Abhiroop Das
Created by Chad Feehan, Paramount+’s ‘Dutton Ranch‘ expands on the universe of ‘Yellowstone,’ telling a tale parallel to that of ‘Marshals.’ This time, the focus is on Beth and Rip, who parted ways from the mighty Yellowstone Ranch and have begun a venture of their own. However, it isn’t as easy to shed one’s past, be it the highs or lows, and the Dutton lovebirds end up learning that the hard way. As they traverse new environments and lifestyles, stiff competition creeps up from all sides, forcing the duo to adapt.
At the same time, the story also shines a light on their son, Carter, who struggles with a strange sense of loneliness. As a Dutton heir, he carries years of legacy alongside him, which makes his journey almost synonymous with the show itself. Episodes 1 and 2, titled ‘The Untold Want’ and ‘Earn Another Day,’ respectively, introduce us to the ebbs and flows of Beth and Rip’s new life, as well as the adversities they are about to face. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Beth and Rip Are Forced to Move From Montana to Texas due to Nature’s Fury
‘Dutton Ranch’ begins with Beth and Rip enjoying their idyllic life in all of its glory, away from the humdrum of the city and atop the foothills with their horses. However, one such camping out session soon gives way to terror as Rip wakes up to find a forest fire hurling towards their ranch. Barely making it back in time, Beth only has seconds to alert Carter and pack up the essentials, while Rip goes to free the cattle and protect whatever can be protected. In the process, the Duttons end up getting separated, and Beth returns to the scene the following morning to see Rip alive but covered in injuries and soot, holding a baby calf he saved from certain death. The life they painstakingly carved out of the finale of ‘Yellowstone’ is gone in an instant, leaving them to start from scratch, once again.
The story then cuts to six months later, revealing that Beth, Rip, and Carter have moved out of Montana and settled in the town of Rio Paloma in Texas. The near-nation-wide leap means that they are still only barely acclimatizing to this new lifestyle, one where the mountains are replaced by an endless sky, and the chill replaced by the endless summer heat. However, as Beth and Rip persevere by running their new ranch, trouble brews next door, where Rob-Will, heir to 10 Petal, the biggest ranch in town, has been skimming off the business and has started to notice that something is off. When one of his accomplices, Wes, begins to ask one too many questions, Rob-Will gets paranoid and ends up shooting the man dead. Though he then immediately forces his other accomplice, Chet, to get rid of the body, both know that things have already gotten way too out of hand.
Beth and Beluah Engage in a War of Words
The following morning, we are introduced to Beluah Jackson, owner of the infamous 10 Petal Ranch and the mother of Rob-Will. Though she lords over her territory with an iron fist, even she doesn’t know where her son has been the entire night, and a search is initiated. Meanwhile, Rip and Beth set out to fulfill their respective tasks of the day. For Rip, it is to join up with his ranch foreman, Azul, and buy supplies, where they run into Rob-Will of all people. Still disoriented from last night, Rob-Will flashes his gun at Rip, but quickly gets taken down. Meanwhile, Beth arrives at 10 Petal to bring some of her cattle for slaughter, only to learn that Beluah is running a disproportionate business where Beth might not get her due. As she leaves right away, Beluah is left equal parts curious and annoyed.
On her way back home, Beth comes across an injured horse, with the cops awaiting a veterinarian to put the animal out of its misery. Though Beth steps in with her gun to do the deed herself, she stops upon taking a closer look at it. The injuries, while severe, are not fatal for certain, and when the veterinarian ultimately arrives, she requests him not to kill the horse, but to treat it. The vet, who identifies himself as Everett McKinney, tells her in advance that coming out of such a serious injury is neither probable nor cheap, but that matters little to Beth. Fortunately, the horse lives, and Beth and Everett end up becoming friends.
Elsewhere, Carter struggles to make friends at his new school and gets duped by one of the girls into buying drinks for her group during a rodeo show. Just as he is about to go out, though, Carter notices one of the cowboys hurting a girl, and doesn’t think twice before taking the man down. That, however, winds up getting Carter arrested, and it is ultimately the girl, named Oreana Lynn, who gets him out. That night, the Dutton family reunites with several interesting experiences under their belt, but all of that gets overshadowed by the next morning, when Rip comes across a group of wild pigs eating the half-buried body of none other than Wes, who was dumped right inside the ranch.
Rip Makes a Curious Decision to Dump Wes’ Body by Himself
Episode 2 begins with a flashback to the immediate aftermath of the fire, with the Dutton family charting their next step while living in an inn. Rip tells Beth about the offer he has received in Texas, where a famous rancher known as Edward is willing to sell his farm. In the present, the Dutton Ranch is alive and thriving, which allows Beth and Rip to attend the local auction and expand their collection of cattle. Beluah is also at the event, and it doesn’t take Beth long to direct the competition directly towards her. Elsewhere, Rob-Will is joined by his much more ordered brother, Joaquin, in search of Wes’ body, so that they can dispose of it for good. However, much to Rob-Will’s surprise, the body is no longer there, and Joaquin makes the urgent decision to send his brother away for the time being.
The following morning, Rip tells Azul that they need a new cowboy to keep their expanding herd in check, and Azul suggests one of his father’s friends, Zachariah, who was the town’s best wrangler before he developed an alcohol addiction and eventually wound up in prison. However, Zachariah is now back in the field and eager to redefine himself, which makes him a perfect fit for the Dutton Ranch. Elsewhere, Beth reconnects with Everett in search of a new butcher, and he redirects her to a family friend who can do the job for a much fairer price. Though Beluah doesn’t know about any of this yet, she is displeased at the loss of a potentially high-value customer, and it doesn’t help that the Duttons are now intertwined with her son’s situation.
Elsewhere, Wes’ wife becomes convinced that the Jackson family has something to do with her husband’s disappearance, which prompts her to lodge an official complaint with the police. However, with the body gone and no other evidence available, their hands are tied as well. That evening, Beth and Rip celebrate their new successes at the bar with Everett, but the latter half of the night pans out quite differently. Zachariah, still awake, notices Rip slip out in the dead of the night and retrieve Wes’ dead body from the freezer. From there, he goes to a remote and abandoned construction site and dumps the body there. While we aren’t told just yet why he didn’t just report the body to the police, it is possible his ‘Yellowstone’ side is getting back into his psyche, after all, handling conflict without external help has always been the Dutton way.
Read More: Where is Dutton Ranch Filmed?
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