Things were looking up for the Lawson family, but at the end of the last episode, things changed forever with the tragic death of Susie, pierced by one of the cow’s horns after a violent altercation between Lachie Kirby and Marshall. At the end of Territory Season 1, the Lawson family is desperate to save Marianne Station after Campbell Miller pettily puts their cattle in quarantine in an attempt to take their land.
There’s much to cover in Episode 6 of Territory Season 1, but I’ve done my best to describe the many intricacies in the plot for what’s been a brilliant series so far.
Table of Contents
Emily and Marshall Deeply Grieve Over Susie’s Death
To no surprise whatsoever, Emily is in deep shock and grief, reliving in her head what happened to her daughter Susie. She even tries to kill the cow that caused it. But let’s be frank, it was not the cow’s fault. The tensions at the cattle station led to this. Meanwhile, a heartbroken Marshall cannot stop drinking (like father like son), but his father tries explaining to him that it is not his fault that his sister died.
In response to his grief, Marshall gets into a bar fight, and Sharnie helps him out of a bad situation. This is confusing for the character because he believes Sharnie to be dead. After helping him, she tries to walk away, but the love between the two is too strong, and they end up sleeping together. During the pillow talk, Marshall talks about wanting to achieve a better life for them both.
Sandra Kirby’s REAL plans
Sandra has kept her cards close to her chest up until now, but Episode 6 of Season 1 finally reveals her hand.
A fire starts at the cattle station, which Graham and Colin have to take out desperately – it’s a serious message from Campbell Miller, and Colin has to react. And so, he rings the Chief Minister from the Federation and asks him to stop Campbell.
In response, Campbell is suddenly investigated for cross-branding, which means his brand will be canceled, and he will no longer be able to sell his cattle. Rich, who now works for Campbell, offers to kill the Lawson family for him.
It’s incredible that the unifying objective of this series, despite being in nature and farming, is finances and land. Follow the money, and you’ll always find problems.
As revealed in previous episodes, Sandra wants to build roads along the land that connects to the port near the mob. However, there’s an issue. Keeley tells Sandra that her plans to build a road go through a sacred spot in the community that’s heavily protected. She tells her to move the road, but Sandra wants a price from Uncle Bryce. She’s desperate to keep the exact route of the road.
To resolve the issue, Sandra tells Campbell Miller about her problem; she needs the road because it’s near the cave where she plans to mine. She asks Campbell for his protection, and once this is over, she will give him Marianne Station. In return, she does not want his questions about her business.
However, the real reason Sandra is bothered about this road being built is finally revealed. Her son, Lachie Kirkby, who is grieving over the death of Susie Lawson, the woman he loved, tells Emily that Sandra wants the mine and the road so she can sell enriched uranium abroad; the gold mine is a cover, and there’s plenty of storage with that land to store radiation. The land will be poisoned. Lachie begs Susie to fight for Marianne Station, at least for Susie.
(L-R) Hamilton Morris as Uncle Bryce and Robert Taylor as Colin Lawson in ‘Territory’ Season 1 (Credit – Netflix)
The End of Territory Season 1 Sees Everyone Teaming Up To Save Marianne Station And The Sacred Land
It’s a very chaotic conclusion to Territory. Firstly, Rich finds Marshall and sees that Sharnie has cheated on him, so he kidnaps him.
Emily reveals Sandra’s plans to the mob and her family. Uncle Bryce needs to claim the sacred site to save it. As part of a negotiated deal with Colin, the mob agrees to have the land around the river. Colin reluctantly agrees.
However, when Colin returns home, he is attacked by Rich and tied up like Marshall. Rich tortures Marshall, so Colin offers him money and expensive jewelry. He’s then curious as to what’s in the smaller safe and threatens to kill Marshall. Unable to go through with it, he shoots Marshall’s wrists instead.
Eventually, Marshall and Colin manage to attack Rich, and Sharnie finally arrives to stop Marshall from killing him. However, Colin has other ideas and shoots Rich dead. In a desperate moment, Marshall has to beg his grandfather not to kill Sharnie, too. Colin believes Sharnie was part of the conspiracy to bring his family down.
On the way to the sacred land, Emily confesses to Graham that she killed his brother Dan, but she didn’t mean to; she just tried to scare him by firing warning shots. However, she asks for forgiveness for Susie instead – she feels her actions led to their daughter’s death. Graham tells her to let it go and apologizes for not being there as a father and a husband.
When Graham, Emily, and the mob get to the caves in the sacred land, they are met by Campbell Miller and his men, which leads to a shoot-off. Uncle Bryce gets wounded, and so does Campbell Miller, but he still manages to press the detonator to blow up the cave. Nolan shoots Campbell, too, wounding him badly.
This felt like a quick war, but the tension rising was felt throughout Season 1. This scene alone made it a worthwhile wait. It felt like a modern western.
Sharnie Does Not Believe Anything Will Change Between Families
With the battle over, you can almost sense there will be more war in Territory, but for now, there is a period of peace as we reach the end of Episode 6.
Marshall tells Sharnie to stay with him, but she reminds him that Rich is dead and fears that Marshall will turn into his grandfather, Colin. She does not believe anything will change and leaves, giving Marshall back the necklace.
Sandra Kirkby Has Not Finished With Her Plans Yet
You’d think Sandra would give up after the failed attempt to secure land, roads, and mines. However, she is a resilient villain. She tells Nolan that everything will be OK, and if Campbell survives, he’ll face the full force of the law, confirming that she has set him up. Sandra offers Nolan the Acting President of the Cattleman’s Federation and tells him that the recent events are a setback. She also offers him the territory he wants.
However, I’m confident the mob will not forget what Sandra tried to do.
Does Colin Learn The Truth About His Son’s Death?
As Territory Season 1, Episode 6 ends, Emily finds Marshall packing up and leaving Marianne Station. He tells his mother that he does not belong to the land. This is a pivotal moment for the character; he’s learned that if he wants the life he wants with Sharnie, he will have to give up the family’s biggest asset.
Colin gives Emily and Graham the big house keys, signaling they will inherit the land.
A tired Colin then walks away and visits his son Dan’s grave. As the episode ends, the man who witnessed Emily kill Dan shows up with Dan’s horse; he gives Colin two bullet shells. Colin looks over to Emily.
It looks like Colin has learned that Emily killed his son, leaving a significant cliffhanger for Season 2. While the family saved Marianne station (for now), theres’ plenty more drama to come.
