'Dutton Ranch' Episode 8 Recap And Ending Explained: Will Mariano Kill Rob-Will?

While the majority of Dutton Ranch episode 8 is centered around Carter struggling with his hangover and throwing tantrums at the people around him, the ending of the episode brings in some massive revelations that confirm our belief that 10 Petal Ranch is indeed involved in some illegal activities, and that the Jacksons may be responsible (either directly or indirectly) for bringing the foot-and-mouth disease virus onto Dutton Ranch, which destroyed their entire herd. And speaking of the Jacksons’ internal family feud, for a moment, it seemed like Beulah’s adopted son, Joaquin, would forget how his mother betrayed him and chose her blood son, Rob-Will, over him, but Joaquin was not in the mood to simply move on. He tried to bring Rob-Will down with the only piece of evidence he had against him, but when nothing worked out in his favor, he made the call to the one person who knows the Jacksons’ darkest secret and can destroy them with a single blow. So, without any further ado, allow me to take a closer look at everything that happened in Dutton Ranch episode 8, and what we can expect in the finale.

Spoiler Alert

Beulah Tries To Broker A Peace Between Her Sons

Episode 8 picked up right from where the previous episode left us, with Beulah lying on the ground, an air ambulance arriving at the Jacksons’ property to take her to the hospital, and McKinney sending Rob-Will to go with his mother in the helicopter. Eventually, Everett McKinney and Rob-Will’s daughter, Oreana, reached the hospital, and McKinney informed Joaquin (who had previously left the house in anger) about his mother’s condition, asking him to come in as quickly as possible. Rob-Will finally told the family that Beulah had had a heart attack, and the doctors had performed an angioplasty, meaning she was out of danger and was gonna be fine, at least for the time being. However, as soon as Beulah gained consciousness, the first thing she wanted to do was talk to her sons, so she could broker a peace between them. Beulah asked Joaquin to accept his brother as the family’s successor, but he didn’t want to. He was hurt because Beulah lied to his face. On the day of the 190th anniversary of 10 Petal, Beulah had told him she would hand over the reins to him, got his hopes up, and then suddenly swept the rug out from under him. This almost felt like a betrayal, and to make matters worse, Rob-Will himself had confessed to Joaquin that he’d sent Chet to kill him, because of which Joaquin could never ever trust Rob-Will again, no matter how much Beulah vouches for her blood son. The funny thing is: Beulah is aware that both her sons are good for nothing. I mean, she really insulted them to their faces, telling Rob-Will that he was a fine cowboy, but he was nothing like Rip Wheeler, and Joaquin might have had a fine head for business, but he didn’t have Beth’s killer instinct. Rob-Will tried to tell his mother that he was gonna get rid of Rip and Beth too, but Beulah stopped him right there, because she knows that 10 Petal ranch wouldn’t survive a single year without its most precious assets. So all Beulah asked of them was to set their differences aside and let Rip and Beth do their job, so they could take the business to new heights. And yes, I can already see where this is going. The arrangement won’t survive long, especially when we know that Rob-Will is short-tempered and, sooner or later, he’s gonna clash with Rip and dig his own grave. As far as Joaquin’s concerned, he’s the sensible one, but he’s far too consumed with seeking revenge against his own brother, which will eventually bring about his own downfall.

Carter Has A Tough Day At The Ranch

You see, Carter’s 19, and it is the gift and burden of being a teenager that half the time, you don’t really know what you want. And the more complicated part is: you can’t do anything about it, except to have a cool mind and keep up the right attitude. Unfortunately, Carter has no control over his feelings, and is letting everything around him affect him. We know that the lad has had his heart broken recently, but that doesn’t mean he gets to go on hurting people around him and disrespect his adoptive parents for showing him the right path. I guess all Beth and Rip can do to help him is give him some time, so he can reflect on his actions and understand the mistakes he has made.

