Dutton Ranch’s Season 1 Finale Is a Hot Mess — Review

Critic’s Rating: 3 / 5.0

3

Dutton Ranch has broken not just the rules of spinoffs, but also those of storytelling.

It has sidelined Beth and Rip in what is supposed to be their story.

And as far as storytelling goes, there has to be a clear arc of introduction, escalation, and resolution.

Dutton Ranch introduced, then reintroduced, and later walked back some of those introductions.

There hasn’t been a clear direction for the show, and this season finale is the final nail in the coffin.

Based on how Dutton Ranch Season 1 Episode 8 played out, there weren’t high hopes for the season finale. Instead of setting up the finale, the penultimate episode stagnated.

It’s only towards the end that we learn Joaquin’s father is still alive and Joaquin needs his help. So when we meet his old man in this hour, it feels like a whole ‘nother story.

And that’s essentially what Dutton Ranch Season 1 Episode 9, “El Padrino,” is — a collection of storylines meant to create intrigue for the next season.

Many of them are mishmashed together without a common thread, and it feels like the finale is throwing anything on the wall to see what sticks.

For example, introducing the cartel this late in the game causes the show to experience tonal whiplash.

What had settled into a high-octane Western soap suddenly becomes a crime thriller.

It’s an exciting way to end a season, but that excitement does not feel earned. Events surrounding the fentanyl affair are contrived.

It raises more questions than answers, and this would not have been the case if they had layered in this smuggling operation earlier.

If the writers had insisted on focusing on 10-P like they ended up doing, then showing that the ranch is used to bring fentanyl into the country feels like a very great detail to bring up in the season finale.

There is simply no way to hide something of this magnitude for over fifteen years. At some point, someone must have slipped up, or some details don’t add up.

If we’d been let in on that early on, it would’d have felt like an attempt to manufacture intensity.

But how else would we have had a showdown at Dutton Ranch?

The writers use a hot-button issue like fentanyl and create a shootout that could have easily been avoided if Beth had told Mariano, “We don’t have your drugs; ask Beulah.”

Compared to the masterfully staged shootout at East Camp in the Marshals Season 1 finale, this sequence completely flatlines. If the writers were going to force a chaotic tactical showdown, they at least owed the audience a grander, more visceral execution.

The writing is the weakest I have seen all season because there really is no element of surprise.

Case in point is Carter’s arc this hour. After throwing a tantrum, he runs away to stay at Dwight’s compound, while Beth and Rip climb walls with anxiety, looking for him.

At first, it seems odd why the show is obsessed with keeping him as far as possible from Beth and Rip. At some point, it gets annoying when Beth loses focus and makes everything about Carter.

Did she really think that she’d drive around town and somehow run into Carter or someone who had seen him recently?

But when the cartel conflict escalates, it becomes clear that the writers were just setting up his kidnapping so the show could end in a life-or-death cliffhanger.

“El Padrino” exemplifies what is wrong with Dutton Ranch. It has burned through three seasons’ worth of material in a single season.

As a result, the show keeps introducing new developments without giving them room to breathe and grow. So we end up with isolated arcs in isolated episodes, arcs that don’t serve the larger purpose.

Right now, there is a possibility that Carter is a father after Oreana discovers that she’s pregnant. And suddenly, they want to create a happy family.

What happened with the tantrum from Dutton Ranch Season 1 Episode 7, and Oreana’s odd behavior towards Carter?

Suddenly, all that is to be swept under the rug because a new storyline has cropped up and will serve as the narrative fuel for a few episodes before it is abandoned.

Dutton Ranch desperately needs a singular vision. Hopefully, the new showrunner will give it direction. But with how messy things have gotten this early, is it possible to salvage this?

The second season’s challenge is not about avoiding the sophomore slump; it’s about proving that anyone should care about this story.

Thus far, they haven’t done a good job.

Gut Check

“El Padrino” wants to be viewed as a season finale with the action, shockers, and cliffhangers. But none of it is earned, and it overwhelms the viewer as too much unfolds.

Dutton Ranch has lost me. Strip away the obligation of a weekly review assignment, and there is absolutely no creative incentive to return for Season 2.

Intrusive Thoughts

• Oreana and Carter are textbook examples of people who have no business bringing a baby into this world.

• Can they pick a side with Beulah? Is she scary or just scared?

• Most smuggling is done by citizens, not immigrants.

Over to you, Dutton Ranch fanatics. What did you think of the season finale? Did you enjoy any of it? I know seeing Rip sucker punch someone will always be thrilling.

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.