Dutton Ranch: How Episode 5's Shocking Rip And Beth Twist Changes Everything

Contains spoilers for "Dutton Ranch" Season 1, Episode 5 — "Peaceful Find Peace"

"Dutton Ranch" fans are used to outrageous behavior from Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) at this point. But in "Peaceful Find Peace," they commit one of their most outrageous acts yet — uniting in supplication to their neighbor and newfound frenemy Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening) in the wake of a total ecological disaster on the ranch.

Rip and Beth's entire herd has been infected with hoof and mouth disease thanks to a single calf with forged papers bought at a livestock auction, which forces Rip to violently cull the herd. With little hope left, Rip applies to Beulah's Petal Ranch to work as her new foreman. An amused Beulah agrees, even giving him a generous salary to boot.

But the shocking twists don't end there, as Beth cozies up to Beulah, too. She suggests that Beulah hire her to make 10 Petal a bespoke ranch with something to crow about. She only wants 20% of the profits. But, naturally, she has a secret agenda — she's done her homework, and points out that the Jacksons have gone through quite a tough time trying to keep the ranch solvent. She presents herself as a promising alternative to bankruptcy. Beulah says yes, but don't expect this meeting of the minds to last for very long.

The reason why Beth knows so much about the Jackson family's recent struggles is that she researched them. Looking for weaknesses in an enemy is a pure Beth Dutton gesture, coolly calculating and well-controlled. It's the sort of thing she did to her adopted brother Jamie (Wes Bentley) in "Yellowstone," though in this case she has no idea how deep Beulah's enmity for her may run. 

Beth also doesn't know that the body Rip discovered and buried on their land happens to be Wes (Nakoa DeCoite), a ranch hand who was killed by Beulah's reckless drug dealing son Rob-Will (Jai Courtney). But Rip and Beth have been around the block and are definitely smart enough to be wary of Beulah, even as they settle into a business relationship with her. There's no telling how all of this will pan out for them — but fans of Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" universe know that it's bound to be dramatic.