So after Carter made a fool of himself by drinking to the gills and breaking the Jackson family heirloom in front of Beulah’s guests at the 190th anniversary party, Rip made a drunken Carter ride home on his own horse, likely to make him feel responsible for the mess he had created. The next morning, Beth woke up Carter to talk to him about what was going on with him, and Carter finally told Beth that he had quit school because he wanted to spend time on the ranch and become a cowboy like Rip and Beth’s father, John Dutton. I think I had already brought up that the reason why Beth wanted Carter to go to school was that she wanted him to do better than Rip and John Dutton. Rip wasn’t given the chance to go to school, but Carter was lucky that there were two people who were looking out for him and wanted him to become a better version of themselves. He could work on a ranch any day he wanted, but with an education, he could take the business to a completely different level. Unfortunately, Carter failed to understand how much Beth and Rip cared for him. He was hurting, and Beth could see that, which was why she didn’t force him to go back to school. Beth knew that Carter had a pure heart, which was why the things he’d been through had been affecting him so badly, so she simply asked Carter to get ready for the hard parts, because from here on, life would only become more difficult, not easier, and she wanted Carter to be prepared. Carter believed he was prepared, as he’d seen his biological parents die in front of him, but the reality is, the world’s a lot more cruel than he thinks. They won’t sympathize with him for losing his parents, and will take every chance to knock him down to the ground, so he needs to look after himself, because in the real world, no one else is gonna do that for him.

When Carter told Beth that he wanted to be a cowboy, she asked him to go work with Rip and help him on the 10 Petal ranch, but this was where things got worse for him, because Carter was evidently not prepared for this new challenge, especially on a day when he woke up with a bad hangover and had been puking all over the place. At 10 Petal, Azul, along with Beulah’s cowboys, who were aware of what Carter had done at the party, passed friendly jibes at Carter, which offended him further. Carter hadn’t been feeling too good, but he was too stubborn to tell Rip about his condition or excuse himself, because he wanted to show everyone on the field how tough he was. But it seemed like his stubbornness backfired, as Carter made one rookie mistake after another. First, he failed to properly bolt the doors on the ranch; second, he forgot to bring his cowboy gloves with him, and when Rip offered to lend him his gloves to fix the fences, Carter turned them down because he wanted to “man up” and show him that he could manage things on his own; and last but not least, when a steer slipped through the door that Carter had failed to bolt, Carter tried to catch the steer, but ended up falling off his horse, because he was too weak to stop the steer from running away.  But that wasn’t the worst thing here, as when Azul tried to help him and pick him up, Carter just yelled at him. The reason being: Carter had once again embarrassed himself. I guess it’s pretty normal to make such rookie mistakes on the ranch, and Rip wasn’t going to punish Carter for it. So the only issue here was Carter’s attitude towards things. He was too much focused on proving his worth, showing everyone around that he was the best cowboy, and when he was finally struck with reality, he let his anger take over him. He got irritated when the cowboys made fun of him. But the thing is, these cowboys have been making fun of each other every day, and Carter was nothing special. It’s just that Carter wasn’t ready to face the real world (the “hard parts”), even though he had made himself believe that he was.

And I think I know where this illusion was coming from. Carter had worked for a few days for Dwight White, believing he was ready for bigger challenges on the field, but the reality of this situation is that Dwight wasn’t a rancher at all. He might have been something else (a smuggler, an alcoholic, a fraudster), but definitely not a rancher. Maybe that was the reason why Dwight never treated Carter like an employee (or a cowboy), and always saw him as a friend, and I think Carter expected that kind of treatment from every other rancher. But as I mentioned before, Dwight likely didn’t know a thing about ranching. He was lonely and wanted some company, so he brought Carter in to share a beer or two with him. And when Carter walked onto a “real ranch” with some serious work going on, he couldn’t take it. He felt embarrassed, ashamed, and found himself totally useless, which made him realize that he was so bad at the only thing he dreamt of doing, that is, being a cowboy. And it made him angry, the same rage he unleashed upon Azul, who was at no fault here. Rip tried to teach Carter some manners, expecting he would apologize to Azul, but Carter just rode away.

