Juan Pablo Raba has added a fresh layer of doubt to the biggest question left behind by ‘Dutton Ranch’ Season 1. The finale strongly pointed toward Joaquin, played by Raba, as the person who killed Rob-Will Jackson, played by Jai Courtney. However, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on July 3, Raba said he does not believe Joaquin pulled the trigger. The actor said, “I don’t think he did it,” adding, “Because he’s not a killer. He’s not even a cowboy, for Christ’s sake. He has never shot anyone in his life.”
The finale made Joaquin look guilty for several reasons. Mariano Reyes, played by Raoul Max Trujillo, ordered his son to kill Rob-Will after Beulah Jackson, played by Annette Bening, named Rob-Will as the successor to the 10 Petal Ranch. Joaquin was also seen outside the Jackson home with a gun before the shooting. Soon after, Rob-Will shared an emotional moment with his daughter Oreana, played by Natalie Alyn Lind, before a gunshot rang out downstairs. By the time Oreana reached the foyer, her father was already dead, while a vehicle was seen leaving the scene.
Still, the scene never shows Joaquin shooting Rob-Will, and that is the part Raba is focusing on. He told EW, “Until we have a scene where we see him do it, I wouldn’t be so sure,” because viewers have not seen Joaquin commit the murder on screen. Raba also pointed to the timeline as a reason to question the obvious answer. According to him, “If you think about the episode and you go through the timeline, Rob-Will says bye to Oreana, and then we stay on her, and then not even 30 seconds later, we hear a gunshot.” He added, “So that means that whoever did it literally went ding dong, Rob-Will opened the door, and shot him. It takes a lot of cold blood to do that. You have to be a professional killer to do that.”
Raba also suggested that Mariano may have had another plan in motion. Mariano had enough motive to remove Rob-Will from the family power structure, especially after Rob-Will became a problem for the 10 Petal Ranch operation. At the same time, Raba floated Beulah as another possible suspect because of her history and her conflict with Rob-Will. He said, “Number one, Joaquin is not a professional killer,” and added, “Number two, Mariano being Mariano, do we really think that he thinks his son is going to go through that? Or would he have a backup plan? Who knows.” For Raba, the fact that the killer was not shown opens “a world of opportunities” for Season 2.
The actor also revealed that the final scene was filmed with several possible readings. Joaquin’s last look in the car could mean that he killed Rob-Will, saw someone else do it, or is simply terrified by what has happened. Raba said the team shot different emotional versions, explaining, “We were like, ‘Okay, do one now where he did it. Do one where he saw somebody else do it. Do one where he feels proud, he feels scared, he’s heartbroken,’” because even director Christina Alexandra Voros did not have the full answer at the time. He added, “It was really difficult because not even my director, Christina [Alexandra Voros], who’s absolutely amazing, knew what was going to happen,” which makes Joaquin’s tearful reaction less of a confession and more of a setup.
The mystery now gives ‘Dutton Ranch’ Season 2 a direct question to answer. Joaquin ended the finale in a fragile place, caught between Mariano’s criminal power, Beulah’s family legacy, and the threat of Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser. Raba described Joaquin as out of his depth, saying, “He’s scared. Joaquin is scared of Rip. Joaquin is scared of the gun.” The finale also raised the stakes when Mariano’s men kidnapped Carter, played by Finn Little, leaving Beth Dutton, played by Kelly Reilly, and Rip ready for another fight. ‘Dutton Ranch’ Season 1 finale is now streaming on Paramount+.
