‘The Ranch’: How Danny Masterson’s Rooster Could Return After Part 6

Rooster has has officially left his roost on The Ranch, but there is a way that he could return.

Spoilers ahead for The Ranch Parts 5 and 6.

At the conclusion of Part 5, Rooster Bennett (Danny Masterson) was forced out of town by ex-convict Nick (Josh Burrow), who threatened to kill Rooster’s family if he returned or told anyone about the confrontation. Off-screen, this served as a way to write-off Masterson from the Netflix Original Series after he was fired due to several resurfaced sexual assault allegations.

In Part 6, Rooster disappears in what is first seen as him skipping town. However, the Bennett family soon discovers Rooster’s wrecked motorcycle and some bloodied clothes, indicating that he is likely dead. They hold a funeral service, and then they all treat Rooster as deceased going forward.

However, Rooster could hypothetically not be gone for good.

His body is not discovered by Part 6’s end. All they find is his wrecked bike, a bloody shirt, his wallet and some random personal items in a hotel room.

Due to the absence of a body, his brother Colt (Ashton Kutcher) first believes that Rooster faked his death to escape Nick and keep his family safe. His first observation comes after they find his bike on a familiar backroad.

“Rooster’s been riding a bike since before he could walk,” Colt says. “He knows this road like the back of his hand.”

He insists Rooster is still alive and tracks his credit card activity to a nearby hotel. There, he and his wife Abby (Elisha Cuthbert) find evidence of Rooster’s presence. They find a bible vandalized to read “On the seventh day God created Rooster, and he said ‘We’re gonna need a bigger fig leaf.’” They all so find random personal items and assume he will be back soon, but Colt does think this is just another part of Rooster’s master plan to fake his death.

“If Rooster don’t wanna be found, he ain’t gonna be found. He’s like a ninja,” Colt says.

They wait until the next morning and then learn about discovery of Rooster’s shirt and wallet. However, Colt is still unconvinced and details more of a possible conspiracy.

“They weren’t gon’ find him anyway. Just goes to show how far to make this whole disappearance seems real,” Colt says. “I’m serious, we know this room is a part of it. I figured it out last night. If Rooster’s in hiding, why would he use his credit card to stay here? It’s too easy to track. I mean, I figured it out, and I’m a fucking idiot.”

He adds, “It’s a decoy room. This is decoy stuff to throw Nick off his trail. Look at this stuff. He wouldn’t pack any of this. Jean shorts? A collared shirt? A book?”

While the odd items could be explained by the fact that Nick packed Rooster’s bag for him, Colt has a point. Without a body, there is no final proof that Rooster is dead. This could easily lead into a situation where Colt was right, and Rooster comes back to town alive and well.

While it is very unlikely that Netflix will ever invite Masterson back to The Ranch, there is a bit of wiggle room in the narrative for him to return.

All six parts of The Ranch are currently streaming on Netflix. Part 7 is expected to premiere some time in 2019.

Photo Credit: Netflix / Greg Gayne