Carter Leaves The House

After Rip and Carter returned home, Carter, in order to avoid having a conversation, walked straight into the stable. Rip wanted to talk to him, so he followed him in, once again expecting Carter to apologize for his behavior and share with him the things that had been troubling him, but once again, Carter wasn’t in the mood to talk or listen. When Rip told him that he would have fired if any other cowboy had ridden away the way Carter did, Carter clenched his fist and asked him to “do it.” It seemed like Carter wanted to hit Rip, but Rip kept his calm and dealt with him the best way he could, because that morning, Beth had told Rip that she didn’t want to lose Carter. If Rip too had let his anger get the better of him like Carter, then he might have ended up hurting Carter, which he would have remembered his whole life, but that would have also broken him forever, something Rip didn’t want to do, so he just stood there, trying to tell Carter to not let his failures define him, and learn from his mistakes, like a grown man. But instead of realizing his mistake, Carter simply told Rip that he would never be his father, and they might think that they did him a favor by taking an orphan, but he would never ever accept them as his parents. Shortly after this confrontation, Carter decided to leave the house. Beth tried to stop him, but he didn’t want to listen to anyone anymore. He wanted to go, so Beth just let him go, though before leaving, she told him that this would always be his home, and he could come back whenever he wanted. I guess Beth understands what he’s going through, and that he needs some time alone to clear his head, which is why she didn’t stop him from leaving. The thing is, Carter has nowhere to go, as Rip and Beth are his only family, so worry not, he’s going to come back as soon as he clears his head a bit.

So, Why Rob-Will?

Well, it seemed like everyone around Beulah Jackson had the same question: why did she choose Rob-Will as her successor? First, it was Beth who visited Beulah in the hospital to apologize for Carter’s behavior the previous night. The good thing was: Beulah was quite chill about it, because she had raised two boys of her own, and she knew how difficult a position Beth is in. Honestly, Carter is nothing like Rob-Will or Joaquin, but Beth understood what Beulah was trying to say: no one’s perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. The second thing Beth brought up was Beulah’s retirement, as she felt it was a bit of an impulsive decision. Actually, it was, because remember, Rob-Will blackmailed his own mother to get the throne, but Beulah can’t exactly share the truth with anyone, as the revelation about one brother threatening to kill another won’t only taint the family’s reputation but also implicate Beulah has failed as a mother. So instead of telling Beth the real reason behind her decision, she simply stated that 10 Petal’s stronger with her and Rip around, whether she’s there or not. However, Beth made it clear that she never agreed to work with her son, so it was going to change things between them. It’s actually the same concern Zane Nash had raised, as the entire world knew that Rob-Will was an addict, and it would be extremely difficult to work with him. But I think Beulah has a plan in mind to get rid of the guy, and for the time being, she’s just letting Rob-Will think he has won, so he doesn’t end up doing anything reckless, like hurting Joaquin. Nevertheless, Beth told Beulah that they would talk about it when she comes out of the hospital, as they may have to do some convincing to win back Zane’s trust.

Next came McKinney, who, like everybody else, knew that Rob-Will was bad news, and he would most certainly run Beulah’s ranch into the ground within a year. So he just wanted to know Beulah’s reason for choosing him as her successor. And what she told McKinney confused me a little bit. She said she had to choose someone (because she won’t be around forever), and even though Joaquin was a better choice to run the empire, he wasn’t her flesh and blood, which was why she had to nominate Rob-Will. Well, you see, that’s the exact opposite of what Beulah wrote in her speech for the 190th anniversary, before Rob-Will showed up at the house and threatened to kill Joaquin to get what was rightfully his. So I guess Beulah lied to McKinney, because she couldn’t tell him the truth (just like she couldn’t share it with Beth), and maybe that was why Beulah avoided looking at McKinney while trying to explain her reason for choosing Rob-Will, because if she had looked McKinney in the eye, he would have immediately figured out that she was lying, or maybe he already has, but he didn’t push her further, especially since she was lying on a hospital bed. When McKinney tried to raise his concerns about the ranch, Beulah simply said she didn’t care about it anymore. She was tired. Though I don’t think Beulah is done with the ranch yet, and she won’t let Rob-Will destroy everything her family has built. So as I mentioned earlier, Beulah doesn’t want to disclose what’s going on in her mind, and she is just waiting for the right moment to show Rob-Will his place.

