Dutton Ranch Season 1 Episode 3 Lights Small Fires for Everyone — Review

Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

Damn!

After everything Beth and Rip have been through, one would think that the universe would cut them some slack.

But if wishes were horses… (no pun).

Dutton Ranch settles into itself in this hour. It casts a smaller net than the series premiere because the stage is set, and now it’s about finetuning the story.

And this becomes the best episode so far because it taps into what made Yellowstone such an engaging watch: the problems that come with ranching.

What really stands out is how much of a role the move to Texas plays in the story now.

Beth and Rip weren’t buying this ranch just because it was available and they could afford it; it was a way to completely reset their whole world.

For Yellowstone, the biggest enemy was the passage of time, while for Dutton Ranch, it’s the challenge of beginning afresh.

Problems and solving them are what make the Yellowstone universe addictive, and now everyone has small ones that together threaten their lives.

And they will compound as time passes because this is just the beginning.

Statistics show that ranching is on the decline as the economy changes and big companies hollow out family outfits.

It can be hard for smaller ranches to compete, and sometimes they’re left fighting for scraps.

Right now, Dutton Ranch is in the trenches. Rearing good beef is just the start.

Dutton Ranch Season 1 Episode 3 “Act of God Business” sends Beth and Rip on different missions, but they all converge at a point of potential loss.

It is finally settling that this really is Beth and Rip’s story. This is their ranch.

Hearing Azul call Rip “boss,” as Rip had called John thousands of times, makes me realize the shift.

They have no cushion if something doesn’t work out; it’s either swim or sink. Like any business, ranching has problems unique to it, and at the most basic level, animals are prone to disease.

Not only poultry but also cattle.

The foot-and-mouth outbreak could destroy all they’ve worked for. It feels unfair because they’ve only just begun.

The calf Rip saved in Montana has barely matured, and now they might lose everything.

It’s a very emotional storyline, compounded by the fact that ranching involves dealing with problems from all sides.

Thankfully, Rip knows how to handle most problems because working at Yellowstone exposed him to almost everything.

One of the hour’s most emotional scenes hits hard because there is no clear solution.

When a woman Fast and Furious’ her way into the ranch, aiming to kill Rip’s newest employee for murdering her daughter, it’s one of those developments that catches you unawares, as the rancher and the viewer.

Zach truly regrets what happened (even though we don’t know the exact details), and the woman is at her breaking point.

Don’t tell anyone, but when she said it’s too heavy, I nearly broke down.

But Rip handles it like a pro, and that’s how I know they’re going to be okay. By himself, Rip is a force, but with Beth, well, they’re a hurricane.

While Rip deals with the ranch problems, Beth handles business, and that takes her to the big city, where she has to deal with the less bright.

I love how she will always find a way to look down on people, even when they’re having fun.

If that were a normal day, she would have whooped someone’s ass, but there are larger issues to deal with.

The ranch has the cattle (for now) and the slaughterhouse, but it needs someone to take the beef.

Being a small business owner is really tough. You have to do everything yourself.

But Beth has never been scared of the hard parts; she thrives in them. When she says, “I’ll handle difficult,” I get chills because I believe her, and woe unto anyone who stands in her way.

Once again, the universe puts her on a collision course with Beulah since they’re competing for the same market, and Beulah can be difficult.

But Beth handles difficult.

And it’s not like Beulah has her eyes trained on Dutton Ranch all the time because she also has her own fires. 10P is facing an existential crisis following the murder of the foreman, and Beulah can’t bury this.

The body is nowhere to be found, and the new sheriff does not care who you are.

Beulah can bite back, that’s for sure, and I think Beth might have met her match.

Still, I’m concerned that the show is setting them up for a future team-up, especially with Joaquin playing nice with Beth.

I don’t think Joaquin is like the Jacksons, so he might be able to soften Beth if they become friends and weaken the feud.

And friendships seem to be thriving between the two families as Oreanas and Carter grow closer in what is the worst storyline in the episode.

Carter, what are you doing?

This damsel-in-distress routine will not end well. I just find it odd for a straight man to listen to a heterosexual woman’s boyfriend problems as if he can remain objective.

But I see how, if handled well, this could be an impactful storyline for Carter, who is a young man now and has little exposure to the outside world.

He is easy to use and manipulate, even if the other person is not doing so maliciously.

It also adds another layer to the Dutton-Jackson conflict in a Romeo-and-Juliet kind of way.

Will the tragedy repeat?

Gut Check

“Act of God Business” is a great episode of Dutton Ranch, as it finally reveals what this show is doing with Beth and Rip. The writing, dare I say again, is way better than what Yellowstone had.

Intrusive Thoughts

• Pro-vaxx and anti-racist sentiments in a Yellowstone show as I live and breathe. I never thought this could happen.

• The gay jokes are becoming a bit much, though. Where are the gay people anyway?

• I don’t lie to you, honey, and Rip has not mentioned the dead body he dumped in the middle of the night.

• He might be a keeper because he pissed on your ex-boyfriend’s truck? Oreanas girl, you know how to pick them.

Over to you, Dutton Ranch fanatics. What did you think of the story this hour? Is the show setting up a team-up between 10P and Dutton Ranch? What are your feelings about that?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
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