The Abandons Recap ‘The Joaquins’: Attack on Angel’s Ridge

The Abandons Season 1 Episode 5

Spoiler Warning: This is a detailed recap of the fifth episode of the first season of The Abandons. If you have not yet seen the show, please head over to Netflix before reading on.

More than any other episode so far, it was this, the fifth, that leaned the heaviest on the show’s two leads, Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson) and Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey). Yes, there was a gunfight, a love scene, and Garret trying to find relevance whilst navigating a life where he as the heir did not know half the things his mother did or planned, but The Abandons hit its highest notes when Constance and Fiona were eye to eye, talking, mentally fencing. That we could understand where these two very different women were coming from was a testament to the brilliant performance of Ms Anderson and Ms Heady. The Abandons may have its weak points as a show, but when it comes to its leads, it is all strength, all the time. 

Publicly, Constance accepted what she knew she was meant to accept, by whoever placed Willem’s ring and handkerchief on a stranger’s corpse – that that poor man, ravaged by wolves, was her son. She led her family in preparing for a memorial service and invited the whole town. She declared that they needed to move on from this tragedy. The one thing she did not permit was the burial beside her beloved husband; the body was to be sent to New York and buried next to Julia, the children’s grandmother. 

Fiona and her family went to the memorial, and here we must pause with the reminder that the person Garret spoke quite fondly of in his speech, a brother that he and Trisha loved, was also a monster who raped Dahlia. And there poor Dahlia sat and listened to it, with her own pain tamped down because she needed to keep mounting secrets for the sake of her family. It was also a reminder that the show built its core emotional conflict on a character that was rather thinly sketched. What did we know about Willem before Dahlia drove a pitchfork through his chest? As horrific as his attack on Dahlia was, it also felt a little off, because there was no set up to it. We as viewers needed to fill in the gaps to his character and the sheer entitlement that led him to commit a rape (on a girl that we now learn even his mother knew he was sweet on) and believe he would get away with it. Our understanding of the magnitude of the loss of Willem came from his mother who searched for him, and on a small moment like Fiona weeding Sweetie’s grave, knowing what was underneath it.

Outside the chapel, there was trouble. Miles Alderton saw the men on horseback arrive, and he seemed to have recognised at least one of them. He quickly dragged his daughter Samara to their shop, brought out a case of guns, and gave her a small one to protect herself. He told her he used to know those men, and that they were very dangerous. He armed himself with a shotgun and went out.

Moran, who owned the town’s sole bar, did not sense danger, and lost his life because of it. When he refused to serve them drinks, one of the men stabbed him in the neck, then casually walked out. In the middle of Garret’s speech, they entered the chapel, one of them on horseback, and introduced themselves all with one name – Joaquin. Historically, there is a Five Joaquins Gang, led by five men all named Joaquin.

They were there in search of Arkasha, the Russian, who sold them guns that then disappeared. Remember that Arkasha had told Constance the guns were spoken for, and was only forced to sell to her when she threatened to evict him. Before Arkasha  could point to Constance, when asked where the guns were, Jack stood up and fired.

The Sheriff, who had readied his weapon the moment the men walked in, joined the fight. Outside, Miles methodically picked off the rest of the outlaws. Most of the townspeople were able to get out through a small door, but the Van Ness family who had occupied the front row were pinned down. Elias grabbed a gun that had fallen off the floor and provided covering fire so Trisha and her family could get out. It was as they were running for their lives that Garret saw Miles kill one of the outlaws who seemed to recognise him and called him Winston. Only one of the outlaws survived, and he was only able to run off on horseback because Miles ran out of bullets.

The following day saw bodies lined up in town, including a little boy, and the townspeople building coffins. It was a horrific attack, and perhaps one that convinced Constance to go to Fiona with an amended proposal. She rode out accompanied by just Jack, and her children who had no idea of her plans.

The two women sat inside the same barn where Willem raped Dahlia, where Dahlia seriously wounded him, where Fiona ended his life. Fiona helpfully laid down a piece of cloth so Constance could sit down without dirtying her dress. It was another small but much appreciated moment, one that spoke much of the time period they lived in.

Fiona was not shy with placing some blame on Constance for the attack; Arkasha traded his illicit wares in town with her permission. Constance claimed that she allowed it so she could keep it safe. And then she pushed forth with the purpose of her visit.

Her main investor, Mr. Vanderbilt, was weeks away from pulling his support. If that happened, the silver mines would shut down. Without the silver mines, there would be no town, no place for Fiona to sell her cattle. ‘My pursuit of your land is not greed. It is survival.’ Constance was a capitalist who knew how to frame her proposal along the lines of the need of the many and not just her own wealthy family. 

She said that she needed enough of Jasper Hollow – roughly 45% – to show significant profit. She would purchase this portion at premium whilst Fiona and the others kept the rest of the land. Her surveyors would come up with a fair plan, cut new trails and give all the families access to the river. Fiona and the Teller children – Elias and Dahlia – controlled the largest piece of the land; she wanted Fiona to convince the others to accept her plan. In the face of Fiona’s skepticism, Constance declared that she wanted all of Jasper Hollow, but her late husband Emmet would have insisted on a compromise. She asked for him, and she claimed she would never use his memory to deceive.

