SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the ninth episode of “Dutton Ranch,” “El Padrino,” which is now streaming on Paramount+.
The season finale of “Dutton Ranch” concludes dramatically with Rob-Will (Jai Courtney) being shot dead at his doorstep. Though the shooter remains unseen, it is suspected that his adoptive brother Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba), acting on his father Mariano’s (Raoul Max Trujillo) orders, was behind the incident to regain control of the 10 Petal Ranch.
Rob-Will’s murder leaves his daughter Oreana (Natalie Alyn Lind) and mother, the 10 Petal matriarch Beulah (Annette Bening), in turmoil. This event is likely to play a pivotal role as Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth (Kelly Reilly) strive to rescue Carter (Finn Little) from the Mexican cartel.
In a post-finale interview, Raba expressed doubt over Joaquin’s involvement in the shooting.
“Let me ask you a question: Do you think Joaquin killed Rob-Will?” Raba posed during the interview. “Here’s the deal, and I’m not being cheeky here. I don’t think he did it! I really don’t. If you follow the timeline of the scene, you can check it out again, but Rob-Will says ‘Bye’ to Oreana. 15 or 20 seconds later, you hear a gunshot and there’s no cut. So whoever did it, literally: Ding-dong, door opens, shoots the guy. Are you telling me that Joaquin did that? He’s not drunk. He’s not drugged. And why? Because a guy, his dad, that honestly he has to hate in so many ways, asked? I think there’s a lot of questions to be answered.”
Raba explained that this season’s storyline significantly altered Joaquin’s character and his portrayal.
“He’s completely thrown out of his element,” he said. “This guy’s not a cowboy. This guy’s not a killer. This guy, for Christ’s sake, he’s a college boy! His most prized possession is his A&M ring. His education, that’s the one thing no one will take away from him. Now suddenly he has a gun put to his head; now he’s dealing with killers, he has to call his father. He doesn’t want to be like his father. He wants to be a Texan rancher. He could have made that call 20 years ago, but he didn’t want to. So everything that starts happening to him is just so bizarre, and he’s not acting like he can control things anymore. He’s really scared.”
Looking ahead to the next season, Raba admits uncertainty about what lies in store but is keen to discover the new challenges Joaquin may face.
“I’m dying to get a new script and hopefully be in it,” Raba said. “Here’s the deal: I think one of the most interesting things of any Taylor Sheridan-related universe is that there aren’t good guys or bad guys. It’s the circumstances that end up making the characters. Could you say at this point that Rip or Beth are completely good characters? You root for them, right? So my question now with Joaquin is, ‘Where does he go from here?’ I’ve played bad guys, and all those bad guys came from very common places: money, drugs, power, revenge. I’ve never played a bad guy, or a guy in general, that comes from heartbreak.
“I think Joaquin’s heartbreak is what motivates that phone call,” he continued. “What eventually changes everything, everyone’s life around him, is heartbreak. It’s from not belonging. It’s from telling people, ‘Hey, mom, I did everything right. Your real son is a real fuckup, but I did everything right. I went to college, I got my degree. I’ve cleaned your shit for years and years. I don’t even have a family of my own. And you’re not giving me this? What is it, my blood? Is it my color? Is it my culture?’ I feel that translates really well into this particular historic moment that we’re living, not only in the U.S., but in the world. Why won’t you love me? I have not done anything wrong. I think it’s an amazing motivation for whatever comes for Joaquin on a possible other season. I think it’s a beautiful place to work from.”
