert in the classroom. Later, Elias meets with Trisha, and they walk in the forest. Now, Trisha says she feels like she is asking her family for love, even though a stranger (Elias) feels closer to her. They now kiss and notice a Marshall’s cart passing by. The cart reaches Constance; it turns out to contain a body. Near the body, a handkerchief and rings are found. The napkin has VN stitched to it, and the sight is gruesome. Subsequently, the man asks Constance if the body is Willem’s.
The Abandons (TV Series 2025) Episode 5, “The Joaquins” Recap:
The episode opens with Constance asking everyone in Angel’s Ride to attend Willem’s funeral. Instead of being buried next to his father, Willem will be buried next to his grandmother. Later, Elias and Trisha take a stroll. They express their love for one another and kiss. In the market, Samara (Miles’s daughter) and Garret get acquainted.
Meanwhile, Fiona takes out weeds where Willem is actually buried. Elias chats about his love for Trisha. On the day of the funeral, during the ceremony, a group of outlaws from Mexico called the Joaquins disrupts the service. Just before that, Miles recognises these men, so he gets his shotgun out. Inside the church, the Joaquins look for Arkansas, as their weapons are not found. As Arkansas is about to reveal where the weapons are, Jack shoots Arkansas.
Why does Fiona meet Constance?
A fight breaks out, and the Joaquins are outnumbered. The last one standing runs away. As Miles shoots someone, the man recognises Miles. This Garret sees and gets suspicious. The next day, Miles explains to Samara about his old life, where he was associated with the Mexican outlaws. Meanwhile, Constance takes her children and rides to meet Fiona.
In private, Constance explains her troubles to Fiona. So, Constance asks Fiona to talk to the other families of Hollow and give 45% of their land so they can all survive. In the house, Dahlia and Trisha chat about Elias. Immediately, Fiona calls a meeting with the Hollow’s families to take a vote. At the office, Constance asks Trisha to get letters ready for the families of the Hollow to sign. The sheriff visits Constance and warns her not to expose the dirty work done in the shadows.
Elsewhere, Garret sneaks into Miles’ storage room and checks out the weapons. When Samara enters, he tries to show interest in her life. Outside, Garret asks the cops to check Miles’s criminal record. That night, Garret leaves early, and Trisha stays in the office. Soon, Elias arrives, so Trisha asks what the vote’s resolution is. Elias says the families have agreed to give their land.
Now, they kiss and sleep together. A while later, Garret comes back and hears Trisha moaning. So Garret rushes out of the place. Meanwhile, Walter becomes attached to the puppy. Garret visits a sex worker. Elsewhere, Fiona visits Constance and asks her to reveal some truths to build trust. So, Constance accepts responsibility for what she did to the cattle and for disrupting other farmland in the Hollow. However, Fiona says she does not know anything about Willem, even though Constance knew the body they buried did not belong to Willem.
The Abandons (TV Series 2025) Episode 6, “Piety and Rage” Recap:
The episode opens with Fiona riding away from Constance’s house in haste, followed by Miles. Now, Fiona reveals that Constance blamed Dahlia for Willem’s absence/death and suspects Fiona of the killing. So, Fiona rejected the deal. Inside, Constance screams in anger, so Roache comes rushing in. Instead of talking, Constance sleeps with Roache.
The next day, Fiona reveals nothing to Elias. Meanwhile, Jack brings the news that the soldiers and Redbird are having peace talks along with Cayuse. This disrupts Constance’s plans, so she wants to commit treason to get rid of the Hollow families. When Jack disagrees with Constance’s ways, she fires him. From Jack, Trisha learns that the Hollow did not sign the deal. Meanwhile, Constance asks Roache to get the job done.
How does Garret win Constance’s trust?
After chatting with Constance, Garret is worried about her actions, so he reaches out to Jack, who refuses to help as he no longer works for Constance. Still, on Garret’s insistence, Jack helps. Now, they follow Roache and his men into the woods. They catch one man, and Jack chases after the other. It’s too late as the man shoots a Cayuse member.
Thanks to Jack, the soldiers now know who is behind the attack. In the market, Albert and Lucinda flirt. At the same time, an angry Trisha yells at Elias for lying to her. Sadly, Elias knows nothing. The Hollow families meet, and Fiona explains her decision not to sign the deal because of this. Elias and Fiona get into a fight. However, Walter stops them. Now, Fiona confesses to everyone about what she did with Grady’s body as well as Duffy’s death.
Back home, Jack leaves for good, leaving Garret to put sense into Constance. A cop gives information about Miles. At home, Constance asks Roache to get rid of the sole witness to the treason. That night, Constance and Garret meet in Jack’s room. There, Garret reveals that Miles is still wanted for what he did while with the outlaws.