McKinney Has A Wife

In Dutton Ranch episode 8, Beulah asked McKinney why he still wore his wedding ring. While the scene itself doesn’t give us much information about McKinney’s past, it does reveal that McKinney’s wife is still alive, and they’re still married, but they don’t live together anymore. So this information tells me that before McKinney met Beulah (and started an affair with her), he was married to a woman (whose name hasn’t been revealed yet). And it’s likely Levi was his son from this marriage, who didn’t survive, and his death took a toll on their relationship, because of which the two started living their separate lives, even though they never filed for divorce. I think either McKinney’s wife blamed him for Levi’s death, or maybe she felt responsible for it herself, which was why the two couldn’t face each other without getting into a fight, and therefore decided that it was better to stay away from each other. And probably after McKinney left his wife, he started an affair with Beulah to fill the void. I think we will find out more information about McKinney’s past in the next season of Dutton Ranch, but at this moment, he is ready to move on in life, with Beulah Jackson. Seeing Beulah collapsing on the ground made McKinney realize the worth of everything he could lose in the blink of an eye, and therefore, he no longer wanted to waste his shot at love, and decided to take the final ride with Beulah (something Beulah had requested of him in the fourth episode). Well, it seemed like Beulah eventually found her true love in life. It took her a lot of years to get there, but as they say, better late than never, right? Shortly after this confession, Beulah asked McKinney to take her home, his home. The two sneaked out of the hospital and went straight to McKinney’s house, where they slept together, holding one another in their arms. I guess, this would be the most peaceful sleep Beulah ever had in her life.

Joaquin Hands Wade The Gun

So in the second biggest bombshell moment of the eighth episode, Joaquin handed Sheriff Handy Wade the murder weapon with which Rob-Will had killed Wes Ayers back in episode 1. However, if you don’t remember how that murder weapon ended up with Joaquin, then allow me to refresh your memory. In episode 1, the night after Wes’ murder, a drunken Rob-Will got into an argument with Rip Wheeler, and pulled his gun on him, in response to which Rip landed a punch on his face and took away his gun. Rob-Will quickly left the scene, and Rip handed over the gun to Chet Davis, Rob-Will’s best friend, who gave the gun to Rob-Will’s brother, Joaquin, believing he would get rid of it. But Joaquin kept it with him, so he could use it as leverage against Rob-Will in the near future, and I guess Rob-Will knew that Joaquin had incriminating evidence against him, which was why sent Chet to kill Joaquin so he could tie up that particular loose end, but Chet failed to take out Joaquin, so now Joaquin has decided to use the leverage to get Rob-Will arrested in order to inherit the empire in his absence. Unfortunately, none of it worked out in his favor, as Sheriff Wade told him plain and simple that he couldn’t issue a warrant without a body. And where’s Wes’ body exactly? So after the murder, Rob-Will and Chet buried Wes on the Dutton Ranch, and when Joaquin found out about their stupid plan, he quickly asked Rob-Will to show him the body so he could make it disappear forever, but when they arrived at the spot, the body had already disappeared. Earlier that evening, Rip had found the body, and hidden it in the freezer (in the barn), before later disposing of it in an abandoned mineshaft. However, in episode 6, when Rip questioned Joaquin about the corpse on his property, Joaquin might have figured out that Rip could be the only person who knew the location of Wes’ body, so now that Wade has asked Joaquin to get him the corpse, I think Joaquin will try to get that information out of Rip. But you can already see that Rip’s been avoiding Joaquin throughout the party, which makes it clear that he doesn’t want to talk about any of it, so it’s going to be very difficult for Joaquin to get any information out of him. The thing is, Rip couldn’t tell Joaquin where he had dumped the body, as he had gotten himself involved in the mess by removing the body and covering up a crime, thereby obstructing the course of justice. In short, it would be in the best interests of everyone to make sure Wes Ayers’ corpse never surfaced again. The only problem here is that now Wade’s aware of Wes’ murder, and he knows that Rob-Will’s the man who pulled the trigger on him, and for an officer who was really empathic towards Wes’ wife and son, Wade may try to get justice for them. This means Wade can start pulling at the threads of this case, which may unravel the secret that ties Rob-Will, Joaquin, and Rip Wheeler together. But what do you think: will Wade try to get to the bottom of the truth? Or will he just look the other way, giving the Jacksons a free pass, once again? Let me know in the comments below.

