National Anthem (2024) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Dylan moves to the ranch after discovering his mother Fiona stole money he had been saving for an RV. When he finds the money missing, he confronts Fiona, takes his brother Cassidy, and decides to live at the ranch permanently. This marks a turning point where Dylan chooses the supportive community that has helped him explore his identity over the restrictive environment at home.

Foreshadowing: Earlier tension was building as Fiona resented how much time Dylan spent at the ranch and began buying Cassidy dresses, which strained their relationship.

• Dylan
• House of Splendor
• Fiona
• Cassidy
• leaving home

During a storm while riding horses, Sky's horse Cash panics and bolts into the bad weather. The horse crashes through a barbed wire fence and dies from the injuries. Dylan feels guilty because Sky had warned him about staying out in the storm, and he had been riding with her when the weather turned dangerous.

Foreshadowing: The storm comes suddenly after Dylan and Sky ride out together, with Sky warning Dylan about the weather before it worsens.

• Sky
• Cash
• horse
• storm
• death
• ranch

Fiona steals the money Dylan had been secretly saving for an RV because she is an alcoholic struggling to support the family. The theft appears to be driven by her own financial desperation rather than malicious intent toward Dylan's dreams. The confrontation that follows is the breaking point that causes Dylan to leave home with Cassidy.

Foreshadowing: The financial strain on the family is established early, with Dylan working construction and carefully saving every spare dollar while Fiona struggles with alcoholism.

• Fiona
• RV money
• stealing
• family
• financial strain

Sky and Pepe are a couple in an open relationship. After Dylan has a intimate encounter with both of them following a mushroom tea session, Sky explicitly tells Dylan that she and Pepe have an open arrangement. However, Pepe's jealousy becomes apparent, and he reminds Dylan that he is only a temporary resident at the ranch, signaling that Pepe is not entirely comfortable with the situation despite the open relationship agreement.

Foreshadowing: Pepe initially recruits Dylan to work at the ranch, but his role as Sky's partner creates underlying tension when Dylan grows closer to her.

• Sky
• Pepe
• open relationship
• threesome
• jealousy

At the superstore, Sky applies eyeshadow to Dylan as a playful gesture of acceptance within the community. Dylan initially accepts but then flees the store out of shame, worried about what people would think if they saw him wearing makeup. Back home, Cassidy helps him wipe it off, and Dylan begs Cassidy not to tell Fiona. This moment reveals Dylan's internal conflict between his growing curiosity about self-expression and his fear of how his conservative family would react.

Foreshadowing: This shame foreshadows Dylan's later journey toward accepting his true self, which culminates in his confident drag performances.

• Dylan
• makeup
• shame
• superstore
• Cassidy
• self-expression

After his first visit to the drag bar where he watches Sky perform, Dylan returns for a second time and decides to perform a lip-sync number in drag himself. This marks a significant moment of self-acceptance, where Dylan moves past his earlier shame about wearing makeup and openly embraces a more feminine side of his identity. The performance is described as confident, showing his transformation from the scared young man who fled the superstore to someone who can express himself publicly.

Foreshadowing: His earlier shame at the superstore and Carrie's advice about choosing who he wants to be set up this moment of liberation.

• Dylan
• drag
• lip-sync
• performance
• self-expression
• bar

After winning a belt buckle at the rodeo, Sky gifts it to Dylan as a symbol of acceptance and connection. The belt buckle represents the rodeo community that has welcomed Dylan and specifically marks Sky's affection for him. By giving away her own winnings, Sky is essentially inviting Dylan into her world and acknowledging his growing place within the ranch community.

Foreshadowing: This gift comes right after Dylan is inspired to ride a bull himself after watching Sky, showing his growing investment in this new community.

• Sky
• belt buckle
• rodeo
• gift
• symbol
• acceptance

Dylan brings Cassidy to live at the ranch with him after the confrontation with Fiona about the stolen money. Dylan takes responsibility for his younger brother because he fears for Cassidy's wellbeing with their alcoholic mother and wants to protect him. The ranch provides a safe, supportive environment for both brothers, and Cassidy has already been spending time there and getting along with the residents.

Foreshadowing: Fiona had beenresenting the time Dylan spent at the ranch and had even started buying Cassidy dresses, which created friction between Dylan and his mother about the ranch's influence.

• Dylan
• Cassidy
• ranch
• leaving
• family
• protection

At the final rodeo, Dylan brings his family (including reconciled Fiona and Cassidy) to watch. After the event, Dylan and Sky share a warm, amiable embrace goodbye. The farewell is bittersweet but hopeful, Dylan chooses to pursue his dream of buying an RV and traveling with his family, while Sky remains at the ranch. The embrace suggests an unresolved longing but also acceptance that their paths are leading in different directions for now.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Dylan wrestled with how the ranch life might fit with his obligations to his family, and this ending shows he has chosen to prioritize family while carrying the ranch community's influence with him.

• Dylan
• Sky
• farewell
• rodeo
• ending
• embrace

The rainbow flag fluttering on the House of Splendor property is described as a small, bright sign of belonging. It symbolizes the ranch's identity as a safe haven for queer individuals who have been rejected elsewhere. For Dylan, it represents a world where people can openly express their true selves without shame, and it serves as a visual marker of the acceptance and freedom he finds at the ranch.

Foreshadowing: This flag appears early in Dylan's visits, signaling from the start that the ranch is a place of openness and self-acceptance.

• rainbow flag
• ranch
• queer
• acceptance
• belonging
• House of Splendor