Sterling Point Recap Season 1 Episode 7 ‘Maybe It’s Mackerel’
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- 6 min read
One of the roughest days as a teenager is the day you realise grownups are messed up. For Ramona, not only were the grownups in her life messed up, their messiness bled into her life, so that she needed to deal with bombshell upon bombshell following Gordon’s death. And, though she took off on a speedboat, and later took Gordon’s car to head to Barrie alone, she handled what needed handling far better than the adults in her life. Gordon was perhaps deservedly well loved on the island; he raised Ramona as a strong, clear-eyed young woman.
Joe, on the other hand – I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan, but I am glad Ramona very clearly told Joe he was not her father. Joe had an affair whilst he had a wife and a baby (Ellis). We can recognise that human feelings are messy, and at the same time acknowledge that Joe and Goldie wronged their spouses. If both of them had fallen out of love with the people they married, the time to divorce was before they engaged in a full blown affair.
Joe made it seem as though he did not fight for custody of Ramona following Goldie’s death as a favour to Gordon, who needed Ramona as his last link to his daughter. But, not acknowledging Ramona as his was also beneficial to Joe. He kept his family intact after the death of his lover. His wife came home to him without having any idea that he cheated on her, fathered (hmm) a baby, and planned on leaving her. His wife worked for almost two decades, including on nights and weekends, trying to keep their family financially afloat, all whilst thinking she was married to a man who loved her, not a man who wanted to leave her. And whilst Gordon made every effort to connect with Annie and Connor, was it not understandable that Steven would not want his children around people who reminded him of the loss of his wife?* This is not to defend Steven; by all accounts, he was career-obsessed and controlling, and he did not adequately support his wife when she became unhappy and unsettled with her life. This is simply to emphasise what the show itself shows, that there is messiness on both sides of the lifestyle divide, that preferring the simple life at Sterling Point does not necessarily imbue anyone with immediate virtue. One could enjoy getting up early and watching the sun rise, and still be a jerk.
Ramona went to Gordon’s lawyer and got paperwork which she asked Joe to sign, giving up his guardianship of her. Gordon refused, because he claimed it would mean doubling down on the biggest mistake of his life. When Ramona heard from Annie that Steven was, like her, colour blind, she realised that perhaps Joe was not her father after all. She got a DNA kit and handed it to Steven, and point blank told him he might be her father. See how Ramona handled this? No sneaking around, no playing games. She straight up went to Steven and asked for his spit. The grownups could learn a lot from Ramona.
Through all this, Ramona had the steady support of Oona and Annie. When everyone was losing their minds, searching for Ramona, it was young Maple who figured out Ramona probably took Gordon’s car and went home to Barrie. Oona borrowed one of Rory’s parents’ many cars, and drove to Barrie to bring Ramona home. Oona was also there when Ramona finally read Gordon’s final letter. They also sweetly expressed their love for each other.
Annie, too, promised to support Ramona, whatever she wanted to do, even as Annie navigated through her own complex feelings about leaving Sterling Point, returning to New York, and that kiss with Ellis. That kiss was all over Twitter so I was spoiled before I saw this episode. Annie had been very stressed over Ramona’s disappearance, and she and Ellis ended up sitting across from each other inside a closet, a comfort place for Annie. Ellis pulled her toward him, and hugged her. The gesture of comfort turned into a kiss.
One of the many things I appreciate about Sterling Point was that though the lead character, Annie, ventured into tender romances with two boys, Ellis and Rory, the story never revolved around a love triangle. The conflict was built into the story, but it was not the story. Annie’s trip to Sterling Point came on the heels of devastating news (to a high achiever like her) that she did not get into the summer program she desperately wanted to attend. For once in her relatively charmed life, she did not get what she wanted. There was this looming possibility that she would not get into her dream school, Wharton. Naturally, news about her grandfather’s death unmoored her further, but she was also a then 17-year-old who needed a break from her life that was not quite going according to her well-laid plans. Sterling Point was quite far removed from her fast paced, stressful New York life. It was also the place where her mother chose to live, a place she loved. The island offered both a connection to an idealised past and a respite from an uncertain future that was steadily arriving.
What I’m saying is, Annie may be falling in love with Ellis, but her considering the possibility of staying at Sterling Point was not entirely about him. Whether or not the kiss with Ellis happened, Annie was already drawn to the slower paced life. She knew, just as Goldie knew, that mentally, she needed a retreat. She needed to be able to breathe every day and not have to go through a long to-do list for a future she was no longer certain she wanted. And, on the practical side of things, Annie could afford to take a break. Her grandfather left her an island and a trust fund. Her father was wealthy. If Ellis decided to stop working for a week, he would financially feel that. If Annie decided to postpone university, she would still be a financially secure young woman. She could afford to think things through.
Steven had told Annie to stay away from Ellis, perhaps fearful of a deja vu a la Goldie and Joe, but Ellis was not Joe. Joe finally found out about Ellis overcharging their customers. He also found the cash box that had over seven thousand dollars in it. When Joe confronted him about it, Ellis reasoned out that the money was a safety net. The way Joe had been running the business, their family was in a financially insecure place, even with Kate working so hard. Ellis clocked Joe on not having a plan. They may have grown up under vastly different circumstances, but Ellis and Annie shared the experience of having to compensate for their fathers.
Rating: B+
Strays
🏚️*This reminds me – all the letters from Gordon we were shown were for Annie and Connor. Did Gordon not write to Steven, his son in law his daughter cheated on whilst living in his house?
🏚️Sully got a title! I love Sully and I hope we see more of him.
🏚️Rory was upset with Denise over her careless revelation to Ramona, whilst Connor supported her.
🏚️The hospital bed in the middle of the Barrie house was a devastating visual image. Given his wealth, Gordon likely had a private nurse in his final days, but being around that much pain must have been very hard for young Ramona.
🏚️Aw Denise was trying to comfort Steven.
🏚️Hmm Connor was Team Rory.
🏚️The show’s funniest lines were probably Annie wanting to give Ramona a time-honoured scolding but not being certain of her middle name, and Ramona helpfully confirming it. ‘Ramona… Lee…’ ‘Lee.’ ‘Lee. Ramona Lee Campbell!’
🏚️Annie walked in on Rory playing the piano, and he still played really well.
🏚️Rory told Annie that his Dad had a high school friend on the board at Wharton who owed him a favour, and he said he would introduce Annie to him. The friend could even write her a recommendation, for when she applied. Rory was sweet for offering this, but also, this was a casual drop of his privilege, like the slow opening of the garage door at his parents’ vacation home and the multiple luxury vehicle reveal.
🏚️Rory, after Annie told him she may live at Sterling Point: ‘But nobody lives here.’ Rory was a decent kid, but he remained a product of his upbringing. What he meant was, no one from their circle lived in Sterling Point. The place was meant to be a vacation destination, not home.
🏚️Annie combing and later braiding Ramona’s hair, and the two of them brushing their teeth, were good visual indicators of the closeness they’ve developed, alongside Annie laying her head on Ramona’s chest.
Episode Title: Maybe It’s Mackerel
Story by: Warren Hsu Leonard & Jared Lopez
Teleplay by: Jared Lopez & Raffi Donatich
Episode Director: Andrew Ahn
Original Release Date: August 5, 2026