'Dutton Ranch' Episode 5 Teaser Breakdown: Did Carter Get Arrested?

The fourth episode of Dutton Ranch was extremely devastating, both for the audience and for the show’s protagonists, Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton. The FMD virus had ravaged their herd (especially the Black Angus), and Rip had no other options but to shoot them down and bury them six feet under. By the end of the episode, Beth and Rip were pretty much convinced that it was the new bull that brought chaos to their ranch, and therefore, they decided to confront the cattle broker, J.R. Simon, who had sold that infected animal to them. But as expected, Simon had no idea where the bull came from, though Rip was confident that it was transported from Mexico to be sold at auction. So the question here is: what are Rip and Beth going to do next? Are they going to investigate the bull’s trail further to find out who actually wants to sabotage their ranch? I think the teaser has some of the answers.

Spoiler Alert

In the teaser promo for Dutton Ranch episode 5,  we see Rip walking into 10 Petal’s bunkhouse, asking Beulah Jackson’s cowboys to get their gear together and leave the cabin in 10 minutes. In this scene, we have a few familiar faces, like Beulah’s new foreman, Chet, and Austin Lewis, the cowboy who returned from the hospital at the end of episode 4. Coming back to Rip’s arrival at the bunkhouse, I think this confrontation either happens after Rip and Beth find out that Beulah (or one of her men) is responsible for planting an infected bull on their ranch, or this new tussle may have arisen due to Carter, who in the teaser, finding himself in trouble and ending up in a police station for the second time this season. Maybe Carter’s new problem has something to do with his new friend, Dwight, who has an illegal wildcat on his ranch, or it may have something to do with Beulah’s granddaughter, Oreana, with whom Carter has fallen in love. In both cases, Beth and Rip need to sort things out with Beulah to make her stop bothering their family, because if she doesn’t, Beth will be forced to show a side of herself that the Jacksons may not be ready for. 

In the next shot, we see Chet telling Rip, likely after he walked into the bunkhouse, that the Jacksons are going to chew him up, spit him out, and make him forget that he ever had a name. Well, I can hear you all already. This man has no idea who he’s talking to. This is Rip Wheeler, the man who makes bodies disappear in the dark. So after hearing Chet’s warning to Rip, all I can do is sympathize with the lad, because he doesn’t know that Rip Wheeler is a force to be reckoned with. I believe he should have picked this up when Rip punched Rob-Will in the face in episode 1, but it seems like some men learn this lesson the hard way. And speaking of “name,” as Chet mentions, I think he really needs a crash course on who the Duttons are, and how they can actually make anyone disappear from the face of the earth (I think Yellowstone fans got the clue).

The next shot takes place on the Dutton Ranch, where Beth asks Rip to give her a week to find out everything there is to know about Beulah Jackson. But why? Why’s Beth digging up information on Beulah? It’s likely the woman has done something again. In a brief shot, we see Beulah on a gator (vehicle) paying Rip a visit on his ranch. I think she has come to Rip with an offer, which is likely to sell his ranch to her, because we all know that Beulah has been looking to buy the Edwards Ranch for a very long time. However, Beulah’s sudden visit to Rip raises one big question: why is Beulah making this offer now? Does she know that the Duttons have lost their herd, and more importantly, did she have a role to play in their tragic loss? I think it’s Beulah’s arrival on their ranch that prompts Beth to want to find out more about this woman, so they can be sure of who they are dealing with. A second possibility is that Beulah may have come to talk to Rip about Oreana and Carter, and likely will have told Rip that she doesn’t want that “orphan” anywhere near Oreana, the heir of her empire.

In the next shot, Beulah tells her adopted son, Joaquin, that Rip and Beth have secrets, and people with secrets can be useful. It’s likely that Beulah is planning something sinister; maybe she wants to use Rip and Beth’s secret against them, or use it as leverage so that she can put a leash on them. Well, we know that isn’t possible, but someone like Beulah won’t give up without trying, and I think that’s the reason she pays a visit to Rip, to see how he reacts. Over a few fast cuts, we see Carter running away from a police cruiser, someone pointing a gun at him, and a police officer jumping on Carter, possibly to arrest him. Next, we see Carter sitting in an interrogation room, likely with Sheriff Wade. So what’s this new trouble Carter has gotten himself into? I think it’s related to Dwight, and Wade may want some information from Carter about him.

In the last shot of the teaser, we finally see Beth sitting across from Beulah inside the Jackson villa, where Beth asks Beulah, “How about you and I speak truthfully?” I think Beth has to sort out their differences, though I am still not sure exactly what grudges they bear. Well, we will find out soon enough. Also, in a brief shot at the beginning of the teaser, we can see Austin throwing a punch at Chet inside the barn. In episode 2, Austin had been asking too many questions about his friend, Wes Ayers, who was shot dead by Beulah’s son, Rob-Will. After sending Rob-Will away, Beulah strictly asked Chet to make sure no one speaks about Wes on her ranch again, which was why, when Austin started asking unnecessary questions, Chet picked up a branding iron and sent the cowboy to the hospital. I think Austin is gonna avenge this attack in episode 5; however, the violent clash between the two may force Beulah to either leave Austin with one final warning or throw him out of her ranch without any further discussion. Let’s see how these events unfold in the next episode of Dutton Ranch.