The second episode of Netflix’s new Western, The Abandons, shows that the town of Angel’s Ridge has more than one kind of predator. After a gruesome animal attack forces everyone to work together, a visit from a trusted friend turns into the worst possible nightmare for Fiona Nolan and her family. The episode, titled “The Hunt,” aired on December 4, 2025.
A Deadly Attack Forces an Uneasy Truce
The episode begins with immediate violence. The town’s mayor, Victor Nibley, is killed by a bear in a brutal morning attack. His body is discovered in the town square, sending shockwaves through the community. For Constance Van Ness, the wealthy matriarch, this is more than a tragedy; it’s a business problem. She fears news of a wild bear will scare away investors and delay her crucial mining operations.
This shared threat creates a temporary, uneasy alliance. Constance partners with the local sheriff to organize a hunting party. Men from both the powerful Van Ness family and the poorer community known as the Abandons join the effort. Garrett Van Ness takes the lead, while Elias Teller and Albert Mason from Fiona’s family also participate. The town even uses a live pig as bait to trap the animal. Despite working toward a common goal, old tensions flare. Elias and another hunter, Barrett, nearly come to blows, requiring Albert to step in and cool tempers. The hunt is successful, and the bear is killed off-screen, but the unity it fostered is short-lived.
A Welcome Visitor Brings False Comfort
Amid the chaos of the hunt, a familiar face arrives in town: Father Killian Duffy. He comes with news of a promotion within the church, which means he will no longer be the regular visiting priest for Angel’s Ridge. Fiona, a woman of deep faith, is both proud of her old friend and saddened by the news. She invites him to her home for a celebratory dinner, where he tries to offer her a monetary gift as thanks for her past kindness. Fiona refuses the money, stating that his spiritual guidance over the years was gift enough.
Father Duffy’s presence seems like a blessing. He leads the town in burying the slain mayor and holds confessionals at the church. Dahlia Teller, who is wrestling with intense guilt over killing Willem Van Ness in the previous episode, sees this as her chance for forgiveness. Fiona encourages her to confess, assuring her she acted in self-defense. Fiona herself plans to confess that her role in covering up the crime was an act of love for her family. In a moment of rare peace, Fiona and Constance even share a quiet conversation in a church pew, bonding over their shared grief as mothers who have lost sons.
The Betrayal That Changes Everything
The fragile peace shatters in the episode’s final minutes. After Father Duffy leaves town, a local man finds his dropped belongings by the roadside and brings them to Fiona. Among the items, Fiona finds a letter. Reading it, she makes a devastating discovery: Father Duffy’s promotion and new fortune are not from the church. They are payments from Constance Van Ness.
The priest Fiona trusted with her family’s deepest, most dangerous secret is in league with their greatest enemy. He knows everything. Panicked, Fiona gathers her children and races after him on horseback to confront him before he can reach the Van Ness ranch. When they catch him, the truth comes out. Father Duffy admits his betrayal, revealing he and the Archbishop are working with Constance. He is so wracked with shame that he begs Elias to shoot him. In a stunning act of mercy, or perhaps fatalism, Fiona chooses to let him go, telling him to ride on. She decides her family will face the consequences of their actions alone.
“Father Duffy admits his mistakes and asks Elias to shoot him. However, Fiona sets him free, choosing to bear the consequences of their actions.”
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Other Threads Begin to Weave
While Fiona’s crisis unfolds, other stories in Angel’s Ridge continue to develop. The forbidden attraction between Elias Teller and Trisha Van Ness grows stronger, with their flirtations becoming harder for those around them to ignore. Constance hires a brooding tracker named Roache to find her missing son, Willem. In a subtle moment, Roache connects with Trisha over a shared love of playing the piano, much to Constance’s displeasure.
The episode also introduces a new source of tension on the frontier. Quentin Serra’s wife, who is of Cayuse descent, travels to Cayuse territory with their daughter. There, they witness a heated argument between a son who wants to join rebels fighting white rule and a father who believes in honoring a treaty. This conflict hints at larger struggles brewing outside the town. Furthermore, Constance faces pressure from her main investor, Mr. Vanderbilt, who arrives to threaten pulling his financial stake from her mining venture if the business does not stabilize quickly.
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