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Spoilers for Dutton Ranch episode 4 ahead.
We're only four episodes into new Yellowstone spinoff series Dutton Ranch, but Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip's (Cole Hauser) world is already falling from under their feet.
After the bull that the couple bought at the cattle auction turned out to be diseased, their entire cattle herd came down with cow foot and mouth disease.
From there, it was all hands on deck to shoot them all in episode 4, and dispose of them in a makeshift mass grave the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Yes, that was a grisly to watch as it is to read.
Not only did fans find this (understandably upsetting), but an eagle-eyed few have noticed a "rookie mistake" that could have saved endless cattle lives if changed — including the cute yet terrified calf we see left standing right at the end.
Dutton Ranch fans think Beth and Rip's new bull should have been quarantined before being introduced to the herd
"I'm a little frustrated as someone who has grown up and raised livestock for a good majority of my life," one fan explains on Reddit.
"Wouldn't it have made more sense to quarantine that bull for the standard two weeks to a month before putting them in their herd? From a livestock standpoint... how the hell did they not even consider a quarantine period?"
They continue, "I feel like that was such a rookie mistake, even with falsified documents. I feel like Beth and Rip should've known a lot better, considering the fragility of their new operation and recuperating from the last. It doesn't make sense to me the decisions. Even the previous episode when they just put the bull in, I was wondering what the hell they were thinking".
"That little red cow broke my heart, and it seemed like such a needless death. I'm not really sure how this is progressing the plot, unless they plan on basically taking over 10 Petals. Just kind of alarming, disappointing, and its going to get tiring if they just keep losing the same thing every few episodes."
It's a damning takedown, but a noteworthy one. The disease outbreak has been the dramatic anchor of both episodes 3 and 4, giving rival rancher Beulah (Annette Bening) an effortless upper hand. Beth and Rip starting over in Rio Paloma was never going to be straightforward, and where Duttons are concerned, drama never slows down.
But the logic does stand that as seasoned ranchers, there's no way that this should have happened. Beth and Rip have shown time and time again that they can go into something new with all guns blazing and still be in total control. However, there's always the question of creative license.
"I think sometimes we put too much thought into these shows," another fan argues. "It’s all for the effects. They wanted the drama of Rip having to destroy the herd and beat up white underwear man along with blowing up his trailer, so we can get the iconic scene of Beth and Rip walking away from the trailer as it exploded. Nobody would watch a show about quarantining a cow for two weeks."
"Hitchcock said it well. There’s no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it," another weighs in.
Beth and Rip are likely being set up by 10 Petal ranch... otherwise why did Beulah pull out from bidding on the bull at the last-minute? It might not have been the best practice, but last week's cow cull is definitely leading to something much bigger.
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