Spoilers for Dutton Ranch Season 1, Episode 3 are ahead. Read with caution, and stream the show with a Paramount+ subscription.
It would seem that the Jackson family in Dutton Ranch is just as complex as the Dutton family. That’s because, in this week’s episode of Rip and Beth's spinoff, it was revealed that Beulah’s son, Joaquin, is not her biological child. So, between that and a conversation he had with Beth in this third episode, I couldn’t help but compare Joaquin to Jamie Dutton. And when I asked the actor who plays him if that was fair, he said yes, which led me to a theory.
What Juan Pablo Raba Told Me About The Parallels Between Joaquin And Jamie
When I interviewed Juan Pablo Raba, who plays Joaquin in Dutton Ranch, I had to ask about his character’s first conversation with Beth. I had already been drawing parallels between him and Jamie from the jump, seeing as they both work on the business side of a ranch. However, hearing Kelly Reilly’s character tell him that he reminds her of her "father’s attorney” really hammered the point home, seeing as Jamie was John’s adopted son and lawyer.
So, I asked Raba if that was a fair parallel to draw, seeing as Joaquin isn’t, according to this conversation between him and Beth, related by blood to the Jacksons, but is considered a son by Beulah, and he plays a big part in their business (on the business side, specifically). In response, he said:
Well, I believe that he even asks her, ‘Is that a good thing?’ And she says, ‘not quite,’ right? So I think, yeah. I think the reference is Jamie.
Well, that could be a bad omen. I think we all remember how Yellowstone ended (if you don’t, you can stream it with a Peacock subscription). However, it will also make things really interesting, as Beth goes up against someone who is like a person she knew far too well.
When it comes to Beth and Joaquin’s relationship, Raba told me that his character is going to try to get good information on the Duttons, so he can help his family, explaining:
I think it's very exciting, because he is smart enough to gather information about them. He's gonna hold the cards close to his chest, but he definitely knows that they're a force to reckon with, and there's a lot of respect. And he also knows that it might get complicated at some point, so I guess there's going to be just a lot of that of ‘Okay, how are we going to approach this new Dutton Ranch situation in our town?’
I’ve always said that Jamie was loyal to a fault, and that ultimately drove him to go against the Duttons. And that is where my theory about Joaquin stems from.
I Have A Theory That Joaquin Could Be A Porblem For The Jacksons
As Beth said, it’s “not ideal” that she compared Joaquin to her father’s attorney, AKA Jamie. When I watched Yellowstone, my hatred for Jamie grew and grew as he made poor decisions and ultimately betrayed his family. So, when I found out that Joaquin was the businessman of the Jackson family, and then it was revealed that he was raised by them, but is not related ot them, I started to get worried.
I’m starting to theorize that he’ll also be loyal to a fault but betray his family in some way, much like Jamie did. It’s clear that Joaquin’s history with the Jacksons is nuanced, and the mix of business and family could get very messy. So, I have a feeling he’ll be a problem going forward for both his own family as well as Rip and Beth.
To find out if my theory proves to be true, you can catch new episodes of Dutton Ranch as they drop on the 2026 TV schedule every Friday on Paramount+.
