'Dutton Ranch' Episode 9 Trailer Breakdown: What To Expect From Finale?

[Spoiler Alert] The teaser for Dutton Ranch episode 10 finally brings us the moment we have been eagerly waiting for: Rip Wheeler lands another punch on Robert William Jackson, and this time, he hits him much harder. But you may be wondering what all this fuss is about. Well, back in episode 9, Austin Lewis, one of Beulah’s cowboys, told Rip and Beth that the Jacksons had been smuggling stolen cattle from across the border, therefore implying that they may be partly responsible for destroying the Dutton herd. So Beulah and her sons have become a problem for the entire town, a problem that Rip and Beth need to deal with as soon as possible.

Rip Knocks Rob-Will Down

In the teaser, Rip and Beth are standing on 10 Petal ranch, with Austin and one more cowboy around, when suddenly Rob-Will arrives in his car. He seems angry, possibly at Rip and Beth, and may have arrived there for a confrontation, to threaten them, the way he tried to threaten Wes Ayers, unaware of the fact that he’d be picking a fight with the devil himself. I think, after Austin spilled the Jacksons’ secret, Rip either halted the work at the ranch, or he may have tried to stop the upcoming cattle shipment, which may have made Rob-Will furious, and he tried to teach Rip who was the real boss here. In the teaser, it looks like Rip throws a punch at Rob-Will the moment he walks towards them, but I think the scene has been trimmed down, and Rob-Will certainly said or did something that made Rip lose control of himself. So he knocks Rob-Will to the ground, and there’s a small cut above Rob-Will’s left eye (he hit him really hard), and putting his foot on his chest, Rip asks him directly, “You running drugs?”, to which Rob-Will replies, “I’d rather die than tell you.”

And while Rob-Will’s lying on the ground, Beth hands Rip a tally book, and she tells Rob-Will, “You’re already a dead man.” I think this is the same tally book over which Rob-Will murdered Wes (back in episode 1), as he suspected Wes of being a snitch. The thing I am confused about here is that Beth didn’t have the tally book before Rob-Will arrived at the scene, so did she pick up this notebook from him or from his car? Or was it something Rip and Beth already had in their possession, and Rob-Will might have driven to the ranch to take it back, because he didn’t want them to find out his secrets. Furthermore, Austin had only revealed to Rip and Beth that the Jacksons had been smuggling stolen cattle from Mexico, but he never mentioned drugs. So maybe Rob-Will has been running a secret operation of his own, smuggling drugs hidden in the cattle stock, without his mother’s knowledge, and this could explain why he murdered in haste, as he didn’t want his mother and brother to find out about the drugs. Or maybe Beulah and Joaquin already knew, and it was Austin who wasn’t aware that the Jacksons were moving more than just cattle across the border.  However, as much as I understand Beulah’s character, she may have never allowed anyone to smuggle drugs using her family’s name, so if Rob-Will is dealing in drugs, then he may be doing it on his own, hiding it from his mother. 

I think, in the final episode of Dutton Ranch season 1, Rip and Beth will be looking deeper into 10 Petal’s secrets to figure out the full scope of their operation, and as soon as the man behind this operation gets a wind of their investigation, he will immediately come out of the shadows to warn Beulah about her new business partners.

Mariano Arrives In Rio Paloma

In the next shot of the teaser, Joaquin’s biological father, Mariano Reyes, pays Beulah a visit. He’s inside her office, telling her, “You’ll send your strangers packing. Or I will.” He must be talking about Rip and Beth, who are digging into things they are not supposed to. But what I am curious about is what brings Mariano to Rio Paloma. Is it the phone call that Joaquin made at the end of the previous episode, or did Mariano find out from someone else about Rip and Beth, and their plans to stop the upcoming shipment? Well, Mariano finally emerges from the shadows, so I guess you may be happy to put a face to the name and see the actor playing the character that has been most talked about the entire season. In the following shot, one can spot a convoy of vehicles, most likely Mariano’s men, driving towards Rio Paloma, possibly to get rid of their new enemies, Rip Wheeler, Beth Dutton, and their allies.

