The Ranch - General Discussion

[BetyBee]

I watched 'em all too...even though looking back, I see that I posted that I wouldn't!  I laughed a few times.  There are long pauses sometimes where I guess we're supposed to be rolling on the floor.  It's a pretty dramatic season, with almost no happy moments.  However, it's not unrealistic to have a drug addict spiraling downward or people losing their homes or big corporations always winning. It's just that these things aren't usually found in comedies.  I don't know what to think.  It's pretty depressing.   

[NJRadioGuy]

Just finished Part 7. I agree, very depressing, but in story structure the penultimate act is always the worst for the characters. The old saying "it's always darkest before the dawn" comes to mind. They're setting up for endgame at this point and the pieces needed to be moved into position. 

I don't think I'd ever call the last few seasons a comedy, but that's OK. I like it for what it is and I appreciate the few moments of levity between the serious heaps of excrement that are befalling the Bennets. But I think this is going to be a good time to end. I could watch this for years to come, but it seems the writers are just treading water now so go out while it's still good. They've been given five full hours to wrap everything up and I hope they make the most of it. 

[LakeGal]

I finished the new episodes. I agree it would be nice if the Bennett family could have some happy times. Maybe they are saving it for a happy ending for the series.

I expected for Nick and/or Mary to die this season. The ending left us with the idea that one of the Bennett men was waiting for Nick and killed him. They showed us Beau leaving with a gun. I suspect it will be a woman that kills Nick. Mary's daughter was my first thought. Nick sounded surprised. I doubt seeing Mary would be a surprise to him.

[CandysWrapRoom]

I really love this show. Not a useful post, I know.

[andidante]

I really love this show also. Although Abby continues to be my least favorite character. 

[FairyDusted]

I sure hope they wrap up with some funny. It was an awfully dark. I did love Beau marrying Joanne. That name tag gag was really funny and sweet.

I'm guessing it's not Beau that shoots Nick but maybe Heather. They COULD switch it up and make it Joanne. Would she claim, "Hey, I don't know WTF your talking about."

Turns and smiles.  

[QQQQ]

Oh, how I wish I'd kept my vow to not watch the final episodes. I've never seen lazier plotlines. Almost every story had already been told in previous seasons. It's like, "Major crisis!!" and then easy, completely unbelievable resolution ... Lather, rinse, repeat. And how many plots can revolve around looking for someone missing in bad weather? I swear they did it every season! Does Hollywood think we're all constantly getting lost/stranded or conducting search and rescue operations by driving around in our pick-ups? Oh well, I guess it was easy Netflix $$ so whatever...

[andidante]

Not really impressed with this final season. I think it could have ended a lot better. Just my opinion. 

[MissLucas]

I thought it was a fine way of ending the show. Everybody was in a relatively good place. Beau and Colt had several good moments - especially Beau. Luke's PTSD got a bit of a short thrift but at least it was addressed in the last few episodes. I appreciated the show for trying to create something different with the usual sitcom format even if it did not always pan out and at times the show became very bleak. Sugar-coating was hardly ever an issue. 

[NJRadioGuy]

One of my biggest complaints with series finales is that the writers don't know how to tell a satisfying conclusion. They either just end it on a never-to-be-finished cliffhanger or blow the whole thing up to be "edgy." The Ranch ended just perfectly. We didn't have to see Joann's descent into dementia and Beau's losing her (or worse, Beau passing away too), or Luke's long recovery, all of which would come next. The story ended at just the right time, and in just the right way. Bittersweet, and I'll miss the hell out of this little gem of a show.

I know I'm the exception, but I just didn't like Rooster. I hate what they did to Masterson, but the character just never worked for me. I liked Luke even less until the whole Koosh story and the meeting in the final episode. I wish they'd played that up in Parts 6 and 7.

