Dutton Ranch Episode 3 Reveals 'Juicy' Secret About Beulah: It's 'Part Of Why I'm Here,' Says Annette Bening

Does Beulah Jackson have a soft side? Now streaming on Paramount+, Episode 3 of "Dutton Ranch" reveals that the feared-and-revered owner of the Jackson Ranch has a romantic history with a certain friendly veterinarian.

Beulah and Everett's reunion doesn't come under the happiest of circumstances (R.I.P., Sheriff Logan!), but you'd never know they were at a funeral from all that smiling she's doing. There's an undeniable spark between them; merely being in his presence reawakens a lightness in her that we've yet to see on "Dutton Ranch" so far. We like it, and apparently so does Annette Bening.

"Part of why I'm here is because I knew Ed [Harris] was in the show, and Ed is such a wonderful actor," Bening tells TVLine. "Beulah and Everett have this long, complicated history, and that for me is very intriguing to try to tap into. That's all very rich and interesting to try to explore, and I just loved playing those scenes. As it develops, hopefully it gets more juicy for everybody."

Unfortunately for Beulah, Everett doesn't seem as eager to rekindle their old flame. After making small talk about funerals and death, Beulah hits Everett with a "Well, I've missed you." It's a painfully wistful moment, one made even more agonizing by the drawn-out silence between each of their exchanges. "Yeah," he eventually replies, prompting Beulah to get handsy with his bolo tie. But that's where the foreplay ends, as Everett wraps things up with a "take care" before slowly removing himself from the situation.

We're as surprised as anyone to be feeling empathy for the show's established villain, but this duality is part of what attracted Bening to the role, along with knowing that Harris would be playing her love interest. As she puts it, these moments with Everett "show a side of Beulah that you might not know otherwise." 

"She's longing for connection, intimacy, and romance, quite frankly, with this man that she knew since she was a child," Benning says. "They've kind of come in and out of each other's lives, and he's elusive."

CARTER'S CORRUPTION CONTINUES | Poor Carter continues to be in way over his head with Oreana, who asks him to drive her to a girl's house to catch her boyfriend cheating. Carter thinks urinating on the guy's truck is payback enough, but Oreana prefers to go full Carrie Underwood on it. After narrowly avoiding a shoot-out, Carter and Oreana hit another snag when a cop pulls them over on their way home. Oreana gives him attitude, which he allows because she's a Jackson, and the two drive off with their last warning. Carter's innocence continues to unravel back home, where Oreana slips into something more comfortable and pulls out a bag of weed.

BETH MEANS BUSINESS | Looking to expand their reach, Beth brings a sample of grade-A Dutton Ranch beef to a fancy hotel restaurant, where she appears to make some headway. While she's there, she also has her first encounter with Joaquin, who lets her know that she "made an impression" on Beulah during their brief interactions. (Hey, Beulah is lucky that an "impression" is the only thing Beth left.)

ZACHARIAH COMES CLEAN | An unhinged woman named Anna shows up at Dutton Ranch with a gun, claiming that Zachariah killed her daughter Theresa — and she's not wrong. As Beth and Rip's newest employee reveals, he and Theresa were in love, but they had to keep it a secret from her family. They got into a fight one night after some heavy drinking, and when she tried to run away, he put his truck in reverse and accidentally killed her. As Zachariah puts it, he thought he was the Devil until he found the Lord in jail.

BEULA HAS A PROBLEM | Wes' wife Whitney (try saying that five times fast!) has been asking a lot of questions about his "disappearance," and the plot thickens when she decides to pull a disappearing act of her own. Beulah visits her trailer at the end of the hour, only to discover that she's vanished, and as Beulah puts it, "this is a f**king problem."

BETH AND RIP GET BAD MOO'S — SORRY, NEWS | After Everett looks into a potential case of foot-and-mouth disease at the Dutton Ranch, the episode ends with Beth and Rip fretting over the death of an infected cow, signaling that the entire future of their business could be in doubt.

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