Netflix debuted its new Western period drama series The Abandons on Dec. 4, and it's sure to deliver some thrills during the holiday season. Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson co-lead the series from Kurt Sutter as dueling matriarchs in 1854 over land and power. Their groups exist in separate factions — the haves and have-nots — that are in constant battle.
The Abandons opens with an introduction to Angel's Ridge in the Washington territory as Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson) struts on horseback through town with her son Garret (Lucas Till), who she appears to prefer over her other son Willem (Toby Hemingway). Constance and Garret meet with the mayor (Patton Oswalt) about pursuing silver in Jasper Hollow.
Rather than waiting for the okay from the four families in the Hollow, Constance moves forward with taking it from them anyway. In the middle of the night, a group sets fire to the pasture in the Hollow and releases cattle. Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey) springs to action with help from Elias (Nick Robinson), Dahlia (Diana Silvers), Lilla Belle (Natalia del Riego), and Albert (Lamar Johnson).
The Abandons vs. the Van Ness family gets personal
Fiona's crew works to save their cattle in the midst of the spreading fire, putting their lives on the line to do so. Constance and Garret look on in the distance as the Abandons found family struggles. When Fiona and Elias talk later, it's revealed that the Van Ness family has been pestering and pressuring them with threats for over a year.
Willem's sister Trisha (Aisling Franciosi) notices that he appears to have a crush on Diana and nearly instigates a meet-cute for him, but it backfires greatly and leads to more bad blood between the separate groups. Some of the Abandons group works to unite the four families in taking a stand against the threats from the Van Ness family to no avail.
After a night of drinking, Willem drunkenly stumbles into the Abandons' barn to "apologize" to Dahlia for earlier, but the interaction quickly becomes aggressive and violent. (Trigger warning: Sexual assault.) Willem throws Dahlia down and sexually assaults her, though her family members rush to her aid. Albert holds Willem at gunpoint, but it's Dahlia who stabs him.
The Abandons vote on what to do after Willem's death
The rest of the Abandons arrive at the barn to assess the situation and come up with a plan to deal with Willem in the morning. Fiona sends everyone else to bed and to leave Dahlia in her care. They briefly talk about how Fiona's husband died before Fiona finishes killing Willem much to Dahlia's surprise. Blood pours from his mouth as she ends his life.
As far as the Van Ness family is concerned, Willem is officially missing. Trisha admits to Constance that Willem was reacting to a situation that occurred with Dahlia. Meanwhile, outlaws beat and burglarize travelers. Constance pays Fiona a visit to inquire about Willem. Dahlia faces Constance and denies that Willem stopped by. Constance questions Fiona's loyalty.
Constance then meets with Xavier Roache (Michiel Huisman), one of the outlaws, with help tracking down Willem. Trisha approaches Elias at the saloon, which is a very curious connection. Garret insists on pulling her away from Elias, but she pushes back, leading to a fight between Garret and Elias. Garret's parting threat inspires even more violence.
The Abandons hold a vote about how to proceed with Willem's death: go to the sheriff or keep it to themselves. During the vote, it's revealed that the Van Ness family retaliated by killing one of the families' dogs. The deciding vote settles the matter. They will keep Willem's death a secret, as they buried his body beneath that of the dog.