We believe Rip Wheeler when he tells Beth Dutton he has never lied to her and he never will. We also believe there will come a point, probably soon, when he will tell her about the body he moved, from a shallow grave on their land to a condemned mineshaft, like a South Texas Train Station annex. But that day is not today. When Beth awakens to an empty bed in Dutton Ranch Episode 3 (“Act of God Business”), all Rip says is that he got up super early. And it’s a pleasant feature of their new series, how Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly are able to express the couple’s decades together with a simple exchange. Beth’s got a meeting in Dallas. But Rip winks and kisses his wife. “You got time for a ride?” Always. Later there will be time for trouble, to handle what’s difficult. For now they saddle up and visit their herd with pride.

“Rio Paloma is a town of outlaws and rustlers.” This is according to Buelah Jackson, as she delivers a eulogy for an old lawman at the Methodist chapel. She’s all about folksy memories and light humor. But Handy Wade, the new sheriff, considers her with an even look from a pew. And outside he warns her, at least as much as it seems a man in his position can. Sheriff Wade says she needs to get a handle on the situation with her bunkhouse. But all Buelah does is pat him on the cheek – benevolence cut with menace – and reminds him of the 10-Petal’s huge contribution to his election campaign. 

Beulah must understand herself and her methods as representative of this town’s apparent legacy of outlaws. And we haven’t met any kind of mayor, so it seems like this is a top-down thing. The Dutton Ranch only wants to uphold the legacy and quality of the local herd they bought. And yet all their moves run back to the same sticking point. This fucking grizzly in Gucci.

In Dallas, as Beth visits a high-end steakhouse, she is packing a cooler full of beautifully-marbled steaks prepared by Claudio the butcher. The cuts represent the beef she and Rip are raising, and the inherited cattle genetics, “refined over generations,” in the Winter Garden region of Texas. The restaurant manager is impressed with the quality, and Beth’s ranch-to-table sales pitch. It is also interesting how much he knows about her family legacy. He’s the first guy on Dutton Ranch to directly name-drop the Yellowstone Ranch.   

Carter is ditching high school again. Remember when we said he was already in over his head with Oreana? Still true, especially considering she’s part of the most powerful family in town. But our guy is actively swimming toward the deep end. “Why date someone you hate so much?” he asks after her latest episode with Hoyt the asshole steer rider (Kyle Dondlinger). Oreana just grins. “Why don’t you save me?”

Back at the ranch, in Carter’s room, Oreana gets more comfortable. But she leaves her cowboy boots on, and pulls a sack of weed from one of them. They get close on Carter’s bed, kiss, and when it’s quiet, it’s clear she respects he’d even ask about her well-being. She acts out with purpose, loves being a junior local outlaw, ‘cause it gets under Grandma Buelah’s skin. But when there’s no one around to perform for, she feels safe and content with Carter. “He might be a keeper,” Oreana says out loud to herself. Carter’s on the way to having a girlfriend who has a boyfriend who has a domineering grandmother willing to destroy the Duttons or whoever. Good luck, buddy!

Veterinarian Everett McKinney is out at the ranch examining the steer Rip had to put down with his rifle. Foaming at the mouth, bloody hooves – it’s a dangerous case of foot-and-mouth disease, with the potential to rip through their entire herd. Rip, Everett, Azul, and Zachariah separate the animals and observe them in a new pasture overnight. This is serious, Rip is pissed – “There hasn’t been a case of FMD in decades” – and he is suspicious of how it just  happened to show up here. While Everett mentions factors like anti-vaxxers, the proximity of the border, and general varmint activity, Rip looks at the steer he and Beth purchased at auction in Episode 2. “Or a new fucking bull.” Did someone plant a poisoned animal as a way to kill their livelihood?

This episode of Dutton Ranch also delves into why Zachariah Moss was doing time in the first place. A distraught woman drives onto the property waving a gun around, the mother of a local girl with whom Past Zachariah was in a secret relationship. It was an accident, those many years ago, but he was drunk, and she died. Zach sees the woman’s pistol and just kneels. (“I’m ready.”) But Rip takes charge. He disarms her, and gently but firmly explains how vengeance can only be more of a problem. And he considers his taciturn new hand, the cowboy who found God in prison. “Zachariah, your prayers better not be for show or I’ll shoot you myself.” We believe that about Rip, too.

The Beth Parts for Episode 3 of Dutton Ranch (“Act of God Business”): 

• Ep 3 of Dutton Ranch features a real nice song from Canada-based singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega, “‘Til the Goin’ Gets Gone,” from her 2017 EP of the same name.

• And what’s this? After the funeral service, Buelah shares a few kind words with Everett. Makes sense; we know they both grew up in town. But Everett grows cold and distant when she says “I’ve missed you” more softly, and straightens his bolo tie. 

• The Sheridan-O-Verse loves a local business, and like Landman with Cattlemen’s in Fort Worth, when Beth visits Dallas to “sling some beef,” she pitches the manager at Stillwell’s, a fancy steakhouse in the Hôtel Swexon.

• And while she’s there Beth also has a “Yes, Chef!” moment. Understanding they are overworked and underpaid, Beth offers to fund a full dinner service tip-out for the Stillwell’s chef and her staff, in exchange for one perfectly-prepared Dutton Black Angus steak. Kelly Reilly should do a crossover cameo on The Bear as Beth Dutton, stepping in to run a Chicago restaurant. She’d probably bring her “Don’t be a shitass” Igloo cooler with her.

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.