On the day of what could have been a series finale airing for the Apple TV+ show, “Stick”, the streamer announced Owen Wilson and the rest of his new gang would get a chance at swinging the clubs for a brand new season. Although Apple TV+ doesn’t publish it’s ratings, but Matt Cherniss, the head of programming for the streamer gave the series a glowing endorsement and talked about how much the audiences fell in love with the “charming, funny and heartfelt world…” that Wilson and his ensemble cast created.
Aside from the vote of approval from the higher ups and the huge news of a renewal, the cast and crew also deserve credit for pulling off a great finale that goes places the viewer really doesn’t expect. At times you may want to throttle Santi (Peter Dager), but then you have to remember he’s a 17 year old teenager with unbelievable skill just trying to live a normal life. Warning, beyond this point there are spoilers for the season 1 finale of “Stick” on Apple TV+.
At times you may want to throttle Santi (Peter Dager), but then you have to remember he’s a 17 year old teenager with unbelievable skill just trying to live a normal life.”
The finale came in from a somewhat obvious cliffhanger of Santi’s dad returning at the absolute worst time. There was speculation in the subreddit for the series that Santi’s father Gary Wheeler, played by Mackenzie Austin wouldn’t return until after Santi possibly won the tournament to set up the season 2 villain, but the writers chose to use him as Santi’s biggest obstacle to just moving forward as a mature and adult human being.
Santi is easily manipulated by his father who had written off in the season since the first episode, but that can partially be chalked up to the fact that Santi found it in his heart to forgive Zero (Lilli Kay) and Pryce (Wilson) for manipulating him because of his golf skills which could have opened the floodgates for Santi to forgive his dad. It’s also possible he felt like he owed his father, since he got him into golf which is a valid point of view as well. Either way, Santi instantly forgives his father’s neglect and by lunchtime while Santi has done the near impossible and is posited to win the tournament, he lets Gary connive him into replacing Pryce as his caddy. Pryce is hesitant, but is at peace with everything while Gary shows the viewer how opportunistic he really is in short order as soon as his highly risky advice doesn’t pay off.
The episode makes Gary seem very short sighted as Santi made it all the way to the top of the tournament before Gary took over, but Gary seems incapable of seeing himself at fault…which Elena (Ariana Treviño) had warned everyone about throughout the season. Moral of the story here folks: listen to your mother.
Zero is somewhat absent from the finale while Marc Maron’s character Mitts also feels sidelined, but Santi and Pryce carry the creative load down the home stretch.
Santi finally. rejects his father as toxic after he has no chance of winning the event, but he is able to win over a golfing crowd like nobody has ever seen before – almost like a more serious version of Happy Gilmore. Santi’s performance is very believable while Owen Wilson as Pryce has a massive amount of growth this season after an obvious decades long stagnation period. Given the deal Santi made with former golfing hot shot Clark Ross (Timothy Olyphant), season 2 is a bright place for Santi to take a meteoric Tiger Woods-esque run to become the best golfer on the planet at 18. With a cast that the audience has quickly fallen in love with, it seems Owen Wilson who also EPd the series has found a formula for comedy sports success. The cast is on record as trusting the creative team behind the series for more great times in season 2, while Zero actor Lilli Kay does hope for more exploration into her character and to see Santi’s supportive side grow.
The creators are excited to tell more golf stories and one door they did leave open with the final scene that may become a big story point, is Pryce restrung in to golf as a pro. Santi does the math on Pryce’s swing and figures he could come back to the big game, probably largely due to the shot he beat Clark Ross with to get Santi to his first pro tournament in the first place. Pryce clearly amazes Santi on the final swing, leaving the door open for booth to be pros while they play and learn from each other next season.
It could take up until season 3, but we think one way or another, we’ll see Pryce playing pro again in the future. Either way, the series really has struck a cord amongst all type of viewers, not just gold fans.
What do you think? Is “Stick” a series that can go 4 – 6 seasons? Or is it lucky just to get 2? Will Pryce play pro again? Will Santi become the best golfer in the world?
Let us know your thoughts about “Stick” in the comments below!
