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“Sterling Point” ended with the shocking revelation that Joe (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) isn’t Ramona’s (Amélie Hoeferle) father after all — it’s Steven (Jay Duplass).
Prime Video’s YA series centers on Annie (Ella Rubin) and Ramona’s sisterly bond after they discover each other’s existence in the wake of their grandfather’s death. Annie and her twin brother Connor (Keen Ruffalo) grew up in New York with no idea that their late grandfather lived in Canada, let alone that they would inherit his island after his passing. Annie travels north to learn more about her adoptive mother Goldie, who died when Annie was just a toddler and considered Sterling Point her favorite place in the world.
Upon arrival, Annie meets Ramona, and that’s when the family drama begins. Annie and Connor were raised by their adoptive father, Steven, and led to believe their parents adopted them because they had trouble conceiving. Ramona’s existence immediately complicates that story. Her resemblance to Goldie is uncanny, leaving little doubt that she is their mother’s biological child and throwing Annie and Connor’s understanding of their family history into question.
Ramona was raised by her grandfather and, up until this point, had no interest in learning her father’s identity. But after meeting Annie and discovering that her late mother had a whole other life and family in New York, Ramona begins to second-guess everything she knows about her own parents.
Sterling Point initially hints that Joe is Ramona’s father
At first, “Sterling Point” hints that Joe is Ramona’s father. In Episode 3, Annie finds an old cassette tape from her mother addressed to Joe, in which Goldie reveals her love for him. When Annie questions Joe about his relationship with her mother, he tells her that they dated in their youth. However, Annie has only listened to one side of the tape. When Joe’s son Ellis (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie) plays the other side, he hears Goldie talking to Joe about her baby, Ramona. The recording reveals that Joe and Goldie were having an affair while she was still married to Steven and Joe had a family of his own.
Joe later tells Annie that he was with Goldie when an undiagnosed heart condition led to a medical crisis requiring an emergency C-section to deliver Ramona. Goldie did not survive, and before her death, she and Joe planned to leave their respective spouses and raise Ramona together. After Goldie’s passing, her father decided to raise Ramona himself, while Joe carried on with his life without telling anyone about the affair. Upon his death, Ramona’s grandfather appointed Joe as her guardian, and when Ramona learns about the affair, she is furious. Although she tries to have Joe sign an emancipation document, he refuses, believing that this is his chance to make up for lost time and finally be there for her.
A DNA test confirms that Steven is Ramona’s biological father
A few episodes later, Ramona begins to suspect that Joe may not be her biological father. When she and Annie have a conversation in the bathroom, Annie casually mentions that she used to organize her father’s sock drawer because he was color-blind. This detail makes Ramona wonder if Steven might be her dad instead, and she convinces him to take a DNA test to prove or disprove her theory. When the results come back positive, Ramona finally knows for certain that Steven is her biological father.
By the end of “Sterling Point” Season 1, Ramona is given both the chance to spend more time with Steven and the opportunity to live in New York for a little while. Before finding out the truth about her parents, Ramona never considered the possibility of living elsewhere. After her breakup with Oona (Bo Bragason), however, she feels like there is nothing left for her in Sterling Point and considers selling the island.
When Annie refuses to sell it, she suggests that she and Ramona switch places instead. That way, Annie can spend more time in Sterling Point while Ramona gets to experience the life she’s never had. Ramona accepts the proposition and heads back to New York in Annie’s place.
