A dramatic showdown unfolded at the train station.
The gripping season finale of the “Yellowstone” spinoff, “Dutton Ranch,” concluded on a suspenseful note rife with drama, including a murder, a surprise kidnapping, and an unexpected pregnancy announcement.
In this riveting finale titled “El Padrino,” Joaquin Jackson, portrayed by Juan Pablo Raba, executes his adopted brother Rob-Will Jackson, played by Jai Courtney, with a shot to the head in a chilling act of violence.
This deadly act was ordered by Joaquin’s father, the powerful drug lord Mariano Reyes, played by Raoul Trujillo. The elder Reyes’s anger erupted after Joaquin and Rob-Will’s mother, Beulah, portrayed by Annette Bening, chose Rob-Will over Joaquin as her successor to manage the ranch.
Joaquin carried out the grim task within the confines of Rob-Will’s home, leaving his niece, Oreana, played by Natalie Alyn Lind, to stumble upon her father’s lifeless body by their front door, overwhelmed by shock and grief.
Oreana sees the tail lights on Joaquin’s car as he speeds away, crying, but it’s unclear if she realizes that her uncle was the culprit.
To make matters worse for her, Oreana also discovers that she’s pregnant. “Dutton Ranch” doesn’t make it clear who the father is. It could be Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip’s (Cole Hauser) adopted son, Carter (Finn Little), since the two were involved.
But, Oreana was also dating other men before and after Carter. It seems like the show will reveal that in Season 2.
Meanwhile, Carter has bigger problems than a possible unplanned pregnancy. At the end of the episode, Mariano has his henchmen kidnap Carter, to provoke Beth and Rip.
During the episode, Beth and Rip – who had been working for Joaquin and Rob-Will’s mother, Beulah Jackson at her 10 Petal Ranch – discover that the Jacksons have been using their cattle to smuggle fentanyl from Mexico to the United States.
Apparently “Dutton Ranch” is now “Euphoria.” Beth and Rip find around 2 million dollars worth of packets of the drug sewn inside the cows.
They meet with Beulah, who confesses that she had been doing this work for Mariano, and was trying to get out of it. Both of her sons knew about it.
“Did you think we wouldn’t find out?” a furious Beth tells Beulah. “You’re filling cattle with fentanyl and dragging them across the border? Are you out of your f–king mind?”
Although Rip and Beth return the drugs to Beulah, Mariano is still angry that they got involved in his business.
In retaliation for meddling in his drug trafficking business, Mariano sends henchmen after Rip and Beth. They creep up to Rip and Beth’s ranch at night, with guns.
During the shoot-out against the gunmen, Rip is aided by his ranch hands, Zachariah (Marc Menchaca) and Azul (R.R. Villarreal), and his friend, Everett (Ed Harris).
Rip and Beth win, killing Mariano’s henchmen, but in response, Mariano then kidnaps Carter.
“They don’t want Carter, they want us,” says Rip. Season 1 ends with Beth saying, “They’re gonna f–ing get us.”
During its first season, “Dutton Ranch” followed Rip and Beth after the events of cowboy drama “Yellowstone,” which starred Kevin Costner as Beth’s now-deceased father.
In “Dutton Ranch,” Rip and Beth move from Montana to Texas, and become entangled with the Jackson family.
In May, executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros told Page Six that Beth and Rip are looking for peace, but, “war keeps coming to their doorstep.”
On June 24, Paramount renewed the show for a Season 2, hailing it as the biggest debut in Paramount+ history. Per the network, it drew nearly 13 million viewers during its first week streaming, and nearly 3 million viewers airing on Paramount Network, making it the biggest series premiere on cable since 2023.
“Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan produced the show, but the Season 1 showrunner was Chad Feehan. However, after he was ousted three weeks before Season 1 premiered, Season 2 will need a new showrunner.
The Season 2 premiere date hasn’t been announced yet.
The “Dutton Ranch” Season 1 finale is now streaming on Paramount+ and airs on Paramount Network Friday, July 1 at 8 p.m.