Ransom Canyon took a risk with the show’s sibling love triangle — and now several cast members are breaking their silence on the shocking shakeup.
During season 2 of the hit Netflix series, which is streaming now, Lauren (Lizzy Greene) and Kit (Casey W. Johnson) got together while she was still dating his younger brother, Lucas (Garrett Wareing).
Wareing, 24, Johnson, 31, and creator April Blair spoke exclusively to Us about the decision to explore such a taboo topic — and whether they were worried about the fan reaction to the onscreen shakeup.
“Season 2 of the writers’ room began months before season 1 aired. So we definitely care what the fans think and are listening but by the time the season aired, we were well on our way with writing season 2,” Blair recalled. “I saw the first cut of the tornado episode and I was like, ‘We need to do something with Kit and Lauren. I think there’s a lot of chemistry there.’”
Blair recalled the writers’ room being “divided” on the subject.
“I was like, ‘Messy is great. Let’s just try it.’ But I definitely think once the show aired and we saw all the people shipping them I was like, ‘We’re on the right track,’” she continued. “But we definitely take it into account.”
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the love triangle outcome, the vision for season 3 and hints about a potential endgame:
Did the Cast See Kit and Lauren’s Romance Coming?
Despite filming scenes between Kit and Lauren in season 1, Johnson didn’t realize the show could explore them as a couple.
“I remember specifically going into the tornado episode and being like, ‘I don’t want it to feel intimate. This is my younger brother’s girlfriend so I don’t want it to be a thing,’” he told Us. “Then doing the scenes and obviously how it came out and how everyone reacted to it … it was just two people having a genuine vulnerability with each other and that grew and that was more than just that was what connected them. I didn’t expect it but it ended up happening.”
Wareing was just excited to go along for the ride.
“The writers listen y’all! And if it’s drama that you want then it’s drama you are going to get! Careful what you wish for,” he quipped. “Secretly, I love [the love triangle]. It’s dangerous and makes for a very engaging watch.”
Why Did Kit and Lauren Kiss Despite Her Relationship With Lucas?
“It’s very confusing. They’re both very confused at this point. Kit is at a crossroads in his life and he doesn’t know what he wants to do,” Johnson noted to Us. “But I think there’s just an undeniable connection between Kit and Lauren. He feels like he has to explore even if it’s not the best thing.”
Johnson pointed out how the duo connect over being “outcasts” in town.
“Lucas is so perfect. For Lauren, it’s hard to match up to that. If you mess up, you feel like I’m not good enough for this person. Kit, in the same way, feels like Lucas is this perfect golden figure, which he’s not,” he continued. “But in their eyes, that’s how they see him and they want to protect that and they find themselves making mistakes. They just are in the same place. Maybe that translates to longterm and maybe it doesn’t.”
Blair pointed out that Lauren was struggling compared to Lucas, saying, “They’re just not in the same place emotionally. They need other loves and other lives and other connections. That’s what we’re doing moving forward — but always with this idea that they’re the Quinn and Staten of their era.”
Are Kit and Lauren or Lucas and Lauren Endgame?
Johnson, Wareing and Blair were all in agreement that when it came to the bigger picture: Lucas and Lauren got their vote.
“As a viewer, I think Kit might say differently. But you never know what’s going to happen. In my mind, they’re endgame,” Johnson shared. “Those two have to end up together at the end but we’ll see. You never know.”
Blair, meanwhile, told Us Lucas and Lauren “are very endgame” for her.
“I don’t know when that endgame is and if it even exists in the life of our series. But they’re the Quinn and Staten except back in high school,” the screenwriter teased. “When Lucas is saying goodbye to her and tells her about Kit and he says, ‘One day we’ll be OK.’ I think they just need to have other lives and other loves and other experiences.”
Then there is Wareing, who argued it has to be Lucas and Lauren — or nothing.
“If Lucas and Lauren aren’t endgame I’m never believing in love again,” he joked to Us. “They resemble, to me, the idealistic kind of youthful love and longing. I’d love to see that fantasy for them fully realized.”
What Are Their Thoughts on the Sibling Love Triangle Trend?
From The Summer I Turned Pretty to Every Year After, having one person catch feelings for siblings is the hot new story line on some of our favorite shows. Johnson joked that he hoped he would be “remembered for” his contribution with Ransom Canyon.
Wareing argued there was no other choice.
“The sibling love triangle trope was right there. How could they not swing for it! I just hope people know which brother they should be rooting for!” he quipped to Us.
Will Lucas and Kit Reconcile?
Johnson has no doubt in his mind that the brothers will make up, telling Us, “Maybe he’ll get to punch me a couple more times before he fully forgives me. But that’s a tough one to come back from. They’ve been rocking with each other forever though.”
Wareing offered his own perspective on Lucas’ decision to support Lauren and Kit.
“Because at the end of the day, she is still the love of his life. And ‘When you love something… you have to let it go.’ So Lucas does,” he added. “Because he loves her so much and just wants to see her happy. Whether that is with him, or without.”
Can Lucas Catch a Break in Season 3?
According to Blair, he will. Wareing, meanwhile, didn’t mind a challenge by exploring other sides to the fan-favorite character.
“Our sweet boy Lucas kept getting blow after blow! He can’t catch a break this season,” he noted to Us. “But if we are talking about character arcs, there has to be an ebb and a flow — an up and a down — and to play that downward spiral as an actor was quite exciting for me and something that April, our writers, and I really worked on together. Lucas is, and will continue to be, the underdog.”
He continued: “With Lucas and Lauren, they both did each other wrong. One of my last lines this season is ‘And I have to reckon with that.’ So I think this is Lucas’s journey moving forward, reckoning with these mistakes.”
Looking ahead, Wareing didn’t rule out a new love interest for Lucas.
“Wouldn’t that be something! I think this is going to be another moment where the writers are going to listen to the fans,” he noted. “Who do you want to Lucas with next? I think as Lucas matures, maybe his romance does too …”
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