In just one week’s time, all six episodes of The Madison Season 1 have dropped, and in a world where Taylor Sheridan shows typically take much longer to debut, the rapid-fire release has been a breath of fresh air for fans. There’s no denying that Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance as the grieving Stacy Clyburn is a sight to behold, nor is it possible to ignore the beautiful life lessons that the series sheds light on: the value of being a good neighbor, a great friend, and an authentic human. Ahead, The Madison cast dives into each of these, highlighting how it felt to convey such important messages on screen.
***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***
Be a Good Neighbor
Throughout The Madison, Montana native Cade Harris (Kevin Zegers) demonstrates what it means to be a good neighbor. A good friend of both Preston Clyburn (Kurt Russell) and Paul Clyburn (Matthew Fox), Cade made a point to drive over to Paul’s cabin following the pair’s passing, to give his condolences and to make himself available to Stacy and the family—and at no point did he ask for anything in return. It’s this detail that resonates most with Kevin.
“Service to other people is so much more rewarding for you than it is to the person you're providing it to; the more I give away in my life—attention, especially if it's hard—the better my life is, so I think Cade knows the value of giving it away, and I think to do that without any expectation of return is probably why Stacy responds to him so well,” Kevin tells Country Living.
He goes on to explain that, as a Manhattanite woman of means, Stacy is likely used to people looking for ways to extract things from her. Because of this, meeting a man like Cade, who genuinely just wants to be a good neighbor, is almost unheard of. And the way Kevin sees it, this good-neighbor character trait is, as much as we all need the reminder, just as rare. “To me, Cade is really masculine in a way that I don't see very often, which is just to be kind, without being weak,” he shares.
Show Up in Your Friendships
The Madison also beautifully reminds viewers of the importance of being a loyal friend. When Stacy calls her New York best friend, Liliana Weeks (Rebecca Spence), there’s a half-second when viewers might think she’d never agree to fly out to Montana, given her steadfast love for city life, but as soon as Stacy says the word, her friend is on the next flight. When chatting with Rebecca about this dynamic, she chalks it up to one thing: “I think people just want to be seen, you know?”
With this in mind, Rebecca hopes that Liliana and Stacy’s friendship in The Madison can serve as a reminder to show up for those you love, no matter the circumstance.
“If you can find someone [who] sees you and loves you because of, and in spite of, all that you bring to the table, hang on to them and show up—show up when it's inconvenient; show up when you don't actually have the time; the impact of that is so important because you just never quite know how badly someone needs you until you show up,” she tells Country Living, noting that she’s grateful to represent the kinds of friendships she’s been fortunate to be the recipient of in her own life.
Navigate Life, Love, and Loss With the Utmost Honesty
Life is rarely black and white, and that’s especially true when navigating life, love, loss, and moving on in the midst of grief. It’s this fact that made actor Ben Schnetzer, who plays Van Davis, a widowed single dad and budding love interest for Abigail Reese (Beau Garrett), grateful for the opportunity to embrace the messiness of existence and ultimately, remind fans that it’s more than okay to accept yourself past, present, and future.
“There is a forthrightness and an honesty in Van, and I think that's why these moments [between him and Abigail] are so resonant,” Ben tells Country Living. As a self-proclaimed people-pleaser, he admits that brutal honesty can feel like a feat at times. For this reason, he was grateful that director Christina Alexandra Voros told him to read The Solace of Open Spaces by Grettle Ehrlich in preparation for filming. “It stood out to me, where she says, ‘Honesty is stronger medicine than sympathy,’” Ben shares. “I think that can be, if you're a people pleaser like I am, a difficult pill to swallow or a difficult truth to face. But I think when the rubber meets the road, I believe that's true, and I think Van is someone who isn't afraid of the truth and isn't afraid of all of its messiness and complexity, and I think some of the life experiences that he's had have gotten him all too acquainted with the realities of life, love, and loss. And I think the grief he's experienced has become part of who he is, and he is in a situation now where he has to kind of take ownership of that and claim it, scars and all.”
The Madison Season 1 is available for streaming on Paramount+. Here’s to another six episodes of beautiful lessons and gorgeous vistas when The Madison Season 2 debuts (hopefully, sooner rather than later).