Carter Asks Wade For A Job

While Joaquin was trying to convince Wade to issue a warrant for the arrest of Rob-Will, Wade received a call from someone, whom I assumed was Carter, who asked him to meet him at Dwight’s ranch, near the cage, the same spot where Wade shot Dwight. So after leaving the house, Carter went straight to Dwight’s property to have some time alone, trying to figure out what he was going to do next, and then he made a call to the only person he knew in Rio Paloma (besides Oreana), that is, Sheriff Wade. Well, long story short, Carter needed a job so he could sustain himself and live a life on his own terms. He had tried to find a day job earlier, but no rancher would let him work on the field without a horse, so Carter tried to blackmail Wade into getting him a job. I guess Wade might have helped Carter, or at least tried to, if he would have shown some respect and put his stubbornness away, but to make matters worse, Carter ended up threatening Wade and questioning his integrity, and Wade wasn’t pleased with his approach. He asked him to be careful. Carter told him that he needed a job at the Sheriff’s station, but Wade said he couldn’t just take anyone in. Carter might need a GED or a diploma, along with a Basic Peace Officer Course certification, to join law enforcement, which meant he needed to “go back to school.” Yes, that’s exactly what Beth has been trying to tell him, that if he needs to have more opportunities in life, he first needs to have an education, but at the risk of repeating myself, he’s too stubborn to take anyone’s advice. Carter, like all teenagers, wanted a shortcut, so he tried to bring up Dwight’s death in conversation so Wade would be compelled to give him a job, but Wade refused to be threatened. He didn’t want to be harsh with him, so he simply asked him to go home. And I think that’s what he’s gonna do, after finally finding out that all other doors are shut for him. Nevertheless, putting all that aside, does Carter really want to become an officer of the law, like his uncle Kayce? Well, it could be possible,  especially after Carter realized he might not be cut out to become a cowboy. Or maybe that’s just Carter being more confused about what he really wants. He first dreamt of becoming a cowboy, but when that didn’t work out, he then wanted to become a law enforcer, and I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the next episode, he comes up with another aspiration, because that’s perfectly normal for a teenager of his age.

Austin Spill The Secrets

At the ranch, Rip asked Zach to pick up a couple of guys and clear the hog traps, so Zach chose Miguel and Austin, unaware of the tension brewing between them. Austin knew that Miguel was the Jacksons’ right-hand, the man who did all the dirty work for them, and he suspected that he might be the one who’d made Wes and Chet disappear. When Austin tried to bring up questions about the missing cowboys, Miguel gave him this cold look, possibly suggesting Austin keep his mouth zipped. But unlike the rest of the cowboys on the ranch, Austin had a strong conscience and couldn’t bring himself to look the other way, so during the hunt for the hogs, Austin pointed his rifle at Miguel and threatened him into giving him some answers. But Miguel refused to back down, and pointed his gun at Austin, telling him to stop asking questions he knew the answers to. Well, things were getting pretty heated between them when suddenly Zach arrived at the scene and asked both of them to lower their weapons. For the time being, Zach might have saved Austin’s life, but Austin knows that Miguel won’t spare him for crossing the line, and he will, sooner or later, put a bullet inside him and make him disappear the way he got rid of Chet. In short, Austin feared that his end was near, which was why he eagerly wanted to share the Jacksons’ dirty secret with someone who could protect him from their wrath. Also, an interesting detail here: in the first episode, Beulah ordered Miguel to shoot down the feral hogs as they end up destroying the cattle (the ranch in particular), and in this scene in episode 8, Austin’s our hog, who’s trying to hurt the Jacksons by digging up too much, and asking questions he wasn’t supposed to ask. So Miguel already knows what he needs to do with this “hog.”

