The Biggest Unanswered Questions From The Dutton Ranch Season 1 Finale

"Dutton Ranch" gave us a suitably intense Season 1 finale, which involved everything from surprise pregnancies to a good old fashioned Western shootout. What's more, amid all the murder, betrayal, threats, and confessions, the show's writers managed to answer most of our story-related questions. The "Dutton Ranch" finale even proved the biggest fan theory right when it explained how Annette Bening's Beulah Jackson started working with the cartel and exactly what her cattle smuggling operation actually entails — $2 million worth of Fentanyl hidden inside cows, to be specific. We also saw an adult Mariano Reyes (Raoul Trujillo) for the first time, and it turns out he's not a very nice dude.

But the finale, titled "El Padrino," also raised a ton of questions. The closing moments of the episode see Finn Little's Carter Green kidnapped by the cartel, leaving fans to wonder about the fate of Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler's (Cole Hauser) son. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as "El Padrino" hit us with multiple reveals that left us desperate to learn more. Oreana Jackson's (Natalie Alyn Lind) unplanned pregnancy, for instance, was a bombshell that went somewhat overshadowed in a relentlessly tempestuous episode. Then there's the fact we never actually saw Juan Pablo Raba's Joaquin Reyes fire the shot that killed his brother, Rob-Will Jackson (Jai Courtney). Could he really have gone through with it?

Luckily, "Dutton Ranch" Season 2 is happening, so it's not like we'll never get answers. Still, I'm not sure how easy the wait will be given how many threads were left hanging at the end of the season. Here are the biggest unanswered questions from the "Dutton Ranch" Season 1 finale.

Perhaps the most shocking moment in the "Dutton Ranch" Season 1 finale was when Rob-Will Jackson was gunned down in his own home, only for his daughter, Oreana Jackson, to discover his body and disintegrate into despair. This particular death hit even harder after the previously odious Rob-Will was given a sweet scene with Oreana in which he appeared to show some vulnerability for the first time. Moments later, he took a bullet from his own brother, Joaquin Reyes.

Or did he? Joaquin actor Juan Pablo Raba has doubts about that finale death, and the more you think about it, the more likely it seems that something even more nefarious is at play. We all assumed Joaquin was the culprit because he was ordered by his father, Mariano Reyes, to stop "standing at fences" and take control by murdering his brother and inheriting the 10 Petal Ranch. But not only do we never actually see Joaquin pull the trigger, the scenes in which he sits in his car and frets over the murder could easily be interpreted as Joaquin experiencing anxiety over not going through with the hit. With Raba himself doubting that Joaquin had the guts to pull the trigger, we'll almost certainly find out there was more at play here.

But if Joaquin didn't kill Rob-Will, who did? Another cartel hitman? Mariano himself? Perhaps someone even more obscure — say, perhaps, somebody connected to Wes Ayers (Nakoa DeCoite), the ranch hand who Rob-Will murdered in the premiere episode? It's not like Rob-Will didn't have a long list of enemies, so we can't wait to see how this one plays out.

With all the shootouts, kidnappings, and apparent fratricide going on in "El Padrino," you'd be forgiven for forgetting that Oreana Jackson also learned she was pregnant. A brief scene shows Rob-Will's daughter taking a pregnancy test and almost breaking down when it comes back positive. When Beth Dutton knocks at the door, however, Oreana is forced to compose herself, which contributes to what would otherwise be a big reveal feeling as if it became somewhat lost in the shuffle.

If it was any other episode, Oreana's pregnancy would have been a big deal. After all, she and Carter Green have been carrying on together, and if he turns out to be the father, that's surely going to cause some major drama among the Dutton clan. But there's no way to be certain that Carter actually is the father.

"Dutton Ranch" Episode 7 was the best and worst installment of the show so far, delivering generous helpings of melodrama while sidelining Beth and Rip Wheeler somewhat. That episode saw Oreana flirting with preppy college boy Harrison Williams (Matthew Erick White). Later in that same episode, Oreana claims to have slept with Harrison, which raises two questions. Firstly, how many other people has Oreana slept with outside of her relationship with Carter? Secondly, which one of them is the father of her baby? It seems likely to be Carter. But, if he isn't the father, the show's writers could deliver yet more soapy melodrama by having Oreana claim otherwise.

"Dutton Ranch" ended with the perfect excuse for a crossover with fellow "Yellowstone" spin-off "Marshals." Like the first season of Luke Grimes' CBS procedural, "Dutton Ranch" Season 1 concluded with the main characters' son being kidnapped. On "Marshals," Brecken Merrill's Tate Dutton was taken captive by shady rancher Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey), who plans to bring him to Texas (which just so happens to be where Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler now reside). On "Dutton Ranch," Carter Green is abducted by a crew of cartel goons, who plan to use him as leverage to draw out Beth and Rip and dispose of the entire family.

Following Carter's abduction, Rip tells his wife, "They don't want Carter, they want us," to which Beth replies, "Then they're gonna f****** get us." That one line caused a ripple of excitement to radiate through "Yellowstone" fans everywhere, as it essentially suggests we're going to see some vintage Beth and Rip action in "Dutton Ranch" Season 2. But that excitement also drew attention away from the fact the cartel knew where to find Carter, which raises some intriguing questions.

Carter was taken from the late Dwight White's (Ray McKinnon) house. The only people who knew Carter was hanging out on the property were Oreana Jackson, who ostensibly planned to abscond with Carter, and the crooked Sheriff Handy Wade (Josh Stewart). Wade has been dodgy from the get go and became a full on villain after he and his men gunned down Dwight earlier in the season. If it turns out he's working with the cartel, it wouldn't be all that surprising. Plus, he has a motive for wanting Carter kidnapped, as the young wannabe rancher is the only one who witnessed Dwight's death first-hand.

Alongside Annette Bening, Ed Harris brings an air of prestige to "Dutton Ranch" that helps elevate the show beyond being just a nicely-shot soap opera. As veterinarian Everett McKinney, Harris brings the all important naturalism that made "Yellowstone" and Taylor Sheridan's raft of wildly popular shows so successful. But, thus far, we don't actually know all that much about him.

We do know that Everett is a Vietnam veteran who, judging by the shootout in the "Dutton Ranch" finale, still has what it takes in a firefight. We also know he was once involved with Beulah Jackson and rekindled his love affair with the 10 Petal matriarch late in "Dutton Ranch" Season 1, only for everything to fall apart when he learned the truth about Beulah's drug smuggling. Otherwise, "Dutton Ranch" hasn't had much time to explore Everett's past. But the Season 1 finale did contain a significant reveal about the character, when he told Beth Dutton about losing his son, Levi. In a quiet moment, Everett says Levi was just 14 when he passed away. "I guess he just wasn't made for this world," says Harris' veterinarian, suggesting Levi may have self-harmed. For now, however, this tragic element of Everett's past remains almost as mysterious as the man himself.

Thankfully, it looks as if we'll learn more in Season 2. Kelly Reilly spoke to TV Insider about Harris' character, saying, "I think Season 2 is going to feel very much more Ed's show. This is not the Beth and Rip show. This is Dutton Ranch, and there's four lead characters, five. Annette Bening and Ed Harris."