Abhiroop Das
Created by Chad Feehan, Paramount+’s ‘Dutton Ranch‘ expands on the world of ‘Yellowstone,’ bringing the focus to the lives of Beth and Rip. The previous episode of this western drama unveils the 10 Petal Ranch’s hidden smuggling operation, which is how they have been able to maintain their riches over the past two generations. However, with Beth and Rip now working with the ranch, their hands are also tainted, and that is not something that can easily be accepted. This episode, titled ‘El Padrin,’ expands on the aftermath of their discovery and how they react to the arrival of a new, far more malevolent figure. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Rip and Beth Uncover the Real Reason 10 Petal Smuggles Cattle
‘Dutton Ranch’ season 1 episode 9 begins with Rip, Beth, and company mulling over the revelation that 10 Petal has been smuggling in cows from the Mexican border. Rip suspects that these cows are being used as drug mules, and when he begins seeing stitch marks on some of the new cattle, that suspicion is all but confirmed. However, singling out the exact number of cows in a herd of hundreds can prove to be an impossible task. To make things worse, Rob-Will himself strides over the ranch, demanding to take charge of the sorting process. Before long, the situation gives way to a fistfight between him and Beth, and it is a bout Rob-Will loses, sorely. Beth also doesn’t waste her chance to seize his record book, where all the cows being used as drug mules are neatly identified, making the job much easier.
As Rob-Will storms off in shame, he has no choice but to tell his mother about the situation. Beulah, who has been leading the dream life ever since she escaped the hospital with Everett, knows exactly how catastrophic this can be for their business, but she can only react after Everett heads for work. Little does she know that Everett is being called for by none other than Beth and Rip, who want to make sure that their instinct is right. Indeed, when Everett cuts open the stitches, he finds out that each one of these cows is carrying several packets of drugs. As Beth and Rip realize that they have been unwittingly pulled into too big a conspiracy, Everett realizes he must go home and ask the love of his life some very difficult questions.
Mariano Turns Out to be the Mastermind Behind the Entire Operation
Big changes seem to be piling up rather quickly for the Jackson family, as Oreana realizes that she’s pregnant, most likely with Carter’s child. Elsewhere, Joaquin’s call to his father in the last episode seems to have created ripples, as Mariano, once the leading cowhand of the Jacksons, has become a cartel head commanding immense power. As he schedules a trip to Rio Paloma on his son’s behalf, it becomes apparent that he is the kingpin who has been controlling the drug trade via 10 Petal Ranch, and he doesn’t yet know that all of that is about to get upended.
As Mariano arrives in town, he rebukes his son for never taking charge of his fate before promising a meeting with Beulah to set things right. At the same time, Beulah clues Everett in on exactly the predicament she and her ranch have been in for the past few years. Mariano was once 10 Petal’s most trusted employee, but after Beulah killed Rob-Will’s father, who had sexually abused her, Mariano was pressured to take the fall and escape to Mexico. Later, when the ranch nearly came to ruin, it’s Mariano, now a far wealthier man, who reaches out with a deal. Drug trafficking is what has been keeping 10 Petal up for over a decade, and with Rip and Beth’s involvement, Beulah was hoping for a way to end that system. However, fate seems to have other plans entirely.
Though Everett understands Beulah’s position, he nonetheless cannot sympathize with the empire of lies she has built over the years. As the two break up, she has no choice but to immediately get back to work. Her first destination is the Dutton Ranch, where Rip and Beth are already ready with guns out. Though Beulah admits to roping them in on a criminal enterprise, she also explains that the only way they all make it out of this alive is if she gets the drugs back. While Rip agrees and ships the findings away, the situation brewing with Mariano has already reached the point of no return. After Beulah tells Rob-Will of her plan to reinstate Joaquin to make amends with the cartel, Rob-Will goes behind her back to tell Mariano about Rip and Beth. With that, Mariano has two goals: the first is to kill the Duttons, and the second is Rob-Will’s death, which he entrusts to Joaquin.
A Night of Battle Ends With One Dead and One Missing
Though Beth and Rip know that an attack is coming, their bigger worry is about Carter, who hasn’t returned home since their fallout. Though Beth has been looking for him all day, nothing seems to show up. Oreana, however, very quickly finds him holed up at Dwight’s ranch, doing nothing in particular. Though she doesn’t tell him about the pregnancy outright, the conversation shifts to the idea of them leaving town forever. While both teenagers are eager to jump at that opportunity, first, Oreana has to go back home to get things packed up. Meanwhile, Dutton Ranch begins resembling a battle zone, as a few of Mariano’s men launches an attack. However, Rip, Azul, Zachariah, and Everett are all prepared as well, and soon manage to wipe out the entire force, save for one captive.
Around the same time, Joaquin arrives at 10 Petal with a gun in hand, nervous about killing his own brother. The scene then cuts to Rob-Will catching up with Oreana just as she’s about to leave. Though the two of them don’t realize it yet, it is their final goodbye. A knock on the door sends Rob-Will downstairs, and soon enough, a gunshot rings through the house. When Beulah arrives home a few minutes later, she finds Rob-Will dead, with Oreana crying over her father’s body. At the same time, we learn that Mariano’s men have also found and captured Carter, and as the cartel leader makes a blood-curdling call to Beth, she and Rip know that there is no longer room for playing straight, especially when their son’s life is at stake.
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