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After my brother left, it was up to me to become the man of the ranch.
Bonnie MacFarlane

Bonnie MacFarlane is a recurring character in the Red Dead series, appearing as a major character in Red Dead Redemption, and as a stranger in Red Dead Online. She is also referenced in Red Dead Redemption 2.

With the addition of the Liars and Cheats DLC pack for Redemption, Bonnie MacFarlane is also a multiplayer character model that may be selected in the "Redemption" section of the Outfitter.

History[]

Background[]

Bonnie is the daughter of Drew MacFarlane, the owner of MacFarlane's Ranch, and has spent her whole life working on the ranch with her father. Born in 1884,[1] she shares the same birth year as one of her brothers, Ethan, so it’s most likely that they are fraternal twins. When she was young, her father hired a "French" governess (who Bonnie suspected of not being truly French, due to the fact she spoke Russian) to teach her and keep her civilized. She had six brothers, but five of them died from either illness or accidents. Her sole surviving brother, Patrick MacFarlane, moved to New York, where he supposedly works as a banker in Manhattan. With the majority of her generation deceased and the only other surviving male child leaving the family, Bonnie feels it is up to her to become the man of their family's ranch.

Events of Red Dead Online[]

The protagonist can encounter Bonnie on the porch of her home at MacFarlane's Ranch. She will initially mistake them for a robber, but soon deduces that they are actually looking for work, and proceeds to explain that she and her father are planning on packing up and moving for a while to avoid the cholera outbreak that has swept through Armadillo. Amos then interrupts their conversation to reveal that one of their wagons has gone missing, leading to Bonnie sending the protagonist to retrieve it, promising to pay them on their return.

Afterward, Bonnie can be found again at MacFarlane's Ranch, and will offer recovery, delivery, escort, and hunting missions to the player. Accepting her missions will increase the player's honor.

Events of Red Dead Redemption 2[]

Bonnie is mentioned along with her father Drew as having to get out of New Austin temporarily due to a cholera outbreak afflicting the populace in the territory.

Arthur Morgan / John Marston can come across a possible suitor of hers, south of Van Horn Trading Post. The player finds him near-death and obtains a letter from him titled "Letter to Bonnie MacFarlane". The letter details her father's disapproval of him, leading him to leave to "make his fortune" in an effort to gain his approval and return to her. He can also be found on a beach south of Flatneck Station.

Events of Red Dead Redemption[]

New Austin[]

She is first seen on the train from Blackwater. The next morning, Bonnie rescues John by the road after he is seriously wounded in the initial confrontation with Bill Williamson at Fort Mercer. Bonnie pays a doctor $15 for Marston's treatment and provides lodging in return for assistance with duties on the ranch. John does several missions at the ranch. After finding out that John is at the ranch, Bill Williamson's men set the ranch's barn on fire and John risks his life to rescue the horses out of the burning barn.

Bonnie is later taken hostage by members of Bill Williamson's gang, looking to exchange her for Norman Deek from the Armadillo jail. After traveling to the ghost town of Tumbleweed and attempting to hand the man over, it is revealed to be an ambush. The gang attempts to hang a brutally beaten Bonnie, but the rope tightens around the side of her throat, preventing her neck from being broken. After an intense battle, John then cuts the rope (provided that he hadn’t previously severed it by shooting it) and Marshal Leigh Johnson then takes her back to Armadillo after all of Williamson's goons are killed.

West Elizabeth[]

After the death of Dutch van der Linde, John returns to MacFarlane's Ranch with Jack and visits Bonnie to purchase cattle. She helps them to herd the cattle back to Beecher's Hope, accompanying them to just beyond the outskirts of the ranch. Shortly after, Bonnie calls upon John by telegraph to bring the ranch some corn to make up for crops lost to pests at their ranch.

Her request is received, so John and Abigail Marston visit the ranch. Miss MacFarlane has a friendly conversation with Abigail, who later states that she liked Bonnie. Afterward, the Marston couple leaves the ranch; Bonnie gazes longingly after the couple, shuffling her feet as she watches the wagon leave. She then turns to Amos as he walks into the general store and then follows him in, marking her last appearance in the main storyline. It is suggested by Abigail that Bonnie had developed feelings for John. The way in which she stared at the two as they left also supports this.

It is unknown if she ever learns of Marston's death.

Epilogue[]

By 1914, Bonnie has already gotten married, though it is not stated to whom. Jack Marston is still welcome at the MacFarlane's Ranch and is able to make use of the cabin his father once recovered in. Bonnie is not seen by Jack, although the ranch operates just as it did in 1911.

In 1914, NPCs can be heard discussing that she found a husband.

Events of Undead Nightmare[]

Note: The events of Undead Nightmare are not considered part of the same canon as Red Dead Redemption. The following description is therefore not contiguous with the preceding section on Red Dead Redemption.

Rdr bonnie macfarlane undead nightmare

Bonnie appears at the ranch, seemingly unfazed by the zombie epidemic, but seems mentally disturbed from her words. She nonchalantly tells John that her father Drew MacFarlane was rounding up the undead in the barn and was there since the day before, and asks John to check on him, which begins the side-mission "Paternal Pride". After John tells her the fate of her father, she states she is glad that he fought protecting those he loved and walks back into the house. After that, she isn't seen for the rest of the game.

Character[]

Personality[]

Bonnie is a compassionate and no-nonsense individual. With the loss of most of her brothers and departure of her sole surviving one, she viewed the responsibility of maintaining her family's ranch to fall onto her. As such, she helps out the farm and her father in any way as she can.

