SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the two-episode series premiere of “Dutton Ranch,” “The Untold Want” and “Earn Another Day,” which are now streaming on Paramount+.
“Yellowstone” fans, rejoice! We’ve missed the primetime soap since it wrapped in 2024. Sure, we’ve had “Marshals,” but given that it’s more of a procedural, “Dutton Ranch” is going to carry the torch for our Western dramas. Notably, the show stars the two “Yellowstone” breakouts, as Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprise their roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler.
At the end of “Yellowstone,” the lovebirds, along with their adoptive son Carter (Finn Little), moved to a small ranch near Dillon, Montana, where they could focus on the land and not have the responsibilities of the Dutton name. Yet within just a few minutes of “Dutton Ranch,” their property has burned down, displacing them to the fictional town of Rio Paloma six months later. But drama is sure to hamper their fresh start, given the cast includes icons such as Ed Harris and Annette Bening. Let’s dive into the two-episode premiere with stray thoughts and burning questions.
Episode 1: “The Untold Want”
- I like Beth’s riding gear! New look. Meanwhile, Rip is sticking to his classic style.
- Damn, it’s always easy to forget how gorgeous the “Yellowstone”-verse shows are. I could just zone out and stare at the wilderness all day. Shout out to veteran director and DP Christina Alexandra Voros for her great eye.
- “I’m never going to let this go.” Uh oh — a Dutton should never say those words!
- Wow, that fire got out of control fast!
- Carter looks like a grown man. Puberty hits hard!
- The score’s nods to “Yellowstone” proper sound pretty good.
- Rip’s save-the-cat moment is rescuing that cute little calf. Sweet!
- Time jump! I’m enjoying this economy of storytelling.
- Wow, Rob-Will (Jai Courtney) is a mustache-twirling villain right from the jump!
- Whoa, Rob-Will killed Wes (Nakoa DeCoite) over looking into fudged tally books? Seems excessive…
- What baggage does Rob-Will have? He was nearly crying while confronting Wes!
- Ugh, Rob-Will is doing coke. Shorthand for spiraling out.
- Why is Chet (Hart Denton) so OK helping Rob-Will with his dirty work?
- Welcome to the show, Beulah Jackson (Bening)! Your wardrobe is already fantastic.
- Oh, Rob-Will is Beulah’s son, and she’s the new John Dutton. Got it.
- Azul (J. R. Villarreal) seems super sweet. I like him.
- With love to Carter, I don’t need to see him flirting in high school. Stick to the adult drama!
- Rob-Will, don’t be mean to our BFF Azul!
- Courtney is doing a great job of making Rob-Will absolutely unbearable! I hate him!
- Ah, that Rip punch felt great.
- It’s funny to see Beth not get what she wants! Give me 100 more scenes of her arguing with Beulah.
- Fun fact for “Real Housewives” fans: the bartender Carol is played by Morgan Wade, Kyle Richards’ close “friend.”
- Could it be that Ed Harris’ character, Everett McKinney, is the older man version of Beth? This introduction makes it seem possible!
- Wow, Beth not being able to shoot the horse … character growth alert!
- “I don’t like racist assholes.” Wow, has Rip gone woke?!?
- Ugh, this girl is just using Carter to get beer? Boo!
- Beth’s instinct was right! Love that they saved the horse.
- Carter went right into Rip mode, beating up this abusive dude. But something tells me it won’t go as well for him in Texas…
- “I miss him.” Beth, reminiscing about her father, who received the pettiest death on television.
- An actual love interest for Carter? Interesting! Welcome to the show, Oreana (Natalie Alyn Lind).
- Whoa, a shower scene with Rip and Beth? It’s been a while since they’ve had some intimacy. Good on ’em!
- With a brother like Rob-Will, poor Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba) is going to be so busy as his family’s fixer.
- Where does Beulah’s family ditch corpses? Do they have their own “train station” equivalent?
- Rob-Will, what a lazy place to bury a body!
Episode 2: “Earn Another Day“
- Rip, don’t keep murder secrets from Beth. She’ll sniff it out of you!
- Don’t you just hate it when the body you shoddily bury gets up and walks away?
- “God loves cowboys.” Can I buy a cross-stitch of that on Etsy?
- Whitney (Olivia Rose Keegan) seems like she’s going to get things done in the search for Wes. Hopefully, they don’t kill her, too!
- Nice Dwight Yoakam needle drop. I wish this show had as much country music as “Yellowstone.”
- Uh oh, Oreana is trouble! How old is she, exactly? She shouldn’t bring beer to a high school!
- Chet is such a dork. Bringing a branding iron to a fistfight? Lame!
- All of that meat looked great. Should we DoorDash some steaks?
- Man, Beulah is ice cold!
- Fun trivia: Marc Menchaca, the actor who plays Zachariah, is married to Lena Headey. Small world!
- Ugh, Oreana has a boyfriend?!? Poor Carter is going to become an incel at this rate.
- The fact that so much Spanish is spoken in this show makes it feel authentic. I’m glad the creative team didn’t shy away from it!
- Oreana is Beulah’s granddaughter and Rob-Will’s daughter?!? Whoa!
- It’s funny how much has happened to Carter that Rip and Beth haven’t heard about. He was in a jail cell just hours ago!
- Aww, I like how Everett is just a kind, country-singing cowboy vet. Let’s keep him around!
- Zachariah has a hell of a mustache. Respect.
- Wait, what’s in the freezer?
- Oh, Wes’ body. Grim!
Until next week, “Dutton Ranch” faithful! Watch a trailer for the rest of this season below.