Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dutton Ranch season 1.Dutton Ranch's true villain revealed ahead of season 2.
The sequel series originated from Taylor Sheridan's $3 billion media empire Yellowstone, which has taken over the world. With multiple prequels, sequels, and more planned, the franchise shows no signs of slowing down. The franchise follows the multi-generational saga of the Dutton family, with the sequel series expanding on surviving family members and their lives after the end of the flagship series in 2024.
The final episode of Dutton Ranch season 1 has officially aired, and fans are waiting to see what's next after the intense climax and shocking revelations teased ahead of its second season's release. In an interview with TV Insider, series stars Cole Hauser (known as Rip Wheeler) and Kelly Reilly (known as Beth Dutton) spoke about what fans can expect with season 2, including the true villain finally being shown during the intense finale.
Hauser: Mariano, obviously, he’s this entity that you don’t know who he is, especially Beth and Rip. We see him very briefly in the show, but I think ultimately there’s some issues that need to be sorted out with Beulah, and I think she will hopefully be a tool to get to where we need to get to, to find what we want, which is our son.
Reilly: Beulah’s been caught up in so much throughout her whole life. We see it when she was younger with Mariano. I do feel like there is [room for] growth for them to come together potentially. I also would love Beth and Rip to collaborate with Beulah. It has to be on a new, level field now after what’s happened, but I don’t think Beulah is the true enemy of them. She was just in over her head and made some really, really bad choices, but she was doing it for her family, and Beth can understand that. So they’re quite similar in a way.
Although Beth, I don’t think, would’ve entertained what [Beulah] was willing to do for her father’s ranch. She did some questionable things, but to put everyone in this much danger, I don’t think she could fathom why Beulah would even do that.
Hauser: Let’s not forget about the great Ed Harris. We also have him, and he’s going to become a very important, integral part of Season 2. And for both Kelly and I, obviously Annette is phenomenal, but I cannot wait to work more with him. He’s such an amazing American actor that I think was used very sparingly this year. We’re going to make sure that he is a big part of helping us moving forward in whatever capacity.
During season 1, episode 9, Mariano (played by Raoul Trujillo), the father of Joaquin (played by Juan Pablo Raba), kidnapped Beth and Rip's adopted son Carter (played by Finn Little), with Mariano calling Beth to inform and also warn her of the situation. The events stem from Beth and Rip discovering the truth about 10-Petal Ranch and Beulah Jackson (played by Annette Bening), as well as the fentanyl smuggling operation she was tied into with Mariano.
Knowing Beth and Rip throughout the seasons of Yellowstone, they won't take this news lightly, and have been known to fight tooth and nail for their family. Reilly admits that "I don't think Beulah is the true enemy," making Mariano's actions and who he is more than likely the true focus and antagonist ahead of season 2 of Dutton Ranch.
It's unclear how events will unfold, but with the other spinoff, Marshals, also ending with Beth's brother Kayce Dutton (played by Luke Grimes) dealing with a season 1 blow with the kidnapping of his son Tate, it could signal a potential Yellowstone crossover. Tate has been taken to Texas where Beth and Rip have set up shop, giving fans hope that the two series will potentially collide as the family reunites to find their missing children.
Dutton Ranch is available to stream on Paramount+.
