Dutton Ranch had the biggest debut in Paramount+ history, so it returning for Season 2 is virtually guaranteed. Given the fact that it has taken until the seventh (of nine) episode to really get the show’s villain moving, it seems like the second season is where most of the exciting story developments are going to take place. But before we get there, the Yellowstone spin-off has to make some compelling narrative decisions in order to set the stage, and I strongly believe that one of them should be killing Carter off.
Nobody likes Carter. Beth and Rip’s adopted son has followed them all the way from Montana to Texas, but he has struggled to find any relevance in this new environment. His character arc has consisted of skipping school and falling head-over-heels in love with Oreana, the granddaughter of Beulah Jackson and the daughter of her deranged addict son, Rob-Will. In the process, he has found himself becoming distant from Beth and Rip, having decided completely independently of them that he’s ready to be a man and make his own way in the world.
Carter’s know-it-all demeanour has consistently gotten him into trouble this season. He has run afoul of Sheriff Wade several times, and as far as I’m aware, his adoptive parents still don’t know that he was present for Dwight’s summary execution. He has so little tangible impact on the main arc that he’s barely present, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed by viewers who are rightly getting sick of his whiny theatrics, which don’t really fit the kind of neo-Western story that this show — like most of Taylor Sheridan’s work — is telling.
In the most recent episode, Carter finally made his presence felt, but as usual in a deeply annoying way. After seeing Oreana flirting with some dude named Harrison at the 10-Petal Ranch anniversary party, he got extremely drunk, wandered into the main house, and ripped a stuffed animal head from the wall. He carried it outside in front of everyone and smashed it into the ground, contributing to Beulah collapsing to the ground, presumably having a heart attack from all the stress.
Sure, Carter’s actions weren’t solely responsible for this, since Beulah had just been forced to anoint Rob-Will as the heir of the 10-Petal against her wishes, but he was the most public contributing factor. The moment was basically the icing on the cake of Carter’s season-long arc of being deeply annoying for no good reason. But what’s to come of it? And what, more importantly, is to become of him?
I’m personally of the opinion that Dutton Ranch should kill Carter off, and not just because I don’t like him. The show clearly has no use for him. He’s away from the house all the time, and neither Beth nor Rip seems to notice, only cementing the idea that he’s surplus to requirements. Yellowstone had much better development for Carter, and for his relationship with Rip and Beth. With that hard work already done, and nowhere else to really take the dynamic, Carter would function better as a motivator. If Rob-Will were to murder him, it would really set the cat amongst the pigeons, giving Rip and Beth a reason to take to the fight not just him but also perhaps the entirety of the 10-Petal enterprise.
The show could use this drama, too. Rob-Will has spent most of the season in rehab, and Rip already made a fool of him in the premiere, so he isn’t that threatening as a villain. The latest episode made an effort to humanise Beulah, who clearly hates Rob-Will as much as the rest of us, so it’s not even like we’re rooting against her. Killing Carter could be a way to develop real antipathy for Rob-Will, and a good excuse to get Rip and Beth to cross some lines that they’ve been reluctant to do since they arrived in Texas.
It would also do wonders for fan sentiment, since he’s clearly the weakest aspect of the show by a fair margin, and in his absence, the drama could focus more meaningfully on Rip and Beth without having to devote any of the runtime to his regular excursions with Oreana. Now that Rob-Will’s back in the picture, and Oreana seems to be his closest ally, she can exist in the narrative without Carter. And, if she’s even partly responsible for something bad happening to Carter, she’d be fun to root against, just like her father.
Since I’m feeling charitable, I’d settle for Carter being maimed or left comatose in some way. But either way, I strongly believe that Dutton Ranch overall, especially in Season 2, will benefit more from him not being around than from his continued, needless presence.
