We now know who Ramona’s father is, and Sterling Point will never be the same.
Created by Megan Park, Sterling Point follows Annie (Ella Rubin) to her late grandfather’s island in search of answers about her family. There she meets the people who filled his world, including a sister she never knew existed: Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle). The discovery uproots Annie, her twin brother Connor (Keen Ruffalo), and Ramona herself, whose entire sense of who she is starts to come apart.
Throughout the first season, viewers are led to believe the big secret is that Joe (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is Ramona’s biological father. Given that she’s known him her whole life, Ramona is livid he kept it from her. Everything shifts when she suspects Steven (Jay Duplass) could be her real father and gets a paternity test to confirm whether he is. Her reaction is measured and almost numb, a stark difference from the rage she directed at Joe.
"This girl has been put through the ringer in many aspects of her life, if not all aspects of her life. So another thing on top of everything else is overwhelming," Hoeferle tells Out. "She's been demanded to take a lot of hits and at this point she's a bit worn down. That's where that difference comes from; she only has so much to give."
It causes real friction between Ramona and Annie just as they’ve settled into life as sisters. Part of it comes from Ramona suddenly being open to selling the island, but it also comes from complicated feelings Annie has about Ramona being the biological daughter of both of her adoptive parents.
They come to an agreement that both actresses feel is a real resolution. "They end in a good place in the sense that I think it's a perfect showcase of the fact that there can be all of this drama and trauma and intensity within their relationship, and yet the love will always trump it, always," Rubin says.
Ella Rubin and Amélie Hoeferle on 'Sterling Point'Sabrina Lantos/Prime
“The initial reaction is hard, but there's so much room for her to see Annie's perspective as well because they're both put in such a difficult position. That’s the knee jerk reaction, like the shitty first draft of her emotions. She is an understanding person, just as Annie is as well. They want the best for each other," Hoeferle says.
Ramona’s relationships are all in flux by the finale, her sister, her girlfriend, and, now, apparently, her father. After confirming Steven is her father, being in New York City becomes a real possibility. That causes Oona (Bo Bragason) to fear she’s about to lose Ramona altogether. Rather than watch it happen, she ends the relationship herself.
"Where they end is so heartbreaking, yet such a beautiful place," Hoeferle says. "From Oona’s perspective, she’s really giving up her grasp on Ramona, in the sense of a relationship because she can identify that this girl really has an opportunity of a lifetime to go and experience the world in a different way that she wasn’t afforded in the past. To say 'I love you so much, but I think you need to go and do something else before you can fully give yourself to this relationship’ is so heartbreaking, but true to what Oona feels."
It’s much clearer to Hoeferle than it is to Ramona. "That’s something Ramona will only realize maybe down the line, what Oona has given her in that moment." Hoeferle says, "Right now it’s painful, and there’s probably resentment. Oona's probably sort of the villain in Ramona’s story right now. But I think, with time, that has the opportunity to change and shift into gratitude."
Keen Ruffalo as Connor on 'Sterling Point.'Prime Video
Ramona isn’t the only one with unfinished business heading into a possible second season. Connor gets a call that his biological mother wants to talk, a thread left entirely open for next season.
For viewers confused about his motivations, there’s an explanation: a scene that didn’t make the final cut. "It’s him and Annie having a fight and he has some resentment because he feels like an other a lot of the time throughout the show. He sees everyone else having these moments of discovery and finding this family," he says. "He doesn’t really get that, and he has a hard time fitting. That was him trying to find that for himself."
The season ends with Ramona and Annie swapping places. Annie has made it clear how much she loves being on Sterling Island, but Ramona finishes the season with real questions about who she is and what she wants. Park, the show’s creator, sees it as Ramona growing out of everything she was raised to believe. "You get to an age where you’re like what is important to me, what values and morals that have been pushed my way feel right, and what doesn’t feel right to me anymore," she says.
The sisters end the season putting their connection ahead of their issues. "At the end of the day, they each encourage each other to make the choice that’s best for them. And I think Annie is really going to miss Ramona, and I think Ramona is going to miss Annie," Rubin says.
Sterling Point is streaming now on Prime Video.
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