Ransom Canyon season 2’s ‘gross’ Kit and Lauren romance wasn’t actually meant to happen

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Ransom Canyon season two*

Oh boy, Ransom Canyon pulls a Summer I Turned Pretty in season two, serving up a messy love triangle between Lauren (Lizzy Greene), her boyfriend Lucas (Garrett Wareing), and his older brother Kit (Casey W. Johnson).

Apparently, that was never in the original plans for the second chapter of the hit Netflix show, but as the cast have revealed, it was written in for a very specific reason. 

In season one, the popular cheerleader found herself in an altogether different love triangle between football player Reid (Andrew Liner) and Lucas, the kid living on the “wrong side of the tracks.”

Eventually, Reid realised Lauren and Lucas belonged together and gave them their blessing… but that was far from the end of the story. Prior to this, Lauren and Kit found themselves stuck together when a tornado hit Ransom Canyon. 

In season two, as Lauren grapples with the end of her cheerleading future due to an injury, Kit becomes the one person she feels truly understands her. Their growing connection leads to a kiss in episode five, which Lucas witnesses. 

By the finale, Kit decides to leave town, believing Lauren and Lucas would be better off without him. But Lauren races to the bus station to stop him, and the pair share a passionate kiss, seemingly confirming their relationship will be at the centre of a potential third season.

The love story itself has sparked plenty of discussion, and some people find it kind of nasty (more on this shortly). But as it turns out, it was never originally meant to be written into the Netflix series. 

Ransom Canyon cast’s chemistry led to Kit and Lauren romance

Lauren star Lizzy Greene told Swooon that the romance was added to Ransom Canyon due to the undeniable chemistry between the pair in the tornado episode. 

Although some fans were shipping Lauren and Kit at the time, showrunner April Blair told Woman’s World last year that they weren’t planning on a love triangle. 

“The actor who plays Lucas and the actress who plays Lauren, they keep sending me all these memes and different fan edits of people shipping Lauren and Kit, which we think they obviously have this chemistry,” she explained. 

“I think that there’s something there that we want to explore, and not necessarily like some full-blown romance or love triangle, but the complications of that connection and the kind of information he can give her about her mother.”

But, as said, this changed for season two. In the new interview, Greene said, “Nothing of that was intentional. I don’t think it was on the radar of having Kit and Lauren be a thing.”

The cast member said her and Johnson had “barely worked together at all up until that point,” and when they first read the tornado episode script, they didn’t want it to “feel like we’re flirting.”

But Johnson told the outlet that he realised it was a moment where “two people [are] connecting on a human level, on just being hurt and just being vulnerable and open. And I don’t know, sometimes I think that that can build an even stronger connection.”

And so, when Blair saw that connection play out, she didn’t want it to go to waste and introduced the romance in season two. 

Why season 2 viewers are calling Kit and Lauren’s romance ‘gross’

While there are plenty of fans who have been shipping the two since the storm, there are many who feel uncomfortable with the idea of them getting together. 

Firstly, there’s the fact that Lauren is still in high school, although Blair did confirm to Swooon that Kit’s only a few years older than Lucas. But perhaps the worst part is that Kit hooked up with Lauren’s mum Margaret (Sarah Minnich) in season one. 

There’s even a reference to this in the latest chapter, when Lauren scoffs at Kit’s question and calls him a “motherf**ker”. 

Taking to Reddit, one viewer wrote, “Currently on episode five but I think it’s so gross and incestuous that they wanna have Lauren with Kit.

“Also, like why such a STRONG buildup of her with Lucas! I really love them together and appreciate the work and fight they’ve put in to stay together through all the perils and roadblocks thrown their way. 

“I just want them to be happy together. Now that they’re gonna put her with his f**king brother, I don’t see ANY way for them to come back together after that, which is such a shame because they’re my fave couple after Quinn and Staten!”

Another agreed, “Lauren, Lucas and Kit, what the f**k is this storyline? Did we not do this storyline in season 1 with instead of Kit, we had Reid? Lauren honey, do you not remember that Kit had an affair with your mother, like who thought this would be a good storyline?”

A third added, “Yeah not my cup of tea. Kit dated her mom and Kit has beef with Dan so I don’t understand why a minor x adult storyline is in there.”

“Are you kidding me? Firstly what a dick move and secondly is that even legal?? Isn’t she in high school,” a fourth commented. 

Lauren and Lucas could still be endgame

For those who are just sad about the idea of Lauren and Lucas not being together, don’t fret. Netflix is yet to confirm if a third season will go ahead, but if it does, there is still hope for them yet – even if it happens a lot further down the line. 

As Johnson said, “It feels like Lauren and Lucas are endgame, like Staten and Quinn are ultimately endgame. But also, things happen. You never know. 

“But I definitely think they’re going to explore this. I feel like they’re just like scratching the surface of just being together and exploring what their connection holds.”

Greene added, “I think if there’s a world where they do come back together and have this reconciliation, they will be stronger because of it. I think that probably it was necessary for them to take a break. 

“Speaking to the future, though, I don’t know because I think there’s so much stuff we haven’t gotten into with my mom and with Kit, and so if we get a third season, I think we’ll be able to explore that part a bit more, and that’s definitely going to be a little bit more tumultuous.”

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Featured image credit: Netflix