Since making its premiere on Netflix in April, Ransom Canyon has become a breakout sensation and a new fan-favorite romantic drama series that has everyone shipping. Between Staten and Quinn, Ellie and Yancy, and Lauren and Lucas, there's so much romance to root for, but there's also plenty more possibilities for love triangles and new combinations to bloom.
Throughout the first season, Lauren (Lizzy Greene) was already in a love triangle between her rich, star athlete boyfriend Reid Collins (Andrew Liner) and secret wrong-side-of-the-tracks beau Lucas Russell (Garrett Warening). However, the tornado episode proved that Lauren had chemistry with another eligible bachelor in town: Lucas' troubled brother Kit (Casey W. Johnson).
After binge-watching the first season, Ransom Canyon fans have been shipping Lauren and Kit, and it's completely understandable. There was something between them as they rode out the storm together and got to know each other better. Of course, as we learned, that something between them was much more than we could have ever imagined, and the showrunner agrees.
In an interview with Woman's World, showrunner April Blair addressed the fans shipping Lauren and Kit together and shut down the possibility of pursuing a love triangle in season 2:
"The actor who plays Lucas and the actress who plays Lauren, they keep sending me all these memes and different fan edits of people shipping Lauren and Kit, which we think they obviously have this chemistry. I think that there’s something there that we want to explore, and not necessarily like some full-blown romance or love triangle, but the complications of that connection and the kind of information he can give her about her mother, who she’s really looked at as someone who blew up their family."
I mean, doesn't it make sense that Lauren wouldn't want to date Kit? Not only is he her boyfriend's older brother, but her mother, Margaret, also had an affair and relationship with him. If this were One Tree Hill, nothing would be off the table and Lauren would definitely have some sort of romantic situation with Kit. But the realities here are too hard to ignore. Lauren's mother slept with Kit. He helped Margaret cover up Randall's death. It's too wild to be realistic.
Even if a possible romance isn't in the cards for Lauren and Kit in season 2, they still managed to find something close to a friendship during the tornado. Previously, we'd seen them at odds, but being in close quarters and being vulnerable with each other brought them closer. They see eye to eye now, and perhaps that could complicate things in her relationship with Lucas, especially if she turns to Kit for information and closure about what happened with her mother.
Blair further suggested what could happen between the characters in a potential season 2:
"Lauren and Kit, we saw in season 1, they make this connection in the tornado episode, and how does that friendship evolve and affect her relationship with Lucas? Lots of complications and twists and turns. How does the situation with her mother and her mother being arrested—How does that affect her? The person that has the most answers for her about what went down is Kit, so that friendship they form in season 2. What are the complications of that as well?"
Being friends with your boyfriend's brother, who also happens to be your mother's adulterous hookup, isn't conducive to building positive relationships. Lucas and Kit came back together at the end of season 1, but there's a lot left unsaid between them. What's more, Lauren's dad also probably won't be thrilled that with Lauren's connection to Kit, if it's still at the same place in the future.
Everything aside, I agree with the fans who were shipping Lauren and Kit during the tornado episode. The chemistry was there! When push comes to shove, there's simply too much chaos between them and their families for me to personally want to see the writers explore a romantic relationship. Again, if this were a show with 22-episode seasons, maybe you could justify building toward that. But Ransom Canyon doesn't have room for a romantic pairing quite this messy.
Watch Ransom Canyon only on Netflix.