'The Madison' Ending Explained And Season 2 Theories

You know how they say everyone grieves differently? Many people cry, some hold back their tears, some people get really angry, and some just don’t react at all. But at the end of the day, it’s not about how you grieve, but what you do after that pain settles. This is where you make a choice. And it is through your choices that you pay your respect to the dead and remember them after they are long gone. In The Madison’s ending, Stacy had two options in front of her. She could either spend the rest of her life on Madison Avenue, trying to make wild guesses about what her husband wanted, or she could start over in Montana and walk a mile in Preston’s shoes to get to know him better. And if you have seen the finale of season 1, then you already know what Stacy decided in the end. So the only question we all have in mind right now is: what’s Stacy going to do next? Well, that’s what I want to talk about, so with a spoiler warning, let’s discuss. Also, if you are looking for a recap of the finale, then you can find it right here.

Stacy Decides To Keep The Land

In episode 2, when Stacy announced her decision to bury Preston in Montana, I think we all got the idea that she was planning to leave New York City. We know that it wasn’t something that was on her bucket list, but Preston’s tragic death had made Stacy reevaluate her life’s decisions and her future plans. Till the very end, Preston just wanted to settle down on the family ranch, but he couldn’t just leave his wife and their daughters behind. He knew that they wouldn’t be able to adjust to the new environment, so for the sake of their happiness, he put his dreams on the backburner. But Stacy doesn’t want to do that. She wants to fulfill her husband’s last wish and live the life he always wanted to, so his soul, wherever it is, finds peace. Furthermore, Stacy had pretty much figured that Preston wanted his family to bury him in the ranch, which is what his will and testament said, but that wish came with another set of problems. If Stacy interred Preston in Montana, then she wouldn’t be able to sell the ranch, because it was possible that the new owners would decide to remove the cemetery and move Preston and his brother’s bodies to a new location or have them cremated. To be honest, when the funeral owner told Stacy about the risks involved in burying Preston and Paul on the ranch, it reminded me of the Yellowstone season 5 finale, where after Kayce and Beth handed over their family ranch to the rightful owners, some kids tried to vandalize the Duttons’ graves, and Mo came running to the cemetery to shoo the kids away. Because preserving someone’s grave is how you pay your respects to the dead. 

But the thing is, we can never be sure how respectful the next owners are going to be, so Stacy had a difficult choice to make. However, if she decided to keep the land, then she would have to sell her townhouse in Manhattan to have enough liquid capital to secure her and her daughters’ future. According to Preston’s will, all his property and investments were in a trust, and he had made Stacy the executor and beneficiary of his wealth. This means Stacy can do whatever she wants with it. She has the authority to sell Abby’s house as well to force her to move to Montana, but I don’t think Stacy’s going to impose her decisions on her daughters. She will let Abby and Paige make their own decisions, and the way things turn out for them in the season 1 finale, it seems like Abby and Paige are going to join their mother on the ranch very soon. And what about Abby’s daughters, Bridgett and Macy and Paige’s husband, Russell? Well, once again, it’s their decision to make. I am not sure about Russell, but I think Abby’s daughters are eventually going to move to the ranch. But do they have a plan for their future?

Stacy Will Likely Develop the Ranch

Well, I am mostly shooting in the dark here, because we don’t know if Stacy has any plans to develop the ranch or start a new venture on the land. However, if she’s really planning to settle down in Montana, then she has to do something instead of just existing passively, right? However, I really hope that Stacy doesn’t end up starting her own cattle brand like the rest of the Yellowstone characters because, honestly, we have seen that enough. So if you ask me, what can she do? Remember when Russell was talking to Abby’s ex-husband, Dallas Reese, at Preston’s memorial, he told him about experimental hospitality? This reminded me of 1923’s Donald Whitfield, who once mentioned that in the years to come, when everyone will get bored of their lives in the concrete jungles, they will need an outlet, an escape into the wilderness, which can make them feel alive again. But before you think otherwise, I am not suggesting that Stacy will be building a resort for the rich. This is not what Preston wanted. However, she can develop more log cabins like Preston and Paul built. By doing so, she will be able to offer affordable rental units for anyone willing to get close to nature without actually destroying the beauty of the land. Well, this is what comes to mind when I think about it, but if you have any other cool ideas, do share in the comment below.

Abby and Van Will End Up Together

The ending of Madison season 1 made it quite obvious that Abby and Van will eventually end up together, so that’s one of the things that you can expect from the next season. At first, Abby had her doubts about whether she would be able to adjust to rural life. She tried to convince Van to visit her in New York, but he made it abundantly clear that he couldn’t leave his sons behind. He grew up on a ranch and had made peace with the fact that he was going to die in the same place. However, it’s Abby who has no real goals or ambitions in life. She tried the city life, which apparently didn’t bring her much happiness, but spending a day or two with the cowboy made her realize what she has been missing in her life. So just like Stacy made the difficult decision to uproot her life, Abby will have to make some sacrifices as well. If love is what she wants, then she may have to give up her luxurious life to finally be happy. But what about her daughters? Well, Stacy had made it clear that she and Preston didn’t do a great job raising the kids in the city, so who knows? Abby might learn from her parents’ mistake and decide to bring her daughters to Montana so they can grow up in a different environment than hers.

Paige Will Be The Last To Arrive

The reason I think Paige will be the last one to join her mother is because she’s more confused than Abby. She’s young and impulsive and hasn’t seen the worst of life yet because her rich father protected her from it. But now that he’s gone, will Paige still be as reckless as before? She will have to grow up, some day or other. She will have to learn to adjust to what life throws at her because she can’t go about throwing punches at everyone who offends her. That’s the bitter truth. However, as I said earlier, no one’s going to force her or try to convince her to move to the ranch. She will take this decision by herself. She has no job, and no way she’s getting one anytime soon, so maybe she will decide to slow down a bit and think about having kids, which is something Russell wants, but he can’t gather enough courage to have this conversation with Paige. It’s possible that Paige and Russell might decide to move to the ranch temporarily to have kids, and who knows, she might end up liking it enough to spend the rest of her life there. As for Russell, he’s trying different things professionally, so maybe he’ll help Stacy find some use for the land so she doesn’t have to sell all her properties in New York to keep the ranch. We will find out soon enough.

So I have mentioned a few things that I expect to see in the second season, but I know I haven’t really talked about the fate of a few minor characters, like Stacy’s therapist, Phil Yorn, or her best friend, Liliana Weeks. I think they will return in the next season to support Stacy and the decisions she is going to make from here on. And if you don’t mind me saying this, then I think it’s possible that Stacy and Phil can start a casual affair together. Also, through numerous flashbacks, the show has been introducing information about Preston and Paul. Currently, we don’t know much about them, especially Paul. Whom he had lost and why he didn’t want to live in the city. So I guess the next season will shed more light on their characters. Well, these are my thoughts on the ending of the show, but I would love to hear your opinions, so drop your comments below.

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