‘Dutton Ranch’s Mysterious Phone Call Just Set Up a Game-Changing Season 1 Finale

Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for Dutton Ranch Episode 8.

Yellowstone may have originally ended with its fifth and final season two years ago, but Taylor Sheridan‘s iconic neo-Western franchise has endured thanks to two spin-off series revolving around the next generation of Duttons. While Kayce (Luke Grimes) has put down roots to protect his home state of Montana on the CBS procedural Marshals, his older sister Beth (Kelly Reilly) and her husband Rip (Cole Hauser) have moved to Texas for a fresh start on the aptly named Dutton Ranch.

Beginning again, miles away from the original Yellowstone, is easier said than done after a devastating illness sweeps through their new herd, forcing Beth and Rip to reach out for help from their most prominent rival, Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening). Yet these two families slowly become more and more connected in ways that go beyond unexpected employment. Beth and Rip’s adopted son, Carter (Finn Little), has fallen for Beulah’s granddaughter Oreana (Natalie Alyn Lind).

That complicated dynamic culminates in a publicly embarrassing display for Beth and Rip at the same party where Beulah officially confirms her bad-apple son, Rob-Will (Jai Courtney), as her heir after initially promising Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba) that he would be rewarded. Even after Beulah’s heart attack, it’s clear that Joaquin may be preparing to cut ties with his own family, especially once he goes to Sheriff Handy Wade (Josh Stewart) with what he knows about the disappearance of the 10-Petal’s former ranch hand. Ahead of the premiere of Episode 8, “Whiskey Limits,” Collider spoke with Raba about Joaquin’s biggest personal betrayal, how that mysterious phone call sets up next week’s Season 1 finale, and why Beulah’s eldest son is now willing to fight dirty.

COLLIDER: When Joaquin buys himself a cowboy hat for the first time, it does feel like a symbolic moment for the character, but what does that scene really represent for him at this point in the season?

JUAN PABLO RABA: I love that you bring it up. So, here’s the deal. It became a whole thing on the show because, from the beginning, I was wondering, like, “Why don’t I have a hat?” And I was busting everyone’s chops about it. I was talking to the girls in wardrobe, “When are we getting a hat? Why doesn’t Joaquin have a hat?” Now, I understand why he didn’t have a hat. It’s because we had to make a moment out of it.

The day that we shot that scene, my God, the crew, and wardrobe, and everybody’s so fantastic, we made a Hat Day out of it. They made a piñata of Joaquin with a hat. It was very symbolic.

If you read it on paper, you’re like, “Oh, Joaquin goes and buys a hat.” There was so much more to it. It’s that moment where Joaquin says, “Okay, everything that I’ve done, everything that I’ve worked for, I have accomplished. I put Rob-Will out of the picture. My mother’s tired. This is it. This is my moment. I’m the prince — I’m going to get my crown, and I’m going to go to that party, and I’m going to get crowned in front of everybody else.” That hat moment became so important because it’s not only buying a hat; it’s the moment he realizes, “I’m going to get it. I did it. I won!”

‘Dutton Ranch’s Juan Pablo Raba Explains Joaquin’s Reaction to Beulah’s Betrayal

“Despite you hurting me in this way, I still love you, and I’m still here.”

Image via Paramount+

As the audience, we’re definitely made privy to a conversation that Joaquin isn’t: the exchange in Beulah’s office when Rob-Will pressures her to announce him as her official successor over Joaquin. For Joaquin, what do you think that moment does, especially on the heels of any current feelings that he’s having towards her that are probably a lot more conflicted now that she’s publicly said, “Rob-Will is the prince”?

RABA: That moment, he realizes, “I’m not going to get it. I did everything right, and I still didn’t get it. I still don’t belong. They still make me feel like I am not a Jackson.”

But yeah, he really loves her. I think there are only two people in Joaquin’s life that he actually loves because he has felt some kind of love from them, too, which is Beulah and [Oreana]. Those are the only two human beings that he feels some kind of real empathy towards. So, it just shows, “Despite you hurting me in this way, I still love you, and I’m still here. You made a fool out of me. You lied to me. You made me feel I’m not worthy, but I’m still here. I can’t help this feeling I have for you.” So, it becomes even more heartbreaking.

In terms of Joaquin’s dynamic with Oreana, you and Natalie don’t really have a chance to share the screen a lot this season, but there is that moment in the waiting room when the two of you just embrace. Did the two of you have any conversations about that relationship and his support of her, even though his feelings about her dad aren’t as kind?