Beulah Tries To Stop Rip And Beth

In the middle of the teaser, we see Beulah sitting across the table from Beth and Rip, telling them, “You were in a hole, and so was I.” I think this scene takes place shortly after Mariano pays a visit to Beulah, asking her to tell her new employees to walk away before they lose their lives, and probably Beulah arrives at the Dutton house to warn Rip and Beth of the same. However, the tone of her voice and her words suggest that Rip and Beth may have refused to back down, leaving Beulah frustrated. I guess she tried to explain to them the reason why she made a pact with the devil. Maybe she needed money to keep the lights on and protect her legacy, or maybe Mariano blackmailed her into partnering up with him. But the thing is, crimes like these can never be justified, and this may be the reason Rip and Beth refused to listen to Beulah anymore. There’s one more interesting shot centered around Beulah in the second half of the teaser, where Beth’s pointing a rifle at Beulah as she arrives at their property. I think this scene takes place before Beulah sits with Rip and Beth. And Beth may have pointed a gun at Beulah, likely holding her accountable for betraying them and keeping secrets from them, which not only destroyed their ranch but may also end up ruining their reputation if they keep working for her.

Intruder At Dutton Ranch

In the next shot, Rip’s standing outside the house at night, where he either sees or hears people moving towards their property. It’s Mariano’s armed men in masks, intruding into Dutton Ranch to take out Rip, Beth, and everyone else on their property. Rip says, “They want us,” to which Beth replies, “Then they’ll get us.” Over a few fast shots, we see Beth picking up a gun, Rip’s hands, Azul and Zach loading their weapons, and Everett McKinney arriving at Dutton Ranch with his own gun to join the fray. McKinney says, “Well, I ain’t seen my last firefight,” and in the very next shot, he points his rifle at one of the intruders and pulls the trigger. We know that McKinney served in the Navy, so he may prove to be of great help to Rip and Beth. There are also several shots of Mariano’s men and Rip and his allies firing at each other. Carter is missing from this scene, likely because he left the house in the previous episode, and I think Beth may be glad enough that he’s not there, especially when the whole family is dodging bullets.

McKinney Will Find Out Beulah’s Secrets

One can assume that McKinney likely didn’t know that Beulah was involved in a smuggling ring, because if he had known, he would have never taken Rip and Beth to work for 10 Petal. McKinney’s a good man, and he wouldn’t have knowingly gotten his friends into trouble. So my question is: how’s McKinney gonna react when he finds out the bitter truth about Beulah Jackson? In the last episode, he had told Beulah that he was ready to take one final ride with her, to be with her till the end. So will that promise still stand after Jackson’s secret comes out? I guess we will find out soon enough.

Joaquin Is Nowhere To Be Seen

Other than Carter, it’s Joaquin who is entirely missing from the teaser, which I think should worry us a bit. Remember, it was Joaquin who set things in motion by calling his father, and therefore can’t he be held partly responsible for inviting death and destruction to Rio Paloma? So what happened after that conversation? Did Mariano arrive in town to help his son ascend the Jackson throne? And will Joaquin take his father’s help to get rid of his nemesis, Rob-Will? Well, these are a few questions I think the finale may answer.

Oreana Screams In Pain

In the middle of the teaser, there’s a shot, probably taking place at night, where Rob-Will’s daughter, Oreana, is screaming out loud, “No.” I imagine someone has been badly hurt, and as of now, I have two names at the top of my list. It’s either Beulah, who, while returning from Dutton Ranch, was shot by Mariano’s men. Or Mariano may have sent men to get rid of Rob-Will, and as soon as Oreana saw his corpse, she started screaming in pain. My money is on Rob-Will, because I believe he really needs to pay for the crimes he has committed so far, though Rob-Will’s death is gonna crush Oreana completely. And once he’s gone, Beulah will have no other option but to name Joaquin as her successor. Well, in case Oreana changes her mind and decides to join the family business, Beulah will most likely prefer Oreana over Joaquin.

The Fight Has Just Begun

So as you may have seen in the teaser, Mariano only sends his men to take out Rip, Beth, and the party, and doesn’t show up himself, which means that even if Rip and Beth are able to neutralize the threat (which they will), they will still have a war on their hands, because Mariano won’t simply forget about them, and will be quick to strike back, seeking revenge. So the show, which has already been renewed for season 2, is setting Mariano up as the big bad villain of the next season, where Rip and Beth may end up trying to help Beulah cut ties with Mariano, so they can help her legitimize her business. In the previous episode, Beth told Beulah that Rob-Will was a liability, and she wouldn’t be able to work with him, but with him gone, I think they could reconsider their deal and work towards a brighter future for both of them. Also, I think Beth will eventually understand Beulah’s reasons for joining hands with Mariano, because all she was trying to do was save her ranch, and Beth, who had seen her own family legacy slipping away from her, would be able to relate to Beulah more than anyone else. Well, let’s see how things turn out in the finale.

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