Dutton Ranch Episode 7 Uses A Classic TV Format To Deliver Its Best And Worst Episode Yet

This article contains spoilers for "Dutton Ranch" Episode 7.

"Dutton Ranch" ruined its most interesting storyline in Episode 5, having Cole Hauser's Rip Wheeler and Kelly Reilly's Beth Dutton cozy up to their rivals at the 10 Petal Ranch following the destruction of their own herd. Suddenly the show was no longer ranch vs. ranch, and it felt like a letdown. Episode 7, however, brings the melodrama to new heights via an oft-used episode format that makes for a thrilling and confusing entry in the "Dutton Ranch" saga.

Bottle episodes are an almost forgotten cost-saving TV show trend that involves using a show's main cast on a standing set to create an episode that plays out entirely in one setting. Today, straightforward bottle episodes are much less common than they once were, partly because the days of 26-episode seasons are long gone and partly because streamers are spending enough on their shows that showrunners don't need to worry as much about bottle episodes.

Bottle episodes started as a cost-cutting measure, but they became a storytelling tool in their own right, allowing the writers to provide significant character development by focusing on their core cast in a confined setting. Over time, the bottle episode has evolved to include the modern-day equivalent: departure episodes. These don't necessarily play out in a single setting but are mostly set in one place. "Dutton Ranch" Episode 7 is its own form of departure episode. Almost all the action plays out at an anniversary celebration for the 10 Petal Ranch (though we also get two major flashbacks and several scenes at a nearby bar). It's not a true bottle episode, but it's a kind of departure episode, and it makes for one of the show's best and worst installments so far.

When it started, "Dutton Ranch" succeeded where fellow "Yellowstone" spin-off "Marshals" failed, giving fans a show that felt much more like Taylor Sheridan's original neo-Western. What's more, it featured clearly defined and interesting characters and a central tension that held everything together. Whereas "Marshals" had no idea what it was about, "Dutton Ranch" knew exactly what it was doing. This was Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler's upstart ranch vs. the well-established 10 Petal Ranch in small-town Texas.

As things developed, however, the show seemed to switch up its premise. Once the Dutton herd was killed off by a bull infected with foot and mouth disease, Beth and Rip were forced to form an alliance with 10 Petal, thereby undercutting the very tension that had propelled the show so brilliantly. Suddenly, the show was about the Dutton duo perhaps undermining 10 Petal from the inside. Or maybe it was about the rival families actually coming together and overcoming their differences. Whatever the case, things became unclear in a show that initially seemed so surefooted.

With Episode 7, the writers have simultaneously injected plenty of drama and tension back into the show while also appearing to scramble as both the plot and the series' very premise become increasingly murky. Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening) throws a lavish party at the 10 Petal Ranch, which essentially gives the writers an excuse to bring every significant character together in one place. As we might have expected, this ultimately results in an incendiary climax that sees relationships fall apart and alliances crumble. It's thrilling. But also kind of overwhelming.

"Dutton Ranch" Episode 7 has a lot going for it. The flashback scenes featuring a young Beulah Jackson (Rebeca Robles) and former ranch hand Mariano Reyes (Bobby Soto) are excellent, not only providing insight into Beulah's past and making her a more relatable character, but also providing just as much drama as the main storyline. These scenes are beautifully shot and acted, and whoever cast Robles as a young Annette Bening should be promoted.

Meanwhile, the present-day party provides fertile ground for classic Taylor Sheridan-style melodrama. After being rejected by Natalie Alyn Lind's Oreana Lynn Jackson, Finn Little's Carter Green causes a scene that triggers a stroke in Beulah. Meanwhile, Jai Courtney's Rob-Will Jackson is back in town and immediately blackmails his mother into leaving the ranch to him rather than Juan Pablo Raba's Joaquin Reyes. Adding more tension to the ever-evolving plot is Oreana herself, who, having previously seemed like a love-starved teen, now seems as though she shares more in common with her father, Rob-Will, than expected.

It's exciting stuff that recalls classic "Yellowstone." But it's also bewildering. A show that started out with such a brilliantly simple premise now feels like it has a little too much going on. With only two episodes left, it remains unclear whether the previous story threads might be satisfyingly tied up. Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, in particular, take a back seat this episode, with no development of what appeared to be the show's new central tension, i.e., whether Beth and Rip are taking down 10 Petal from the inside and whether Beulah does, in fact, know Beth's darkest secret. Still, seeing how the writers try to pull this thing together will no doubt be as thrilling as Carter's drunken trashing of Beulah's prize bullhead.