RABA: Well, in my backstory, I always thought — and this is something I shared with Natalie and with the writers — that even if we don’t get to play it too much, these two really need to have a bonding connection. Especially because Rob-Will, being the kind of human he is and the absent father, I’m pretty sure there were plenty of times when Joaquin read Oreana her bedtime story, when he tucked her into bed, where he told her that everything was going to be all right. Of course, she’s at a time in her life where she wants to rebel against a bunch of stuff, but her tío is something very important to her because that’s probably her only fatherly figure.

I feel like in that embrace, there’s a lot that has been said. Then also, you have to think that it doesn’t matter how complicated Beulah is; she’s still the matriarch. She still holds the reins, and she holds them close. It doesn’t matter what other people feel about her. If she falls, everybody’s going to be there either to pick her up or to watch her fall, but there are a lot of people who are going to be there to watch what happens with her.

Despite showing up for Beulah after the incident, it seems like Joaquin’s pretty much done with the Jackson family. Is there any one moment that drives him to cut ties, or is it a steady progression of mounting disrespect that kind of all culminates in him deciding to break away?

RABA: I think there are two huge moments for Joaquin, and they’re both equally heartbreaking. The first one is realizing Beulah will not give him the throne while doing everything correctly. He’s spent all his life with only one objective, and he’s done everything that had to be done. So, that’s heartbreaking.

But the other one, and I think this one is even more heartbreaking, is the moment he makes the call, because he’s smart. He knows that by making that call, he’s going to change everyone’s life trajectory. He had the possibility to make that call for years, and he hasn’t done it. He knows that by doing this, everything’s going to change, and he’s going to try to get what he thinks he deserves, but now, he is willing to play dirty.

‘Dutton Ranch’s Juan Pablo Raba Discusses the Possibility of Joaquin Teaming Up With Beth and Rip

“Yes, he wants the power, but he doesn’t want the violence that comes with it.”

Image via Paramount+

I’m glad you brought up the phone call, because it’s setting up a huge finale. Beth and Rip have, almost surprisingly, had to get involved with the 10-Petal — not just as a way to keep an eye on their rivals, but also to stay afloat themselves. Do you think there’s a possibility of Joaquin now teaming up with them?

RABA: Carly, I would love to give you any kind of answer, but I have no clue. The season finale is such a cliffhanger, and things change so much from where they started that I think the possibilities are endless. I’m just going to say that I only had one strong scene, one with Beth and one with Rip, and the one with Rip really, really helped me understand how I wanted to play this character.

I’ve got to tell you, it’s scary to think that you’re going to get into a truck at night with a guy like Rip who is holding a gun right there. The moment this guy stops the truck, he’s terrified. Anything can happen right now, and I was not going to play this with macho and bravado. I was going to play this as human as possible, and just going to be scared to death of what’s going to happen. I was not going to play into the kind of Yellowstone masculinity of, “I’m a cowboy. I’m tough. You put a gun to my face, and I laugh at you.” No, I was going to be really scared because he doesn’t know how to deal with this. This is not what [Joaquin] wanted to do. He wanted to be a rancher. Yes, he wants the power, but he doesn’t want the violence that comes with it.

We do see Joaquin go to Sheriff Wade with what he knows about Wes’s murder and Rob-Will’s involvement in it. Has he just been holding onto the evidence in his back pocket with the possibility of using it, and why is he playing that card now?

RABA: He keeps it for a reason. That’s what he does. He plays chess. So, his master play was, “Oh, okay, Rob-Will did this. Perfect. That’s my perfect excuse, like, ‘Hey mom, we have to put him away because he’s a lot of trouble. I’m gonna have to clean up this mess. Oh, poor me. What am I going to do? You have to give me the throne, because this guy, he can’t do it right.’”

Then, when Rob-Will comes back, [Joaquin] still doesn’t threaten him. He still doesn’t say, “Hey, get out of here because I’m going to do this.” This is his power play. “Okay, I couldn’t do this the right way. Now I’m going to do it the wrong way. You made me do this. I’m gonna have to play dirty now. I tried to send you to a nice rehab facility. I’m gonna have to put you in jail, but I will do it because I am the right person for this job.” It’s just very confusing because now he feels like he’s being forced into basically a whole persona that he doesn’t want to become.

New episodes of Dutton Ranch premiere Fridays on Paramount+.