The Abandons Finale Recap And Ending Explained: Did Fiona Save Dahlia?

The season finale of “The Abandons” finally unearths truths buried deep inside Jasper Hollow. While the matriarchs, Fiona and Constance, have been at war with each other, the season finale involves a good lot of resistance and action from the children. Garret had already risen up to become his mother’s ally, and Fiona’s children too will not disappoint her. “This Was Meant to Be My Peace” not only involves the abandons, but it grows bigger to involve all families from the Hollow and their sentiments about the land. Let’s take a look at how the season wraps up.

Spoilers Ahead

Why is Trisha Being Held Against Her Will?

If you remember, when Garret, Mr. Roache, and Constance were in Jack Cree’s cabin killing Dupar and then Jenny, Trisha was at her window. She followed every action, saw Mr. Roache and Garret exit and enter the cabin prior to Jenny’s death, and definitely heard the firing of the bullet that killed Jenny. Trisha feels betrayed by her mother’s merciless cruelty and goes to confront Constance. She accuses him of turning Garret into a cold-blooded murderer. Later, Trisha runs to town upset, and Constance is worried that she will become a threat to her secrets. Constance’s motherly instincts have waned; she is now a formidable force who can do anything to protect her secrets. She summons Mr. Roache and tells him that Trisha needs to be taken back home, even if it comes at the cost of using unconventional methods, nodding to tell Mr. Roache that Trisha shall be held against her will if need be. Mr. Roache, although hesitant at first, follows the order without a protest and takes Trisha in from the market as Elias watches. Elias tries to resist this, but his actions fail. Trisha went to the town to confront Garret, who faces the wrath of another one of the abandons following Trisha’s abduction by Mr. Roache.

Dahlia, who made friends with Trisha in the last episode, and also because she knows how it feels to be assaulted as a woman, puts up a resistance. She confronts Garret, but Garret overpowers her and pins her to the ground, trying to force himself upon her. Dahlia’s instincts have sharpened from the last time she had to face a situation like this with Willem, and she swiftly picks up a pin and stabs Garret. Trisha is drugged in the carriage, and when Mr. Roache asks Constance what she plans to do with her, she answers that Trisha is to be sent to a sanatorium in Portland for her willful and excitable behavior. However, Trisha’s spirit is indomitable—as she wakes up, takes her maid’s gun and then makes her way to her mother’s living room, asking her for a key. Constance uses a psychological weapon at this point, which shakes Trisha’s belief.

How Does Constance Find Out About Willem’s Body?

The land acquisition strategy that Garret cooked up in the last episode involving blackmailing Miles about his real identity is in the works in this episode. Garret goes to Samara and tells her about her father’s past, asking her to tell his father to give up the land. When Samara confronts her father, he tells her about his past and how the men he was involved with wanted him to end his marriage with her mother—as a result, he fled. Miles knows that Constance will use this against him forever, and he tells Samara that he has no intention of giving up the land and goes to fetch his guns. Samara, however, not convinced, goes to Garret and ends up revealing the secret about Willem’s death.

Walter, on the other hand, digs up his children’s bodies from the ground since the takeover is evident and he does not want to lose his family. After digging up three coffins, he goes to Sweetie’s coffin, which is the last one. This is when Garret arrives with his men and discovers Willem’s body buried beneath the earth. Willem is taken home. While Trisha asks for a key from her mother to escape her imprisonment, Constance shows her the body and tells her that the people of the Hollow buried him beneath a dog, and Elias, her lover, knew about it all along. Although it shakes Trisha’s beliefs, she does pick up the key that Constance throws at her and escapes. 

What are the Abandons up to?

Constance unleashed Trisha as a weapon to turn against Elias, and it worked. She goes to find Elias and confront him about knowing the truth all along. Elias is unapologetic and says he would do it again since it involved Willem attacking and raping his sister Dahlia. Elias adds that kinship comes first but leaves his jacket to Trisha as she wanders off in the town. The news travels to Constance that Garret has been stabbed with Dahlia. She is already a wounded lioness licking her wounds from the loss of a son, and now there is another son who has been hurt. There is no doubt that Constance will raise hell on the Abandons now. Anticipating the outcome, Fiona rides into the night to Constance’s house. Dahlia, who is being held hostage, is brought to Fiona, tortured and bleeding, and Fiona cannot keep her calm. However, while Fiona is at Constance’s doorstep, the other men of the Hollow have a neat plan. Quentin and Elias are bringing in oil barrels to the property stealthily to cause an explosion, as Albert and Miles launch a gun firing to distract Constance’s men. As the gunfight begins, Quentin is shot, but the group manages to cause an explosion, setting Constance’s house on fire. Constance has rushed into the house to take cover from the raging bullets, and Fiona does not miss the opportunity to follow her inside for one last confrontation. She storms into the house and finds Constance and starts beating her. Constance puts up a fight too as her house is being devoured in flames. Garret and Fiona’s children watch this from a distance. After a while, we see a figure in the doorway coming out from amidst the frame. It is either Constance or Fiona, but the series does not reveal who it is, keeping the winner in suspense for season two if that ultimately happens. Will it be Constance who is alive and takes over Jasper Hollow for her greed, as Fiona’s children try to resist her advances, or is it Fiona who has finally defeated Constance and will now assume a role of power in the town? Garret will still be left to follow in the footsteps of his mother, giving a fair fight. While the ending remains inconclusive, it raises the stakes for season two of Abandoned. Whether it is Fiona or Constance who walks out of the flames, season two now inherits a world already steeped in blood and betrayal.

Although the season seems patchy, full of unconnected subplots, it tries to put up a good ending. With a stellar cast like Lena Heady and Michiel Huisman from the “Game of Thrones,” the stunning Gillian Henderson, and a premise that is rich with stories and politics, the series could have definitely been better written. Some of the storylines feel rushed, and altogether, the series feels disjointed. While season one fails to live up to the expectations, here’s hoping that in season two, the series corrects its weaknesses and picks up on its shortcomings.  If the creator can refine their focus, streamline the narrative, and trust their strongest characters, “The Abandons” still has the potential to grow into the sweeping, character-driven Western its premise promises. For now, the finale leaves the audience with a cliffhanger that is less about shock and more about the possibility of an open invitation for the series to rebuild itself from the ashes.

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