Dutton Ranch Episode 4 May Have Revealed The Real Villains Behind The Ranch Attack

Spoilers for "Dutton Ranch" Episode 4 to follow.

After just three episodes, "Dutton Ranch" has proved to be every bit the "Yellowstone" sequel fans have been waiting for. As we all expected, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler's Texas adventure has already led to untold drama and tumult, and in Episode 4, we see the "Yellowstone" power couple revert to their old ways when they blow up the home of an unscrupulous cattle broker named J.R. Simon (Chuck McCollum). Simon was responsible for selling the couple a bull with foot and mouth disease, which decimated their herd. But it seems increasingly likely that Simon was just a middle man and that there's something far more sinister at play beneath the surface of this attack on Beth and Rip's ranch. 

"Dutton Ranch" Episode 3 saw Beth make a subtle but significant "Yellowstone" callback. But it also saw Annette Benning's Beulah Jackson take a call from someone named Mariano, who tells her that there are "a lot of cattle moving this month" and that they "expect no surprises." Beulah replies that she wants to run the ranch the way she sees fit, though it's clear she's not as in charge of the 10 Petal Ranch as she initially seemed.

Keen-eyed viewers will have noticed that the show credits reveal Raoul Max Trujillo as the voice behind "Mariano Reyes." This is important because Beulah's adopted son, Joaquin Reyes (Juan Pablo Raba), shares a last name with this mysterious Mariano. Naturally, fans have been speculating about what this could mean for the show going forward. Surely, Mariano will appear at some point? Now, a throwaway line from Rip in Episode 4 suggests that Mariano might soon be on the receiving end of his and Beth's wrath in the near future.

Mariano Reyes aside, fans on Reddit have speculated that the cartel is really running the 10 Petal Ranch, with one user even suggesting that Joaquin Reyes' real parents and/or their associates are the ones pulling the strings. With Rio Paloma so close to the Mexican border, there's every chance the cartel have gotten their hooks into Beulah Jackson's ranching operation. Of course, the fact that Joaquin and Mariano share a last name doesn't confirm any of this, but it is one prominent theory floating around ahead of the big reveal.

Meanwhile, Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton have been forced to eradicate their entire herd after the sick bull they bought from J. R. Simon infected the rest of the cattle. The thing is, there's surely more to the story than Simon himself. When Beulah and Beth first met in Episode 1, there was genuine hostility, and during the cattle auction, Rip and Beth competed directly with Beulah for the bull in question. Now, Episode 4 sees Rip tell his wife that the bull "more than likely" came from Mexico.

If that's the case, and if the 10 Petal really is being run by Mexican drug runners, then they would presumably have easy access to bulls from across the border. Perhaps, as Redditors have suggested, the Jacksons were behind bringing the infected bull to the Dutton Ranch. Or, more specifically, the shady organization that's running the 10 Petal Ranch from afar is to blame. With Rip Wheeler keeping the Train Station tradition alive from "Yellowstone," whoever is responsible for the infected bull will no doubt get what's coming to them.

We're sure to learn more about Mariano Reyes and his affiliations as "Dutton Ranch" goes on. As of now, Episode 4 has only extended the mystery, with Beulah picking up the phone to an unknown caller and asking, "What is it?" Once again, we don't get any details, but this was almost certainly Mariano. The mystery caller happens to call just as Beulah is breaking down in what seems like a scene designed to demonstrate how the 10 Petal matriarch wants to escape the stress of it all but is continually pulled back in due to her affiliation with much bigger and more nefarious forces.

For viewers, however, this is all very exciting. If Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton stopped just short of killing J.R. Simon, imagine what they'll do when they find out who's really behind the infected bull that killed their herd? There's already tension between Dutton Ranch and 10 Petal, if it turns out the latter has something to do with Rip and Beth's most traumatic experience in Texas, there will surely be hell to pay.

Interestingly enough, "Dutton Ranch" already feels like it's setting up a "Landman" crossover, and if it introduces a cartel storyline, it will feel even more like the Billy Bob Thonrton-led series. In Taylor Sheridan's oil drama, a cartel boss by the name of Danny "Gallino" Morrell (Andy Garcia) gives money to Thornton's oil man to establish his own firm. If a cartel is running 10 Petal behind-the-scenes, this will be yet another aspect of the series that feels like something out of "Landman." For those waiting for a crossover, it bodes well.

"Dutton Ranch" is currently streaming on Paramount+.