In episode 8’s ending, sitting inside in front of Rip and Beth, Austin finally spilled the secrets we had been sincerely theorizing about from the very beginning of the show. So the reason why the Jacksons survived for so long, the reason why they didn’t have to shut down their ranch, even though a severe drought destroyed almost every other ranch in South Texas in 2010, was that the Jacksons had been smuggling cattle across the border. Austin said that they kept bringing big cattle loads even after the border was shut down because of screwworm, which raised suspicion among many ranchers in the area, including their own cowboys, making everyone believe that the Jacksons were involved in something dirty. And Wes Ayers, the one whom Chet spotted looking into tally books, was trying to get to the bottom of this trafficking ring before Rob-Will shot him dead. So Rob-Will wasn’t paranoid about Wes; instead, he was right about him, as Wes was going to blow the whistle on 10 Petal ranch, and by killing him, Rob-Will actually saved his family’s empire. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Wes turns out to be a mole planted by the law enforcement authorities into the Jacksons’ territory to get evidence against them, but that’s just me shooting in the dark.

Mariano Is Likely The Head Behind The Smuggling Operation

Austin further revealed that 10 Petal has an operation down in Mexico, which steals and smuggles cattle illegally, and forges all the paperwork for Border Patrol and cattle brokers. And I think you can already know the identity of the man behind this operation. Yes, Joaquin’s biological father, Mariano Reyes, the only person who knows Beulah’s darkest secret, that she killed a man in cold blood. So it is because of the profits from this illegal operation that Beulah and her sons have been able to keep the lights on and afford to live in luxury even though all other ranches in the area have gone out of business. However, I think Beulah wanted to legitimize her business, which was why she made a deal with Rip and Beth, so she no longer had to depend on Mariano and his illegal channels. But this brings up an important question: will Rip and Beth continue working for Beulah, even after they have found out the Jacksons’ dirty secret, or will they sever all ties with them? I think, in the next episode, Beulah will finally confide in Beth and explain to her the reason why she shook hands with Mariano and became a part of his operation. I think she’s gonna tell Beth how Mariano threatened to get her arrested for murdering Luke, and she couldn’t afford to lose her family’s legacy, which was why she teamed up with Mariano. And I believe Beth will relate to her problem, mostly because she knows what it takes to run a ranch and survive as a rancher, and Beth will likely help Beulah leave behind her dependency on Mariano, so she can run the business legally. But it’s not gonna be easy for any of them, especially with Beulah’s sons around, so you know who has to go.

The Jacksons May Be Responsible For The FMDV Outbreak

Back in episode 4, when Rip and Beth figured out that it was the new bull that brought foot-and-mouth disease to their land, they quickly dug up all the information they could get about the cattle broker, J.R. Simon, who’d sold them the infected bull, but as it turned out, Simon knew nothing about the sick bull. So it could be theorized that Mariano, or the people working for him, contacted brokers like Simon to sell their stolen and smuggled cattle in the US, in exchange for a hefty cut. And I guess this is how their operation works: Mariano’s men steal the cattle, forge the papers about the cattle’s health (presale examination and blood work), and then send them across the border to the cattle broker, who takes those animals to the auction, from where they go to the highest bidder. In short, these cattle are never examined by a veterinarian, and may possibly carry a whole host of diseases, which go unchecked until they reach the ranch and have already infected the rest of the herd. So even though Beulah and her sons may not be directly responsible for destroying Rip and Beth’s Black Angus, they can still be held accountable, because it was their operation that destroyed their herd. And I think the moment Beth told Beulah that they lost their entire herd to FMDV, Beulah connected the dots and figured out that it was Mariano’s sick cattle that spread the virus through the Dutton Ranch and destroyed their herd. 

