Things have definitely heated up once again as several stories are starting to reach a point that makes a person wonder if the Dutton Ranch is going to be around by the end of season 4. There hasn’t been any mention at this time as to whether this will be the last season or if this story will continue forward, but with the way things are currently going it would appear that if there is a season 5 that a few of those in the current season might not be there. Right now with the way things are looking for Jimmy, there’s reason to believe that he might not make it back to the Dutton Ranch for quite a while since he has few if any real friends that are willing to stick up for him, since the ride he’s being given down to Texas during the episode doesn’t appear to be anything but a life lesson given by the Duttons and by those that don’t care one way or another if succeeds or not. If he didn’t feel alone before, it’s likely that by the end of the episode that Jimmy feels more alone than he’s ever felt in his life.
In the meantime, it would appear that Market Equities has its sights set on Beth, who might just be taking a job with them to try and save her father’s land and possibly settle an old score with her former boss at the same time. One can’t help but imagine how this fight is going to go down since Beth has already made it clear to everyone that she’s not the type that’s about to give in and go home when she feels that she can press an advantage. But as things continue to move along it feels more and more that John is losing control as he has to hand more of the responsibility over to his kids, who are at this time doing everything they can to just hold on.
Matters on the ranch aren’t any better as the bunkhouse has become a tense place since Lloyd and Walker finally have it out as Lloyd initiates a fight after Walker approaches him and asks if he wants to start something. To be fair, it looked like Walker was at least trying to make the peace by bringing Lloyd a bowl of soup, but the old cowboy wasn’t having it since he’s resented Walker since he was brought back into the bunkhouse, especially since Walker gained the affections of the young woman that Lloyd happened to like. Funny enough, she managed to get in on the fight too and landed a solid punch on Lloyd before Rip stormed in and finished the fight by reminding everyone that if they wanted to fight, they would be fighting him. The fact that he tossed Lloyd the length of the table and only shoved Walker out of the way was a bit disappointing, but it’s easy to see that Rip isn’t messing around like always, and it’s even more apparent when he talks to Carter about how if he doesn’t earn Beth’s trust back, he’s not going to have any reason to be on the ranch.
Carter isn’t the only one having issues on the ranch, as Kayce has finally decided to take Monica and Tate to Monica’s grandfather’s home as Monica has been on a downward spiral ever since coming to the ranch, as the issue with Tate being kidnapped and the ranch being attacked has been too much for Monica. The fact that they’ve left appears to be a rough thing for John to deal with as he looks genuinely pained as he watches his son drive off with his family. It’s become quite clear over four seasons that the Dutton Ranch isn’t a place for peaceful people, as those that can’t acclimate to the lifestyle are often shown to be lacking some crucial part of their personality that would allow them to weather the storm of problems that appear to descend on the place every now and then. From one character to the next, there are simply too many issues to unpack in a given season, as each one of them has the type of baggage that would drive an average psychiatrist nuts.
This makes for great drama, however, and it’s fair to say that if there is a season 5 that a lot of people will be left wondering just what’s going to happen that will change the overall landscape of the show and bring on a new challenge that will need to be met. So far the Duttons have been able to duke it out with a couple of different opponents, but it’s already appearing as though their war wounds are showing, and the added stress is bound to keep them reeling as they try to find a way to hit back.
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