There are unlikely partnerships, and then there are team-ups we never thought we’d see in a million years. Episode 5 of “Dutton Ranch,” now streaming on Paramount+, gives us the latter.
Fresh off the tragic loss of their herd to that accursed hoof-and-mouth disease (thanks for nothing, Bullet!), Beth and Rip begin plotting their ascension back to the top, a plan that apparently includes Rip becoming the new foreman of the 10 Petal Ranch. (Say what?!) Beulah is similarly surprised by Rip’s interest in the position, but because current foreman Chet is a “f**king idiot,” she’s willing to entertain the notion.
Rip wastes no time weeding out the ranch’s bad seed, sending Chet packing as soon as another worker tells Rip what he believes Chet did to Wes. And Chet doesn’t go quietly: “The Jacksons are going to chew you up, spit you out, and forget you ever had a name,” he sneers on his way out. (Cool, tell us something we don’t know.) Chet also confronts Joaquin about his firing, threatening to reveal Rob-Will as Wes’ killer, plus whatever shady side hustle Joaquin had going on with the cattle. Not to be intimidated, Joaquin reminds Chet that there are two ways to leave a ranch, urging him to “choose wisely.” (Chet? Wise? Good luck with that.)
And Rip isn’t the only member of the family joining the 10 Petal Ranch’s payroll. Mere minutes after Rip and Beulah seal their partnership over a bounty of brisket, Beth rolls up with some business of her own. After revealing that the Dutton Ranch’s herd were taken down by HMD (quite a secret to share!), Beth pitches herself as Beulah’s new strategist, promising to turn 10 Petal into a household name with a line of “bespoke, recession-proof” cuts of meat. The only caveat? The Dutton name will never be part of the deal.
Joaquin is surprised to hear that Beulah has handed his position over to a Dutton, but Beulah reveals that she’s playing the long game here. “Rip and Beth have secrets,” Beulah tells Joaquin. “And I’ve learned that people with secrets can be useful, corruptible even.”
But don’t think this means Beulah has the upper hand. When Beth returns home to share the good news with Rip, she tells him, “You give me a week, I’ll know everything there is to know about Beulah Jackson.” Unfortunately, the first thing she learns — courtesy of her hubby — is that he recently found a dead body on the Dutton Ranch that floated on over from the 10 Petal. “Peace will have to wait,” indeed.
(Hey, at least we learn this week that Beth’s rescue horse is recovering nicely. That’s something to celebrate, right?)
