Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Stick season 1, episode 9.After just one episode, Timothy Olyphant’s Clark Ross has been replaced as the main villain of Stick. As soon as he properly joined the cast of Stick, it was clear that Timothy Olyphant’s Clark Ross was going to be a major villain. We knew that he wrecked Pryce’s (Owen Wilson) golf career, that he insulted the death of Jett, Pryce’s son, and that he was generally just a jerk.

Stick episode 9 also continued the show’s trend of highlighting just how much Clark sucks. He called Pryce “cosmic,” tried to steal Santi and have him sign a pro golf deal with his own academy, and more. As bad as Clark is, however, he’s actually not the worst person in Stick. In fact, Apple TV+’s golf comedy just introduced the real villain of the entire show.

Gary’s Introduction Is Setting Him Up To Replace Clark Ross As Stick’s Biggest Villain

Gary Is An Even Bigger Jerk Than Clark & He Has The Potential To Ruin Santi’s Golf Career & His Relationships With Pryce & Elena

At the end of Stick episode 9, viewers were introduced to Gary Wheeler (Mackenzie Astin). We already knew a bit about Gary – he’s Santi’s (Peter Dager) father and Elena’s (Mariana Treviño) ex-husband, who walked out on the family after Santi gave up golf – but we never actually saw the man before. Right off the bat, it’s clear that Gary is going to be a problem for Stick.

Clark has been a villain in the sense that he’s a jerk with a bad history with Pryce, but Gary is much more than that. Gary’s return – and Santi deciding to embrace him – means that he could actively sabotage Santi’s career. We already know that a lot of Santi’s problems with mental toughness while out on the links stem from Gary’s emotional abuse, and that dynamic could easily return.

Santi might start getting in his own head again because of Gary, but he may have negative effects outside of golf. Santi and Pryce have been developing a kind of surrogate father-son relationship throughout Stick, but Gary could wreck all the progress they’ve made. He is Santi’s real father, and if Gary abandons him again, Santi may not want to have another father figure in his life.

Will Clark Or Gary Really Be Redeemed In Stick?

With Just One Episode Left, It Doesn’t Seem Like Clark Or Gary Will Be Redeemed In Stick Season 1

With a heartwarming show like Stick, there’s always the chance that villainous characters like Gary or Clark will be redeemed. It happened with Nate in Ted Lasso, after all. Despite the fact that Stick is a wholesome series, it doesn’t look like either Clark or Gary are going to be redeemed, at least this season. There’s only one episode left in Stick season 1, which isn’t much time for major character development.

Still, Gary has a much better chance of finding redemption than Clark does. While it looks sketchy right now, Gary has a chance to prove that he’s not just here for Santi’s golf career, particularly if Santi ends up losing the ReadySafe Invitational. If Gary sticks around after a loss, he’s already on the path to being redeemed.

Clark, on the other hand, doesn’t even seem to want to be redeemed. He’s perfectly happy (and successful) living his life as a jerk who ruined Pryce’s career. He’s never expressed any remorse for what he said about Jett, he doesn’t mind that he wrecked Pryce’s life, and he’s actively trying to steal Santi away. Even if, by some miracle, Gary turns out to be redeemed in Stick, Clark will still be a villain.

Stick

7/10

Release Date

June 4, 2025

Network

Apple TV+