Just then, the witness arrives demanding money. Outside, Roache has arrived, and he kills the witness. A helper, Jenny, asks Garret if Constance did do all the evil things. Ignoring Jenny, Garret walks out and asks Roache to kill Jenny. The reasoning given to the sheriff will be that of self-defence, and the witness killed Jenny. Now, Constance is proud of Garret and promises to involve him in all decisions. Meanwhile, Jack meets Fiona and her family and tells them to be prepared, as Constance is going to fight and take Hollow at any cost.
The Abandons (TV Series 2025) Episode 7, “This Was Meant to Be My Peace” Recap:
The episode opens with Fiona spying on the Van Ness family, where she learns Constance has Redbirds ready for attack. At home, Constance tells Trisha lies that a fugitive killed Jenny. Since Trisha has seen everything that has happened, she reprimands Constance, making Constance angry. Fiona tells the sheriff what she saw at Van Ness’s residence, but he does not take it seriously. So, Fiona tells the sheriff that she will do as she pleases. Meanwhile, Constance asks Roache to use any means to bring Trisha home, as she is undoubtedly going to tell the truth about Jenny’s death to anyone willing to listen. Constance gives Roache opium vials.
At the market, Garret meets Samara and gives an ultimatum. After showing the wanted posters to Samara, Garret asks Samara to convince Miles to agree to sell his land. If Miles does that, then Constance will protect Miles. In the market, Trisha fights with Garret. Just then, Roache arrives and forcefully takes Trisha away. Elias sees this and is about to intervene, but Albert stops Elias. In the cart, Roache forcefully gives Trisha opium. In a store, Dahlia fights Garret and stabs him.
At home, Dahlia tells Fiona that she wants to see them all burn. When Miles gets home, Samara tells him about her conversation with Garret. So, Miles assures Samara that Constance will not solve anything, and he needs to fight. When Quentin visits Walter, he is removing the floorboards. The reason is that Walters’s family is buried there. If Constance starts her mining project, then he can’t let his family wither away. So Quentin helps Walter.
The Abandons (TV Series 2025) Ending Explained:
Next, Walter goes to the previous dog’s grave. Some of Constance’s men have arrived. At home, Trisha is drugged. A while later, Garret comes bearing news. After the drug wears off, Trisha wakes up and calls for help. Inside the room, Trisha knocks the helper unconscious. The front door is locked, and Constance is waiting for Trisha.
Constance tells Trisha that Elias has left Willem’s body for them to see. Furthermore, Constance says they all knew what happened to Willem. At the barn, Roache and his men take Dahlia away. At the market, Trisha confronts Elias, who reveals that Willem raped Dahlia. Even though Elias loves Trisha, he would kill Willem all over again. When Fiona and others get home, they learn what has happened to Dahlia. So, Fiona gets ready to burn them all.
In a field, Constance takes a knife and slashes Dahlia’s face. That night, Fiona walks into Van Ness’s land without any weapons. Fiona demands that Constance release Dahlia. The only reason Constance brings Dahlia out is when Fiona says she is the one who killed Willem. After bringing Dahlia out, Constance starts stabbing her, causing Fiona pain (as her daughter is getting hurt).
While this is going on, Fiona’s family and the Hollow family have killed the others and poured gasoline on the house premises. They start shooting and set the place on fire. Immediately, Constance runs inside. Soon, Fiona enters the burning house to ensure Constance is dead. In one of the rooms, Fiona sees Constance, and they start to fight. The children watch, and Garret arrives and sees the house burning from afar. In the final scene, we see a figure emerge from the burning house.
The series ends without resolution. The last episode sums up by showing how Van Ness and the Abandons get revenge on each other. However, we don’t see which matriarch comes out of this alive. We don’t know where Trisha is, either. Trisha’s story has ended abruptly. The ending is left to the viewers to draw their own conclusions.
The answer is that it’s either one of the two that will emerge from the house, but why you think it is Fiona or Constance is something to think about. The ending also fights the idea of what a family is and which type of family is more powerful or meaningful. As Constance tortures Dahlia, Fiona feels the pain despite Dahlia being her adopted family. We can say that Fiona went inside a burning building to ensure that Constance was dead for the sake of her family.
While Fiona did everything for her family and home, Constance did what she did to maintain her business and maintain the status of the Van Ness family. In the end, Constance stands in front of the cupboard, looking for something, before she tries to escape. That says what is essential to Constance. Family was never a priority, as we see how she treated Trisha. Cliffhangers are great at the end of a film or a series, but they don’t seem to be working here. I feel the story should have concluded in one season rather than pushing it into a second (if there is one).
