Dutton Ranch is in the home stretch.
The Paramount+ show follows Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler on a new adventure in the fictional South Texas town of Rio Paloma. Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprise their Yellowstone roles, along with Finn Little as their adopted son, Carter.
Dutton Ranch premiered in mid-May and will wrap its nine-episode season, which filmed all around North Texas, in early July.
With just a few episodes left, here’s a look at what’s happened on the show thus far and the best way to catch up on the series. (Warning: Spoilers!)
Dutton Ranch begins with Beth and Rip losing their Montana ranch in a fire.
The couple head south to Rio Paloma and purchase the Edwards Ranch, which is known for its strong herd. Beth and Rip rename the ranch in honor of her father, John Dutton.
As the couple settle into Rio Paloma, Beth meets Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening), who owns the rival 10-Petal Ranch, and Everett McKinney (Ed Harris), a weathered veteran and veterinarian. Beth and Beulah’s meeting is not a pleasant one, and she turns to Everett for help on where to process their herd.
Over on the Dutton Ranch, Rip is working with two ranch hands: Azul (J.R. Villarreal), a loyal compadre, and Zachariah (Marc Menchaca), an introspective cowboy who just got out of prison. The trio spend a few episodes working the herd until they have to terminate the lot after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
In the meantime, Carter gives high school a go and finds it less than stellar.
He decides to ditch school and finds work with a checked-out rancher, who spends more time slinging back beers than anything else. Dwight (Ray McKinnon), the rancher, finds an untimely death in Episode 5 after he’s killed by Rio Paloma police.
This greatly affects Carter, who finds solace in Beulah’s granddaughter Oreana (Natalie Alyn Lind). The young couple meet after Carter gets into a fight with Oreana’s boyfriend. Berto Colón plays an employee of the 10-Petal Ranch who’s a babysitter and bodyguard for Oreana.
In Episode 5, Rip and Beth both decide to work for Beulah and the 10-Petal. Rip takes over as foreman, and Beth works on the business side of things, much to the chagrin of Beulah’s son, Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba).
Rip brings Azul and Zachariah over to the 10-Petal, and they all work together with the ranch’s hands to work cattle. Beth is last seen taking a trip to Chicago with Beulah to talk beef with a restaurant executive.
Oh, and Rip finds a body on the Dutton Ranch in Episode 1. The deceased used to work at the 10-Petal and was killed by Beulah’s son (and former foreman) Rob-Will (Jai Courtney), who is sent to rehab but returns with a vengeance in the last couple of episodes.
Heading into Episode 7, out Friday, June 19, things are sure to heat up on (and off) the ranch.
Need to catch up ‘Dutton Ranch?’
Paramount+ is the best place to catch up on Dutton Ranch.
The show also airs on the Paramount Network, but that’s mainly for new episodes. For anyone needing to catch up on past episodes, Paramount+ is the main hub for that.
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram