Dutton Ranch Stars React To Beulah's 'Heartbreaking' Announcement In Episode 7: 'This Is The Worst Thing That Could Ever Happen'

Now streaming on Paramount+, Episode 7 of "Dutton Ranch" gives viewers an intimate look into Beulah's troubled past, while also sending Annette Bening's character into an uncertain future. That is, if she even gets a future.

The hour begins with a harrowing flashback to 1981, where a younger, wilder Beulah is hitting up a dance hall with some friends — followed closely by Joaquin's father Mariano as her paid chaperone. Beulah hits it off with a handsome stranger named Luke, who then pays the bartender to distract Mariano while he takes Beulah to a secondary location. By the time Mariano tracks Beulah down at a motel, the act has already been perpetrated. Clearly roughed up, she orders Mariano to tell her father that she fell off a mechanical bull.

We're then reunited with present-day Beulah, who is meticulously overseeing preparations for the 10-Petal's 190th anniversary party. Everyone at the ranch knows it's a big deal; even Oreana willingly dresses like a proper Jackson lady without putting up a fight. But no one is looking forward to the big night quite like Joaquin, who's finally set to be announced as the next head of the 10-Petal Ranch.

The party begins well enough, with Beth and Rip — who are fashionably late on account of hanky-panky — arriving in style, riding on horseback with Carter in tow. Beulah, or "Mama B" as she wants Carter to call her, gives the trio a warm welcome like they're old friends. It's certainly a warmer welcome than Oreana gives Carter, introducing him to a handsome suitor as one of her "friends." (Ouch!) That hiccup aside, it's a perfectly pleasant evening.

That's when the night goes straight to hell.

Oreana informs Beulah that a surprise party guest is waiting in her office — it's dear ol' daddy Rob-Will, and he's not there to celebrate Joaquin's promotion. Rob-Will, or "Robert Williams Jackson III" as he reminds Beulah, is there to take what he believes is rightfully his. She questions his sobriety, naturally, but he insists that he's "clear-eyed, ruthless, a killer," saying he's the image of her father. You know, as if that was a good thing.

"He's someone that you'd be a fool to underestimate," actor Jai Courtney tells TVLine. As for Rob-Will's ability to actually run the ranch, Courtney says, "I think he can get it done. It's about hiring the right people around you. Despite his substance reliance and some of his issues, I don't think Rob-Will is someone to be discounted. He might have been introduced as someone who's kind of messy, but it would be an error in judgment to think that carries over into absolutely everything. He's actually someone who, I think, could turn it around."

Following his warm chat with mom, Rob-Will joins the party, where he offers Rip a half-baked apology for what went down the other night. He's pretty casual about it, considering Chet is dead and Joaquin is still nursing a gunshot wound, so Rip barely grumbles out a response before walking away.

This quick interaction got us excited for when Rip and Rob-Will inevitably face off, and Courtney is only building the hype: "It's either going to end in tears or they'll walk away best friends," he says. "It's staged for a challenge, that's for sure."

Then comes Beulah's fateful speech announcing Rob-Will as the next head of the 10-Petal Ranch, its beef business, and its upcoming line of ranch-to-table steaks. Rip, Beth, and Everett exchange disturbed glances at this sudden turn of events, but no one is more blindsided than Joaquin. "She's going to call me in five days when you f**k up again!" he screams at Rob-Will before making his dramatic exit.

"This is the worst thing that could ever happen to this guy," actor Juan Pablo Raba tells TVLine of Joaquin's reaction to Beulah's announcement. "Imagine dedicating your entire life to one thing, then realizing they're not going to give it to you. He wanted to do it the right way. He went to A&M, he got his degree, and he's been the good boy who keeps everybody out of trouble. He's like, 'I've done it. Why are you not giving this to me? I deserve it. I did everything right.' So that is heartbreaking."

And Joaquin doesn't go quietly. Before putting the 10-Petal in his rearview mirror, he tells Rob-Will he should have finished him off earlier — because he'll never get another chance. Does this mean by-the-books Joaquin may resort to some underhanded tactics to exact revenge on Rob-Will? Raba acknowledges that his character is certainly being pushed to his breaking point.

"You tend to underestimate the one who's not loud, the one who doesn't want to fight you in the face," Raba tells TVLine. "But that one is probably the one who's observing the situation from the outside and is going to catch you by surprise. I think Rob-Will is going to be surprised. He thinks he can pick a fight with Joaquin and have Joaquin immediately react, but he won't."

The anniversary party pretty much goes down in flames at this point. While a flustered Beulah fields concerns from Beth and Zane Nash, neither of whom agreed to get into business with Rob-Will, Carter emerges from inside the house carrying the bull head from Beulah's office. It's a drunken, misguided attempt to impress Oreana, who recently told Carter that she needs her romantic partner to be more of a bull than a steer.

But the nuance of the situation is understandably lost on Beulah, who is furious to see Carter desecrating her prized possession — and that's before he drops it on the ground. Overwhelmed by the excitement of the night, Beulah appears to suffer a heart attack, ultimately leaving the party by a medical helicopter.

As Beulah loses consciousness, we flash back to 1981, where young Beulah is horrified to discover that she's pregnant. Once again at her command, Mariano drives Beulah to Luke's house so she can tell him he's going to be a father, but Beulah has more than a message on her mind. Mariano watches from the car as Beulah enters Luke's house and shoots him dead, then emerges with a smile: "Found my other boot!" Savage.

Let's talk: Did your heart break for Joaquin when Beulah announced Rob-Will as her successor? And speaking of hearts breaking, how worried are you for Mama B?! And did you share our urge to reach through the TV and shake that fool Carter? Drop a comment with your thoughts on Episode 7 below.