Also, if you remember, Beulah was bidding on the same bull before she stopped suddenly, which makes me believe that she might have recognized Simon, who had been selling illegal cattle for Mariano, and she didn’t want to take her chances on stolen cattle, which was why she stopped bidding midway. The thing is, Beulah could’ve warned Rip and Beth about the sick bull, but she chose not to, and I believe it’s this choice that tells you a lot about her character, because somewhere deep in her heart, Beulah may have wanted Rip and Beth to fail as ranchers. So Austin was right when he told Rip and Beth that “the Jacksons aren’t ranchers. They are thieves.” However, it still remains to be seen whether Beth will sympathize with Beulah’s plight or hold her accountable for her loss, but no matter what decision Beth makes, she and Rip will have to eventually put a stop to Beulah and Mariano’s joint smuggling operation, because it has not only hurt their ranch, it’s putting every ranch in South Texas at risk. The hard-working ranchers buy cattle from the auction to expand their business, only to find out in the end that the infected cattle have burned through their entire herd, leaving them with nothing. Many ranchers couldn’t afford to start over from scratch, so they ultimately had to sell off the land and find another job. So the Jacksons may have survived the odds, but in doing so, they have stolen the livelihoods of countless other ranchers, and it’s time that the Jacksons pay for their sins. At the end of the episode, Rip told Beth that the next shipment was coming in two days, and I think they were going to do something about it, possibly informing the border patrol about the stolen cattle and the forged papers, so that they could seize the animals before they crossed the border. This could also open an investigation into 10 Petal if anyone finds a link between the Jacksons and the smuggling ring in Mexico.

Joaquin Finally Calls His Dad

So Joaquin tried everything in his power to get rid of Rob-Will, but when none of it worked out for him, he finally pulled out the burner phone from his car’s glove compartment and called his dad, Mariano Reyes. On call, Joaquin said, “Necesito tu ayuda,” which translates to “I need your help,” and I think you already know what kind of help Joaquin’s asking his father for. In the main trailer for the show, one can spot a few masked men with tactical gear entering the Duttons’ property, who, from the very looks of it, seem like Mariano’s men. In the trailer, we can also see Beth and McKinney picking up rifles, and Rip firing shots from his handgun, likely to shoot down the men breaking into their property. However, the question that concerns me is: why are these men attacking Rip and Beth? Does it have something to do with Rip and Beth stopping Mariano’s next shipment, or informing the authorities about it so the cargo never crosses the border, and Mariano sent his men to kill Rip and Beth so they won’t dare interfere in his operation again? Or does it have something to do with the request Joaquin made to his father? But logically, Mariano should send men to take out Rob-Will, shouldn’t he? Or maybe Joaquin needs his father’s help to retrieve Wes Ayers’ body, which he believes Rip has hidden somewhere on his property. Well, if you ask me, Mariano may end up sending men to kill Rob-Will, and his death will put Mariano’s own blood on the Jackson throne, so Mariano no longer has to depend on Beulah’s approval to smuggle cattle. This means Mariano will have full control of the operation and can run it the way he wants. I am quite certain that in the finale, Mariano will eventually come out of the shadows to face the Jacksons and everyone working for them, that is, Rip and Beth. So these are my thoughts on the eighth episode of Dutton Ranch, and I will be breaking down the teaser of episode 9 as well, as soon as it comes out, so make sure to check back to read my theories on the finale.

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