‘The Ranch’: 10 Most Emotional Moments of Part 3

While many think of The Ranch as a comedy, the Netflix original series has found a way to pull at the heartstrings of fans when they least expected it.

The family dynamic depicted in the series is one of the best on television. Brothers Colt (Ashton Kutcher) and Rooster (Danny Masterson) are constantly struggling with achieving approval from their father Beau (Sam Elliott), a feeling that many are familiar with.

Meanwhile, Colt is trying to love his high school sweetheart Abby (Elisha Cuthbert), while also preparing himself for fatherhood, as his ex-girlfriend Heather (Kelli Goss) is having a baby. Beau and Maggie (Debra Winger) have gotten a divorce, and the family is figuring out how to move forward in different directions.

The Ranch is a surprisingly-heartfelt story, and the last batch of episodes was filled with tear-jerking scenes that had every fan grabbing the tissues.

Here are the 10 scenes that stood out among the rest:

Beau & Colt on Christmas Morning

Part 3 of The Ranch began on Christmas, just after Heather told Colt that she was pregnant. In the first episode, Colt decides to tell Beau what’s going, but not before he’s given a touching gift.

While Beau is usually void of any sentiment, he gave Colt a wonderful Christmas present. The father watched as his son flipped through a scrapbook filled with every newspaper article written about his football career.

The scene only got more dramatic after that. Colt broke down, telling Beau all about Heather’s pregnancy, crying because he didn’t know what to do.

Colt’s line to Beau is what really brought fans to tears. As he embraced his father, Colt said, “I know I’m gonna be a great dad, because I had one.”

Colt Telling Abby

It was hard for Colt to tell his parents that Heather was pregnant, but it was even harder for him to tell the love of his life.

Just as Colt and Abby seem to be on the right track, the pregnancy throws a wrench into the plans. 

Despite Rooster’s plea for Colt to keep his news to himself – since Heather says she’s going to get an abortion – Colt is an honest guy. He tells Abby what happened.

As you’d imagine, Abby stormed out into the snow, driving away from Colt as fast as she can.

Heather’s Abortion Appointment

This is actually two scenes, but they’re both so vital to the decision these characters make.

After Colt initially chastises Heather for wanting an abortion, he goes back to tell her that he will support her with whatever she chooses to do. That being said, the two go to the clinic to get things taken care of.

Colt doesn’t exactly want to be there, but he’s trying to do best by Heather. As she finishes the paperwork, Heather reveals that she made her choice.

She wants to keep the baby.

This may complicate things for everyone, but Colt was relieved to know that he was still going to be a dad after all.

Colt Telling Abby…Part 2

Colt had to tell Abby that Heather was pregnant, and that was hard enough. Now that Heather changed her mind and decided to keep the baby, Colt has to have another tough conversation.

While it’s a difficult thing to hear, Abby is surprisingly supportive of Colt’s decision. She knows that he’s doing the best he can, and that he’s going the extra mile in order to be a good partner to her and a good father to his future child.

This relationship has been the biggest storyline of the series so far, and this conversation went a long way toward showing fans exactly why they care about Colt and Abby so much.

Drunken Abby

Characters on The Ranch get drunk a lot. While the inebriated antics of these folks are usually funny, Abby’s revelation to Maggie was one of the saddest things she’s ever said.

While Maggie was tucking Abby to sleep – on a pillow of white bread – the latter admitted to something she never would have if she was sober.

“It should be me.”

Abby is upset because she loves Colt, and she thought that his first kid was supposed to be with her. All of Colt’s firsts as a dad will happen while raising someone else’s baby. 

Berto Getting Deported

The Ranch has served as a That ’70s Show reunion of sorts, as the Bennett brothers are played by two of the classic sitcom’s stars.

The fun-loving duo – and a large group of fans – were given even more reunion to love back in Part 2, when Wilmer Valderrama – aka Fez – was brought on to play the role of ranch hand Umberto.

All three actors were hilarious together on the show, but their friendship was met with a sad end in Part 3. While the trio sat in prison, they were informed that Umberto was being deported, that he was there illegally. 

Watching Colt and Rooster say goodbye was difficult, to say the least.

Beau’s Other Gift

While Abby is the one who holds Colt’s heart, the entire Bennett family has also welcomed Heather into the fray. After all, she’s going to be giving birth to Beau and Maggie’s first grandchild.

In perhaps Beau’s most sentimental scene, he takes a gift over to Heather’s house.

Beau gives the young woman a small rocking horse – the same one that Colt played on when he was a child. 

The old rancher told Heather that she was a part of the Bennett family now, and that he would always be around if she ever needed anything.

Later on, Heather comes by the Bennett house to ask Beau to be the baby’s godfather.

Abby’s Confession

The fans knew Abby was jealous after her drunken confession to Maggie, but no one thought that she’d admit it to Heather.

Well, in episode six, she finally did.

In Beau and Maggie’s kitchen, Abby tells Heather that she’s jealous of the fact that she gets to have a baby with Colt.

Heather responded by telling Abby that she was the one who was jealous, wishing that she was able to have the relationship with someone that Abby had with Colt.

The scene ended with Abby telling Heather that she would always be there for her and the baby.

Maggie Gives Up the Bar

Maggie had been preparing to leave town for a long time, but she was having trouble selling the bar. 

Many fans probably saw the next scene coming, but that doesn’t mean the scene was any less emotional.

Rooster had just been fired from his job running another ranch, and Maggie wanted the bar to stay alive. In a touching mother-and-son moment, Maggie offered the bar to Rooster.

However, not long after Rooster agrees to run the bar, Maggie tells Rooster she won’t let him do it. She hears her son talk about helping out an animal and she doesn’t want to take him away from the things he truly loves.

Maggie’s Goodbyes

Maggie was talking about leaving town for a long time, and the introduction of Clint – The singing drifter played by Lou Diamond Phillips – finally gave her a way to do that.

Once Maggie announces that she’s leaving, Rooster decides he will sacrifice his love of animals to help out his mom, since she sacrificed her entire life for him. He agrees to take over the bar.

Colt and Beau didn’t react quite like Rooster did, and both were pretty upset about Maggie’s departure. Colt later told his mom that he was so upset because, while he wants her to be happy, he wants her to be around when his child is born.

Maggie and Beau’s final scene is what really brought the house down, as Maggie returned the ring that belonged to Beau’s mother. She tells him that there is more to life than the town, and the ranch.

In his most vulnerable moment, Beau tells Maggie that he doesn’t know what life without her looks like. 

The couple tells each other that they love each other, they hug, and everyone watching cries their eyes out.