‘Dutton Ranch': Why Did Rip Do It? Episode 1 + 2 Ending Explained [REVIEW]

Rip Wheeler falls into an old habit at the end of Episode 2 of Dutton Ranch. It's hard to fault him.

The new Yellowstone spin-off answers key questions fans had ahead of the series premiere on Paramount+. The first 12 minutes explain Rip and Beth Dutton's move from Montana to Texas and from there we quickly learn why Beulah Jackson (played by Annette Bening) and her family are the kind of problem only a violent solution can fix.

Tantalizing questions still remain about characters like Oreana and Everett. Of course you may be wondering something much more basic.

Is Dutton Ranch any good?

If you loved Seasons 1 and 2 of Yellowstone, you'll love this show.

Consider this a spoiler alert because I'm about to drill deep into the parallels between the two shows while I reveal critical plot points. It's not perfect, but Dutton Ranch is the first Yellowstone spinoff to actually feel like the best of Taylor Sheridan's OG franchise.

The show borrows very liberally from Yellowstone, at times seeming to recreate scenes. For example, both shows start with a Dutton petting a horse and both debut episodes include a horse injured in a car crash.

Like Yellowstone Season 1, neighbor problems are going drive the plot of Dutton Ranch Season 1. We had to wait four episodes for a ranch hand to be murdered on Yellowstone, but it happens in the first 15 minutes on the new show.

In both cases, Rip tosses the body into a place no one will ever find them.

What separates Dutton Ranch is the built-in sympathy we feel for Beth and Rip at the start. That's used to hook us early. It's a beautiful thing to see the two lovers riding across Montana with a kind of freedom neither ever knew.

“Did you ever imagine we could have this?" she aks. “Not in this lifetime," he responds.

Why Did Rip and Beth Move To Texas?

Of course that's short lived. Minutes later a crack of lightning sets the town on fire and Beth and Rip's Montana home burns down. He desperately calls friends looking for an opportunity and Walker (his ex-nemesis of all people) tells him about a piece of property for sale in south Texas.

Thus, the Edwards Ranch becomes the Dutton Ranch and Beth, Rip and Carter relocate. This is all wrapped up in the first 12 minutes of Ep. 1 with the rest of the series premiere focusing on their struggle to fit in.

Related: Yellowstone Fans Didn't Miss This Nod To John Dutton on Dutton Ranch

Montana, Rip tells Beth, will always be home but it's unlikely the show will visit those mountains again.

The rest of the premiere episodes focus on tensions between the Duttons and their neighbors. Beulah Jackson owns the 10 Petal Ranch and runs it like a woman afraid she's losing control. One son, Joaquin, is a shrewd businessman while the other (Rob Will) is an idiot. Guess which one Rip punches in the parking lot of a gas station.

That happens after Rob Will kills the ranch foreman he suspects is snitching on him (it's not clear the crimes) and dumps the body on Rip's property. Meanwhile, Beth pays Beulah a visit hoping she'll slaughter and cut up her six steer for market. She's met with an extortion offer and storms out.

Carter's problems are most relatable. He's not found friends at school but thinks a girl he's crushing on is sincere in inviting him to the rodeo. She's really just using him to buy beer (he looks old enough) and ditches him as soon as he returns.

Jackson Family Tree

As he prepares to leave, he spots a cowboy preparing to abuse his girlfriend and jumps in. Did anyone else recognize ol' boy from earlier when his "flirting" with bartender Carol (played by country singer Morgan Wade) gets him in trouble with Everette?

The fight lands Carter in jail but the girl (Oreana) talks to the cops who set him free. A love connection is made but the romance grows cold when her family begins to text her.

That's when we learn Oreana is Rob Will's daughter and Beulah's granddaughter. She doesn't not see eye-to-eye with grandma, to put it mildly. Credit actress Natalie Alyn Lind for holding her own during an intense dinner table scene with Bening.

Why Did Rip Dump the Body?

Episode 2 includes one more callback to Yellowstone. Rip waits outside the local jail to collect a prisoner he feels will make a nice addition to the bunkhouse. Zachariah comes recommended by foreman Azul and after a frosty introduction he proves to be quite charming (unlike Walker, who never really warmed up to Rip after being scooped up from jail).

Back at the ranch, Rip follows the vultures and hogs to find the shallow grave Rob Will dug to bury the body of his foreman. Instead of calling the cops, he steals the body and puts it in a freezer for a night. Shortly after 3AM he drives to an old mineshaft and dumps it down a mine, thus creating a brand new train station. Zachariah sees him drive away.

His actions make sense if you consider how Rip was raised. First, he has no real identity, which is surely going to draw him negative attention when bodies start turning up. He also has no local police connections yet (they've only been there six months) and given what he's been through in life it's understandable that he might not trust authority.

Remember, this is the way things were always done in Rip's insular world, so it makes sense he'd repeat what he's been taught. He's also trying hard to protect his wife's peace of mind. In fact it's his purpose on this earth at this point.

"This life here is gonna work," she tells him toward the end of Ep. 1, before the body business.

"We'll make it work," he answers.

It's a vote of confidence as much as it's a promise.

Who Is Dr. Everett McKinney on Dutton Ranch?

Ed Harris' Dr. Everett McKinney helps Beth and Rip throughout Ep. 1 and 2 but photos shared in advance of Season 1 make it clear he's tied to Beulah Jackson in important ways as well. The decorated Vietnam War veteran knows everyone in town, and also knows how to navigate the politics of small town life.

I think it's premature to label him a Dutton friend.