I for one loved most of Part 8, but the pacing was wrong toward the end. II could have done with less of Maggie and the whole who-killed-Nick nonsense. I didn't like that they turned Lisa Neumann into a stone-cold villain either. She was far more interesting before when she was a no-nonsense businesswoman but still likeable and a good foil for Beau.

I'll handwave the rescue since they needed a plot device to show a changed Colt, and how do you do "near death experience" on a soundstage set and have it even a little bit believable. Dramatically it worked, although it wasn't particularly realistic and we all knew he'd be found safe and sound. I think the silly redneck humor helped alleviate the bleakness to some extent, but I wish they hadn't gotten so dark so often.

My final complaint was the cinematography. The faux film grain in brighter scenes just didn't work. The show was one of the first to be shot in 4k with Dolby Vision, and this could have been a great vehicle to show off what DV could do. 

[BetyBee]

I'm satisfied with the series finale.  The season overall was not very good, but I laughed a few times during the last 3 episodes. They left everyone in a good place. I do hate the way Ashton lowers his voice and talks like he's holding chew in his mouth, even though I know it's likely that Colt would do that. Though I like Dax Shepard, I don't think he's a good actor (good podcaster, though), but he came around in the last couple of episodes.  All of the characters grew and I guess that's the best we can hope for. 

[Marley]

The ending wasn’t bad. This show was never really good imo or anything I just watched It when I needed something to watch hungover lol.

I knew it was Heather who killed Nick almost right away. I find her to be whiny and annoying. I don’t like Mary either.

So much of the acting and lines seemed so stilted to me.

Colt was just a whiny douche to his mom he pissed me off when he freaked out at her moving away. You are a 35 year old man.

The call of duty joke was never funny. Go buy it yourself idiot.

I don’t get the sale of his herd for iron river? So Colt has a house on the other ranch but doesn’t own it anymore? Or did he just sell his herd and still has the land? Did Luke ever get any of his money back? Lol.

There was some good parts but I can’t seem to recall them right now. Anyways decent ending.

[iMonrey]

I need to go back and rewatch the first episode of this season, but I could swear Heather was with Beau and Joanne at the ranch when Nick was shot. Also, I thought I heard Colt say "OK Luke" when he was on the phone with whoever called him when he was in the truck and turned around to go back to Nick's. 

 

[bettername2come]

I thought the ending was decent. It was nice to see Colt making a good decision and thinking of something no one else did, and I appreciate the fact that they tied Rooster in so that he had a hand in the victory even though he wasn't there. I didn't think they were going to get the family ranch back, but given that Beau gave away the money for a down payment on a new house, this does make sense in the narrative.

I watched the whole series in the last few months. I have to say, I think Ashton Kutcher must be a very likable person in real life the way he pulls people in from practically everything he's ever been in for this series. Luke felt a little out of place, but I can't say I didn't like him. Then again, I've liked him since Punk'd so I'm biased. 

This has to be the most dramatic sitcom ever though, I don't think there was ever an episode that just resolved the issues of the episode reasonably without them carrying over to the next one. Well maybe the first one. And most of the dramatic plots were believable enough as stand alone events - yes, there are wildfires, cold snaps, miscarriages, etc. but most people get some breathing room between them. Then again, driving your bike off a cliff because you were leaving town because your ex's crazy drugged up boyfriend threatened you and your family and you got eaten by a mountain lion is a bit much.

Ah, well. It was nice to have these people on my screen for awhile. 

 

[JayDub1987]

I'm REALLY late to the party with this one, but I had just never got around to watching this. 

I enjoyed the show, but I must say that the last two seasons were just really "heavy" for lack of a better term. I don't necessarily mind that, but there was just more drama going on in Parts 7/8 than I would've really preferred. The show was light, funny, and really reminded me of the small town that I grew up in. The last two seasons felt different in writing, production and virtually every other area.

[freddy320th]

though it's been some time since the end of the show, but i wonder if in any way this could of continued or spun off in a new direction? it wasn't the best nor the worst show, though im curious to know how things would of gone with the story line