Now watch that scene again with the thought that Constance felt in her bones that Fiona knew where her beloved firstborn Willem was. 

There was always much to dislike about the very rich, but in Constance was a character we may not necessarily admire, but understand and appreciate in a way, if much reluctantly. Building a massive enterprise was difficult enough. Maintaining it in the face of extreme difficulties – whilst being a woman surrounded by men with guns – was even more difficult. She was also a mother who needed to continue on despite the loss of her son. For better or worse (worse, with the attack of the Joaquins a direct result of her actions), she was the fragile glue that held Angel’s Ridge together. 

Fiona brought Constance’s proposal to the residents of the Hollow. With Constance only wanting 45%, each family would only have to let go of 10-20% of their land, to be purchased at double the previous offer. Van Ness Mining would also cover the cost of anything that needed moving or building as their river access was ensured. Walter Paxton was skeptical, but Quentin confirmed that work was starting to slow, and some miners were packing west. 

It was the usual stick and stone vote, but this time, each individual got a vote. That, along with voting youngest to eldest, pretty much ensured that whichever Fiona’s family chose would be the choice. For her part, Constance seemed almost certain that she had convinced Fiona, and had the papers drawn up.

She did convince Fiona, and the majority of Jasper Hollow. When Fiona and Miles rode to the Van Ness house, it was to complete the agreement. But Fiona could not help herself. Alone with Constance, she just had to get the truth, even as she sat on a massive lie. 

Constance was game. Yes, it was her men who killed Fiona’s cattle. Yes, it was one of her ranchers who cut the tendon of Oma and Quentin’s prized Appaloosa. Yes, she had Miles’s fields poisoned, but the extent of it was an accident; the rain swept the poison to irrigation, she never intended to spoil so many acres. This was Fiona at her impulsive worst, thinking only that her side was the one that was wronged, and wanting the satisfaction of a confession. It did not look like she anticipated that Constance would want some truths herself. One particular truth.

She told Fiona that the body the Marshalls returned was not her Willem. She was still a mother missing a son. She knew that Willem was smitten with Dahlia. She wondered if perhaps they met in secret, or shared letters, or items of affection. She was trying to get Fiona to explain how Willem’s handkerchief and ring got into a stranger’s body. She assured Fiona that there would be no retribution. And when Fiona declared that she knew nothing of Willem, Constance’s ‘I understand. Thank you.’ was a showcase of brilliant control by Ms Anderson. She took the papers she wanted Fiona to sign and once more expressed her desire to move on.

The show liked to end its episodes in cliffhangers, and so it was here that The Abandons’s strongest episode so far ended. Fiona had slipped in front of Constance before, when she alluded to Father Duffy’s betrayal that she was not supposed to know. This, her wanting truth without being able to provide it, was more miscalculation than a slip. Constance kept her aristocratic cool, but with only two episodes left, these two women were bound for a confrontation. 

Rating: B+

Strays

👒Garret knew of Trisha’s flirtation with Elias. Later, when he returned to the office where Trisha had decided to spend the night (she lied and claimed she wanted to practice a piano piece without disturbing their mother), Garret heard from outside the door Trisha’s moans as she and Elias made love inside.

👒Why was Garret’s reaction to hearing his sister have sex was to go to the town Madam? I don’t know, and I’m stepping away from this.

👒There was a small scene back in Constance’s office following her meeting with Fiona, when she handed some papers to Garret so their Mr.Garaghty could draw up the documents for the deal. When Garret dared ask what if they (the Hollow families) refused, Constance took the papers from him and handed them to Trisha. I appreciate small character scenes like this. 

👒Samara encouraged Garret when he struggled with writing a speech about Willem. Later, when Samara walked in as he searched their shop for information about who Miles was, there was a bit of flirtation there that I’m not sure where the show intended to take.

👒Miles told Samara a little of his life before he met her mother. He said he worked for powerful men acquiring land in Mexico. The guns were tools of a different trade, a different man. 

👒Fat was spread on the corpses that needed to travel to keep the flesh was rotting. Fiona’s sons did this to Corporal Mitchell’s body as well, I suppose to make sure there was enough of him to survive for ‘identification’. The Marshalls were coming to take the bodies and try to match them to men with wanted bonds.

👒We need to see more of Lilla. Her reaction to Fiona telling her and Dahlia to make tea and welcome the Van Ness family (‘Really?’ to Dahlia’s obedient ‘Yes Mam’) and her ‘I don’t see any bite marks’ quip following the barn meeting between Constance and Fiona were precious. 

👒The Sheriff likely suspected that the attack had something to do with Constance, and warned her that she would need to find another man to wear the badge if there were any more incidents.

👒Garret told the Sheriff’s deputy to go to the Marshalls and check if there were criminal records under the name A. Winston. Miles helped save your life, young man.

👒Paxton finally named his dog -- Otto.

👒Before they had sex, Trisha asked Elias how they voted for her mother’s proposal, and Elias told him they voted yes.

Episode Title: The Joaquins

Episode Writers: Mary Kathryn Nagle, Ron  Carlivati, Ryan Quan, Leon Hendrix III

Episode Director: Guy Ferland

Original Air Date: December 4, 2025

You can access Recap Lab’s coverage of The Abandons via this link.

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