Why Do Beth and Rip Kill Their Entire Herd? Inside “Dutton Ranch”'s Big Episode 4 Twist

It's not smooth sailing for Beth and Rip as they try to establish themselves in Texas in the new 'Yellowstone' spinoff

NEED TO KNOW

• Dutton Ranch season 1, episode 4 premiered May 29 on Paramount+
• After the spread of foot-and-mouth disease devastated their herd, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) had a difficult decision to make
• The episode also revealed more about the complicated history between Beulah (Annette Bening) and Everett (Ed Harris)

Warning: Dutton Ranch episode 4 spoilers ahead!

Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip's (Cole Hauser) fresh start isn't turning out as well as they hoped.

In season 1, episode 4 of Dutton Ranch, the new Yellowstone spinoff that follows the beloved couple — and their son, Carter (Finn Little) — as they relocate from Montana to Rio Paloma, Texas, the challenges posed by their new ranch prove far greater than they expected.

Carter, meanwhile, is seeking out a world of his own in Texas, both with Oreana (Natalie Alyn Lind) and a new rancher, Dwight (Ray McKinnon).

The episode also dives deeper into the complicated relationship between Beulah (Annette Bening), who is the town's resident rancher queen bee, and local vet Everett (Ed Harris).

So, what happened during Dutton Ranch season 1, episode 4? Here's a breakdown of everything that unfolded. 

Is there a romantic history between Beulah and Everett?

Everett is surprised to be called to 10 Petal Ranch, which usually uses a different vet, but responds to a call about a foaling pregnant mare that turns out to be a trick by Beulah designed to get Everett over.

When he arrives at the ranch and learns there was no pregnant mare at all, he puts the pieces together pretty quickly about Beulah's setup. He finds her sipping a drink on her porch, and she quips that she's "awfully clever" for getting him to come over, as she knew he wouldn't come if she had just asked.

He joins her, somewhat begrudgingly, for "just one drink," and they talk about what their future holds. Beulah confesses that Rob-Will (Jai Courtney) is back in rehab — "Let's hope third time's the charm," she says — to which Everett shares that he's haunted by the old tire swing in his front yard, as he seems to hint at the loss of a son named Levi.

When Beulah grabs Everett's hand, he tells her, "We got too many demons to ever be good for each other." She tells him she "can't argue" with that, which surprises him, and he heads out — leaving Beulah in tears on her porch.

Why did Beth and Rip kill their entire herd?

With foot-and-mouth disease spreading through their cattle — which he discovered in the previous episode — Rip has no choice but to eliminate the entire herd. Azul (J.R. Villarreal) and Zachariah (Marc Menchaca) are both on hand to help, as is Beth.

"I'll be right next to you," Beth tells Rip, even though he says, "Honey, that's not where you wanna be."

"That's why I won't be anywhere else," she replies.

After corraling the whole herd into a fenced-off area that Azul dug out with a bulldozer, Rip takes out each of the cattle, one by one, with a shotgun, while Beth, Azul and Zachariah stand by and watch. "You don't deserve this," he whispers before shooting the herd's only calf, whom Beth had hoped they might be able to save.

After the deed was done, they brought the bulldozer back out and covered the hole, burying all the cattle underground.

Back in their kitchen, Beth wonders how they're going to tell Carter about the herd — particularly after she encouraged him to take Oreana on a date as a means of making sure he wasn't home to witness what happened.

Then, she drops a bomb: "I made some calls earlier. Got answers you're not gonna like," she tells Rip. "All the vet paperwork, the blood tests, all of it forged. Cattle broker, he f—ed us, baby."

Who did Beth and Rip run out of town?

As she tells Rip, before killing the herd, Beth makes a call to Dr. Poole, who "did the presale examination and blood work" on the bull they bought, which is what they suspect infected the herd. They bought the bull from cattle broker J.R. Simon, but Dr. Poole tells Beth he has no record of her or Simon, let alone the alleged examination.

That night, Rip and Beth confront a sleeping J.R., dressed only in his boxers and a white T-shirt. "You sold me a sick bull," Rip says, before throwing J.R. across the room.

Rip then tells him he has "30 seconds to get the f— out of this trailer and out of Rio Paloma, and if I ever f—ing see your f—ing face again, you're dead."

J.R. does as he's told, and then Rip douses the trailer in gasoline. Beth, who's been smoking a cigarette while her husband took care of business, throws the cigarette into the trailer, and the entire home goes up in flames.

In the car on the way back home, Beth says she'll "do whatever I have to do" to fix the situation, but Rip tells her, "This isn't on you to fix."

New episodes of Dutton Ranch premiere Fridays on Paramount+

Read the full article here