Recap: The McMurray Curse - Season 1 - Episode 3
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Missy, Isabel and Cash are meeting his new bull named Bullet. Missy and Isabel wonder if Cash has prepared to attend the Bull Rider’s League since he didn’t even RSVP. They try to convince him to go because it is important to meet the judges there as it could help his score. He agrees to go.
Inside Cash’s loft, Tuff tells him that he saw Valeria last night mingling with Tucker Clarke after she said she didn’t know him. Cash brushes him off.
Missy is in her living room when she receives a call from Susan at Frontier. She tells Missy that everyone has been talking a lot about the dangerous riding trick she discussed on the radio. They want her to do it in Frontier Jeans for a campaign. She tells Missy they will send a camera crew to the ranch to capture it.
Overwhelmed, Missy heads to her closet and pulls out her trick shoes. She has a flashback of the night she did the trick wearing them, the same night Austin died. The painful memories overtake her until she’s brought back into the present by Valeria who tells her that Isabel wants to see her.
Inside the barn, the family meets. Isabel tells Missy, Cash, Tuff and Valeria that a pipe at the venue for the BRL Gala burst and Hank offered the McMurray barn as an alternative venue. Cash wonders why Isabel is pushing the event so hard. Isabel says because it can help the ranch.
At the stables, Tuff and Valeria address the ranch hands, describing the gala and how they will need to help clean out the barn. Tuff undermines Valeria while talking to them. When the ranch hands walk away, Valeria tells Tuff they are a team, and he shouldn’t do that. He mentions how she went celebrating on her own the night before, referring to seeing her at the bar with Tucker. She denies it.
Missy coaches Cash at her house. She tells him about the campaign shoot and expresses concern about doing the riding trick because she has not been training in over a year. Cash grabs her trick riding boots and walks off.
Inside the barn, the ranch hands are hard at work. Hank asks Isabel if she’ll have the barn in good shape in an hour because that’s when the chair of the BRL gala committee will be coming to see it. Hank tells her the chair is Barbara Sutton, the biggest stock contractor in Colorado. Isabel is stunned and Hank is confused because they used to be best friends growing up. Isabel urges the ranch hands to work faster.
Outside the ranch, Cash is working to make Missy feel good about trick riding. She takes off on the horse to practice, only to stop and panic. She’s distracted by the memory of Austin’s death as that was the last time she did the trick.
Isabel joins them outside and tells them that Barbara Sutton and her husband Joe will be arriving soon. It’s important to have them in their corner.
Barbara and Joe approach and greet Isabel. They catch up and get acquainted. Isabel shows them the venue, currently a work in progress. Barbara reminds Isabel that her reputation is on the line with the BRL event and hopes the venue comes together well. Isabel assures her it will.
Isabel, Missy and Cash see the Suttons off. Isabel reminds them that Barbara makes all the decisions and Cash must work hard to impress them and the other judges. She tells him he can’t rely on his last name because it might work against him with Barbara at the helm.
Inside the McMurray kitchen, Isabel further presses the fact that Cash must make a good impression. She tells him that there will be dancing at the gala, and she needs him to be polished and have It all together. Cash reminds Isabel that he will do whatever it takes but he’s currently focused on Missy’s campaign and not charm lessons.
Tuff and Julian are chatting outside the McMurray Ranch. Julian wonders if Tuff has ever brought a guy around to meet his family.
Missy sees Isabel and wonders what is going on with her and Barbara. She tells Missy that she and Barbara were best friends who drifted apart. Missy isn’t buying it.
At a café, Missy spots Janine, Hank and Gus. Hank calls her over and she eyes Gus and Janine together. Janine mentions that Gus is her date to the gala. Gus tells Missy that he hopes it won’t make anyone uncomfortable if he attends. She says it won’t.
At Cash’s loft, Missy explains that for months before Austin died, he was moody and she wonders if she could’ve done anything to stop his death. She feels guilty that he saw her and Cash right before he died; she knows he thought something was going on between them. Their conversation is cut short as Frontier has arrived.
Susan approaches and Missy suggests filming other things about Austin, but Susan is not interested. She tells Missy that her trick riding is the big showstopper. Missy steels herself during her stunt. Susan is confused and wonders why. Missy tells her that trick riding is dangerous when she’s not in the zone and she doesn’t want to put her life at risk for jeans. Susan is disappointed.
At the pond in North Field, Missy shares with Valeria that she might be fired from her Frontier gig. Valeria notices her shoes and Missy tells her that she thinks they are bad luck. Valeria digs a hole and Missy buries them.
When the gala gets underway, Barbara is impressed with the results. Cash sees her and asks her to dance. Missy and Tuff, enter looking dazzling. They spot Gus and Janine. Missy approaches them and Gus is awestruck. Janine is impressed they refreshed the barn in such little time. She looks up at Gus and tells him to imagine what they could do to the house in no time, suggesting that she and Gus will work on the ranch as a couple.
Later, Missy and Cash dance together. In a sudden moment, Cash bumps into a waiter, causing the waiter’s trays to fall over. The party halts. A guest reacts by saying, “Told ya these McMurrays are cursed.” Cash tells them his family suffered so much loss and struggled against the odds to keep their ranch. He continues to tell the whole room that the only curse they are suffering is judgment from people like him and they are lucky not cursed. The room is quiet as he walks off. Isabel supports him.
Afterwards, Barbara tells Isabel that the gala was great. She admits that she misses their friendship. She apologizes for not being there for her. Isabel says she misses her too.
Outside, Gus tells Missy that Janine is not his type. She tells him about her failed trick ride with Frontier. He encourages her to continue to do the things she loves.
Cash is on the bed of his truck enjoying a beer when Valeria walks up. He tells her about the BRL disaster and that he did get to dance with Barbara. Valeria wants to see his moves.
Tuff approaches the stables to talk to Valeria but she’s not there. He enters the horse Chantico’s stall to find a manila envelope. Inside he finds four different IDs that all have Valeria’s face but different names.
Outside, Missy takes the horse Whiskey out for a ride. She practices her stunt and pulls off her impressive trick. She’s ecstatic about it while Cash watches her with a smile.