6 Biggest Candidates To Take Over Marianne Station In Territory, Ranked Worst To Best

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Territory!

Netflix’s Territory is all about the battle over which member of the Lawson family will take over Marianne Station, and here is every candidate who is in the running, ranked from worst to best. In the world of Territory, Marianne Station is the world’s largest cattle station, with the Australian business being the envy of all kinds of other companies. The death of Daniel Lawson immediately caused a frenzy among those who work at Marianne Station, as almost every member of the cast of Territory wants to get their hands on the role that Daniel Lawson once filled.

Netflix’s new Yellowstone replacement Territory is now streaming, with the Australian Western drama transporting viewers to the unique world of Australian cattle farms. Territory transforms real-life locations like existing Australian cattle stations and national parks into the violent and competitive world of the Netflix series, allowing for the tense story and complicated characters seen throughout the series. Marianne Station’s Lawson dynasty is made up of a ton of characters, and here is each one that had the potential to take over the cattle station, ranked based on how good of a job they would do as Daniel’s successor.

6 Sandra Kirby

Played By Sara Wiseman

Of all the characters in Territory, Sandra Kirby is by far the worst candidate to take over Marianne Station. However, she is also one of the closest to getting it. In Territory, Sandra Kirby is a billionaire mining magnate who bears a fake farmhand aesthetic despite mostly being seen in private planes and mansions. Throughout the show, she is constantly attempting to weasel her way into the Lawson family’s dealings, with her hoping to buy up the land that Marianne Station is on as well as land owned by Nolan in order to pull off her own plan.

Sandra Kirby wants Marianne Station, but she doesn’t want it to be a cattle station. Instead, Sandra has a plan to build a massive road through the land, one that will make her mining operations even more profitable. Her plan would require the destruction of all kinds of natural landscapes, such as Territory‘s “Sorry Place.” It is eventually revealed that she actually wants to use the “Sorry Place” as a dump for nuclear waste, a reveal that makes almost every character in Territory immediately decide that she can’t win at the end of the show.

Sandra Kirby has no respect for Australian land or cattle farming at all, with her purely being in it for the money. Sandra desires power and wealth overall, with her even manipulating her own family into attempting to get close to the Lawsons. Sandra is a vicious businesswoman who will do whatever she can to get what she wants, and while these qualities mean that she could potentially be a good head of Marianne Station, they have corrupted her far too much. While she didn’t end up getting the job, she unfortunately did succeed in destroying the Sorry Place.

5 Campbell Miller

Played By Jay Ryan

Sandra Kirby isn’t the only outsider to the Lawson family who wants to get their hands on Marianne Station, as Campbell Miller is attempting to pull off a similar scheme throughout Territory. Campbell Miller starts out as a minor character in Territory, with him being the main political opponent of Graham Lawson. Before his death, Daniel Lawson was the head of a collective of cattle farmers, a position that comes with a lot of power when it comes to making deals and passing legislation. After Daniel’s death, Campbell was able to take over, immediately making him an enemy of the Lawsons.

The Lawson family knew that Campbell Miller had it out for them, something that is shown throughout his time as head of the group. Campbell Miller has Marianne Station shut down due to false claims of a bovine sickness, showing how far he is willing to go to hurt the Lawsons. Campbell eventually teams up with Sandra Kirby, throwing his hat into the battle of who will take over Marianne Station next.

Although Campbell Miller is just as villainous as Sandra Kirby, he is at least more qualified to be the head of the world’s largest cattle station. Rather than purely being a businessman, Campbell Miller is actually a cattle farmer. His role in the cattle farming association shows that he does know what he’s talking about, with him presumably running a successful farm of his own. However, shooting and killing multiple people does make Campbell Miller less than desirable.

4 Graham Lawson

Played By Michael Dorman

When it comes to the actual members of the Lawson family who have a chance to take over Marianne Station, Graham Lawson is the least qualified. Graham Lawson is the younger brother of Daniel Lawson, with their father’s decision to give Daniel the role over Graham creating a massive divide in their relationship. Upon Daniel’s death, however, Graham is one of the clear candidates, with him hoping that Colin Lawson will pass the job on to him. Graham Lawson looks to be a major contender up until the Territory season 1 finale, where it is revealed that he didn’t get the job.

Graham Lawson knows his stuff when it comes to cattle farming, with him easily being capable of running the farm when it comes to this. However, Graham Lawson also has some major character flaws that prove he would struggle in the role. Graham is quick to anger, with him even shooting Hank Hodge after Daniel’s saddle was found on his land. On top of that, Graham Lawson has some major addiction issues, with his alcoholism only getting worse after his prison sentence.

Colin and Graham’s relationship is tense, and while Colin is cruel to Graham, Colin’s shrewd business mind means that he likely knows what he is talking about when he says that Graham isn’t fit to run Marianne Station. Colin has been in the cattle farming business for years now, and while it is sad, he may be right in the fact that Graham just isn’t ready.

3 Emily Lawson

Played By Anna Torv

Emily Lawson is the main protagonist of Territory, and she is one of the better candidates to be the next head of Marianne Station. Emily Lawson is fantastic at her job, with her constantly being seen handling cattle and wildlife as well as taking care of various tasks on the ranch. Emily is typically level-headed and looks out for her family and the employees of Marianne Station. She also has a shrewd business mind, with her constantly being seen making deals and compromises with those around her. However, her deal with the man who found Daniel’s horse led to her downfall.

The major flaw of Emily Lawson is her role in Daniel’s death. It is eventually revealed that she shot Daniel’s horse, leaving Daniel to be eaten by wild dogs. An unnamed man saw this happen and blackmailed Emily, with her agreeing to protect the “Sorry Place” in exchange for his secrecy. When she fails to do this, however, the unnamed man tells Colin that Emily is the killer. Colin already believed that Emily only married into the family in order to get her hands on Marianne Station, and the reveal of her secret only makes her less likely to have a role in the future.

2 Nolan Brannock

Played By Clarence Ryan

There is one more contender for the Marianne Station role from outside the Lawson family, and that is Nolan Brannock. Nolan is a ranchhand who often does work at Marianne Station, although he also has his own world of characters and subplots throughout Territory. However, Sandra Kirby attempts to use Nolan as her way into Marianne Station, with her deciding to make a deal with him that will allow him to gain even more control of the land if he allows her to do some construction on it. Nolan actually makes the deal, although it doesn’t come to fruition.

Nolan Brannock is smart, humble, great at business, and knows everything that there is to know about cattle farming. Nolan’s mentorship of Dezi shows that he will make a great leader to the employees of Marianne Station, and his work ethic will only elevate the station even further. Nolan is one of the best characters who could take over Marianne Station, although the one who ends up getting the job is slightly better.

1 Marshall Lawson

Played By Sam Corlett

Of all the characters who could take over Marianne Station in Territory season 1, Marshall Lawson is the best one. While he isn’t as qualified as some of his relatives due to his youth, he doesn’t have any of the flaws that they have. Marshall even runs away from Marianne Station after seeing how the Lawsons have turned on each other over Daniel’s death, showing that he is willing to improve in a way that they haven’t. Lawson knows that the lust for power and wealth will destroy Marianne Station, which is why Colin picks him at the end of Territory.

Of all the members of the Lawson family and beyond, Colin decides to crown Marshall as the next king of Marianne Station. Despite Marshall’s youth, Colin believes that he will be the best one to carry the business forward, a decision that the rest of Territory‘s characters aren’t a fan of. If a second season happens, then viewers will get to see if Colin was right in his decision, as the end of Territory season 1 undoubtedly isn’t the end of the fights between the Lawsons.