In the world of “Dutton Ranch,” the most dangerous character is often the most desperate — and that’s exactly where Joaquin finds himself at the end of Episode 8, placing a phone call that actor Juan Pablo Raba likens to “pressing a nuke.” (Take cover, Rio Paloma!)
So, how did Joaquin end up here, and who exactly did he call? Let’s back up a bit: Still furious that Beulah named Rob-Will the next head of the 10 Petal Ranch over him, Joaquin pays a visit to Sheriff Wade in the season’s penultimate episode, informing him that Rob-Will killed Wes. He even hands over the murder weapon as proof. Unfortunately, because Joaquin doesn’t know where Wes’ body is buried — and because Wade likes being a d-word, let’s be real — the sheriff tells Joaquin, “You can go play your game of ‘Clue’ elsewhere.”
After getting out some of his frustration by screaming in a cemetery (relatable!), a reluctant Joaquin plays his final card, the one he hoped he would never have to remove from his deck: a phone call to his father, Mariano Reyes. Yes, the same father we met during the flashbacks to Beulah’s younger days. Yes, the same father who gave Joaquin over to Beulah after he “got on the wrong side of the law.” That father.
“Joaquin has been solving problems all his life, that’s what he does, so to have to make that call is probably the second biggest heartbreak that he has,” Raba tells TVLine. “His biggest heartbreak is when Beulah says no to the throne, and his second biggest heartbreak is having to call his father.”
Joaquin’s desperate act will bring more ‘heartbreak’
“Dutton Ranch” has introduced its fair share of troublemakers in Season 1, from power-hungry Rob-Will to trigger-happy Chet, but it sounds like Mariano Reyes might become the show’s first official villain with a capital V.
“He knows that making that call will change everyone’s life, just one phone call,” Juan Pablo Reyes tells TVLine of Joaquin turning to his father for help. “He knows that, and it’s really hard to make it. So what comes for Joaquin is a lot of heartbreak, because every single second after that phone call, he knows that it’s his responsibility. It’s like pressing a nuke. You know everything’s going to end, but you don’t see any other way of doing it.”
Austin’s intel lays the groundwork for an explosive Dutton Ranch season finale
Little does Joaquin know, Team Dutton is also cooking up a revenge scheme against Rob-Will. Austin plays whistleblower at the end of Episode 8, revealing the full extent of the 10 Petal Ranch’s apparent cattle smuggling operation in Mexico; stolen livestock is transported across the border using forged paperwork for police and brokers, thus explaining the whole foot-and-mouth fiasco with Bullet.
“For Austin, this is the most at-home he’s felt in a long time, just to be able to sit down and get all of this off his chest,” actor Sterlin English tells TVLine. “He’s been trying to figure everything out, putting these pieces of the puzzle together, and now he finally has them all.”
With only two days until the next scheduled cattle shipment, the stage is officially set for a season finale showdown between Rob-Will and, well, pretty much everybody else. We’re just glad “Dutton Ranch” has been renewed for Season 2, because this war has only just begun.
In the world of “Yellowstone,” people who stick their noses where they don’t belong tend to fare well (R.I.P. Chet!), but English is remaining mum on just how worried Austin should be in the season finale: “Everybody’s gonna have to watch and see!”
What are your hopes as we head into the final episode of “Dutton Ranch” Season 1? Drop a comment with your hopes for next week’s finale below.
