Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Territory!
Marshall Lawson makes the surprising decision to flee after the death of Daniel Lawson in Territory Season 1, and this is where he made that choice. The suspicious circumstances surrounding Daniel Lawson’s death and Marshall’s abandonment of Marianne Station make him a rather curious character, with much of the series following Emily’s attempts to locate him. The revelation of the reason for Marshall’s escape is one of the biggest moments of the film. Territoryand here’s how the show explains it.
New Australian Western drama series from Netflix Territory is finally here, with the Netflix series acting as a mix between yellow stone and Succession. Territory takes place shortly after the death of Daniel Lawson, head of the largest cattle ranch in the world, leaving the Lawson family struggling to know who will succeed him. The consequences of his death are absolutely enormous, causing things like Marshall’s decision to run away.
Marshall is afraid of being corrupted by power and greed, like Graham and Colin
He doesn’t want to be like the rest of the Lawsons
At the beginning of TerritoryMarshall returns to Marianne Station due to Daniel’s death, reuniting him with his family. Shortly after returning, however, Marshall runs away for unknown reasons. Emily and some other members of the Lawson family are sent to track him down in hopes of finding out why he left and bringing him back.
A few episodes later, Territory reveals the reason behind Marshall’s abandonment of Marianne Station. It turns out Marshall was disgusted by the greed of the Lawson dynastywith him hoping to leave before being corrupted by it. The power and wealth that comes with Marianne Station caused the entire Lawson dynasty to turn against each other after Daniel’s death, and Marshall wanted to remove himself from the situation before becoming like the rest of his family.
Why Marshall decides to return and take his place as Daniel’s heir
He becomes the next station master Marianne
At the end of Territoryhowever, Marshall decides to return to Marianne Station and take his place as Daniel’s heir. Knowing that Colin wanted to choose Marshall to take control of the largest cattle ranch in the world undoubtedly played a big part in this, meaning that Marshall didn’t have to fight with his family to assert himself as leader of the station.
Furthermore, Marshall realized he could not escape the Lawson name. No matter what, people will treat him differently due to his connection to Marianne Station, with every character he encounters throughout the series trying to use him. Marshall ultimately decides that he would rather try to lead the family in a better direction than run away, leading to his decision to return at the end of Territory.