Mission appearances[]

Red Dead Redemption
Undead Nightmare
Red Dead Online
  • Repossessions
  • Deliveries
  • Caravan Escorts
  • Hunting

Quotes[]

Red Dead Redemption[]

If you think I'm going to lower myself by making a joke about being 'all tied up' - you've got another thing comin'.
Bonnie MacFarlane after nearly being hanged
Change is only good when it makes things better.
Bonnie MacFarlane
With your trigger itch and my feminine intuition, we should make quite a team.
Bonnie MacFarlane patrolling the ranch with Marston
Call me Bonnie, you dolt! Call me Bonnie.
Bonnie MacFarlane
You do so love to talk in riddles, Mr. Marston.
Bonnie MacFarlane after Marston told her about his life
Do my eyes decieve me? A devil walks among us.
Bonnie MacFarlane
Stupid is the word we use around here.
Bonnie MacFarlane to John Marston
We all have to look for answers somewhere. Some in big ol' books, others in big ol' bottles of whiskey.
Bonnie MacFarlane discussing faith
He switched his saddle for a tie, and that's fine. I just never met a man in a tie that I could trust.
Bonnie MacFarlane referring to her only living brother

Undead Nightmare[]

Daddy, stop teasing me!
Bonnie MacFarlane calling to her father


Multiplayer[]

  • "You disgust me!"
  • "You're not a real man."
  • "Put it back in your pants Mr!"
  • "You don't scare me."
  • "You ain't gettin away that easily!"
  • "Are you afraid of losing to a woman?"
  • "This sure beats milking cows!"
  • "What are you trying to prove?!"
  • "I'll show you how to treat a woman!"
  • "Come on, are you givin up already?!"
  • "Lets go, what are you waiting for?!"
  • "What? You think you're a cowboy now?!"
  • "You're not much good at this, are you?!"
  • "Look at that male pride go!"
  • "I'll teach ya some respect!"
  • "Call yourself a man?!"
  • "What the hell's wrong with you?!"
  • "You're an idiot!"
  • "Coward!"
  • "You are really showing off, aren't you?!"
  • "Are you trying to impress me?!"
  • "That's it, I'm done being nice!"
  • "Come on, don't make me kill you!"
  • "Leave now, or never leave at all!"
  • "This is your last chance to put down the gun!"
  • "You need to learn some manners!"
  • "Where do you think you're going?!"
  • "I pity you, I really do."

Red Dead Online[]

  • "You really helped me out last time, thank you."
  • "Good to see you, that last thing worked out well."
  • "Nice work on those previous jobs."
  • "Hey!"
  • "I won’t tell you again."
  • "Watch it."
  • "What are you doing?"
  • "You stop that right now!"

Trivia[]

  • Bonnie shares a few similarities to Annie Stoakes from the previous game Red Dead Revolver; both are ranchers with blonde hair and similar outfits and they both face similar threats during the games.
  • Bonnie's age is discussed in the first issue of the Blackwater Ledger after the mission to free Bonnie from the hanging noose. The article, found in the lower left hand corner, suggests her kidnapping was a crime of passion perpetuated by the Bill Williamson gang and goes on to describe Bonnie as "a spinster of 29 years." This contradicts Bonnie's own statement in "This is Armadillo, USA" that she is 27, as well as the guide which lists the same age; this may be an oversight on Rockstar's part, though it's also plausibly an in-story misreporting.
    • Another inconsistency regarding her age can be found in Red Dead Redemption 2, where the Ranch's barn has yet to be constructed. In the first game, Bonnie tells John that it was constructed when she was a little girl. Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in 1899, when Bonnie would be 15 years old.
    • Bonnie's appearance in Red Dead Online can also be seen as an inconsistency with her age. Although the game take place in 1898, when she would be 14 years old, she looks to be in her early 20s.
  • Bonnie MacFarlane is named after the aunt of former Rockstar San Diego designer Rob Hanson. He renamed the ranch he designed "MacFarlane's Ranch" and named the rancher's daughter Bonnie MacFarlane just before he resigned.
  • Bonnie appears on the back of the fold-out map provided with the game.
  • Her outfit used to be able to be bought and worn within PlayStation Home.
  • In the Undead Nightmare DLC, a graffito will appear on a wall in Blackwater reads "You do so love to talk in riddles". This quotes Bonnie's statement to John. Another quote from Bonnie found scrawled on the walls of Blackwater is "Civilization is truly a beautiful thing".
  • She was #29 on Game Informer's The 30 Characters Who Defined a Decade.
  • On close examination, it can be seen that she wears two belts like most male characters: a regular belt and a gunbelt.
  • John only calls her 'Bonnie' twice in the game; the rest of the time, he refers to her as 'Miss MacFarlane'.
  • She can be seen wielding a Winchester Repeater in artwork, but in the actual game, she never had one.
  • Bonnie appears to wear a Native American themed necklace.
  • For the scene where she appears on the train in the beginning of Red Dead Redemption, her motion-capture was executed by Steve J. Palmer.
  • Bonnie is the only character in Red Dead Redemption whom John willingly opens up to about his past outlaw life.

Gallery[]

Red Dead Redemption[]

Undead Nightmare[]

Red Dead Redemption 2[]

Red Dead Online[]

Videos[]

Related Content[]

  1. Mentioned in the GOTY guidebook.
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