One of the biggest reasons fans have become obsessed with Dutton Ranch is simple: absolutely nobody feels safe.

The hit Yellowstone spinoff has already built a reputation for shocking twists, brutal betrayals, and constant danger, leaving both viewers and cast members wondering who might be next to fall. According to star Juan Pablo Raba, that uncertainty extends far beyond the audience.

In fact, he recently admitted that he was convinced his character, Joaquin Jackson, was about to be killed off.

Speaking about his reaction to Episode 6, Raba revealed that his panic started the moment he opened the script and saw a scene involving the dangerous Chet approaching Joaquin with a gun.

“When I got Episode 6 and I opened the page and I see Chet walking to me with a gun, my first thought was, ‘Well, it was nice while it lasted,’” Raba joked.

The actor laughed while recalling the moment, but he admitted that the fear was very real.

“I was like, ‘God, it was so short. But why didn’t they call me? That’s rude.’”

The comment highlights just how unpredictable Dutton Ranch has become. Unlike many television dramas where major characters often feel protected by plot armor, Taylor Sheridan’s universe has built its reputation on the idea that almost anyone can become a casualty.

Even veteran actor Marc Menchaca admitted that he shares similar concerns.

Asked whether the show’s increasingly deadly twists make him nervous about Zachariah’s future, Menchaca responded with a laugh.

“It’s always a possibility,” he said, noting that he has “a pretty good track record of saying bye bye on a show.”

While Joaquin survived Episode 6, Episode 7 may have delivered something even more devastating than death.

The episode’s biggest storyline centered around the future of 10 Petal Ranch and the shocking decision made by Beulah Jackson during the ranch’s 190th anniversary celebration.

For years, Joaquin believed he was the natural successor to the ranch. He dedicated his life to protecting the property, serving the family, and preparing for the day when leadership would eventually become his responsibility.

Then everything changed.

After the dramatic return of Rob-Will Jackson and a series of escalating confrontations, Beulah stunned everyone by naming Rob-Will—not Joaquin—as the future heir to 10 Petal Ranch.

For Joaquin, the announcement was catastrophic.

According to Raba, the betrayal cuts deeper than anything viewers have seen from the character before.

“Imagine if you work all your life toward one goal and you don’t have a family and you don’t care about romantic relationships,” Raba explained. “You have this one single goal in your head and they tell you no.”

The actor described the moment as the most heartbreaking event Joaquin has ever experienced.

“You ask yourself, ‘But why? I’ve done everything right.’”

That emotional devastation is expected to become one of the driving forces behind the remainder of the season.

Raba teased that viewers are about to witness a side of Joaquin they have never seen before.

“What’s going to happen now is definitely going to spiral something in Joaquin that we hadn’t seen before,” he said.

For the first time in his life, Joaquin is facing a problem he cannot solve through loyalty, hard work, or patience.

Instead, he finds himself stripped of the future he believed belonged to him.

According to Raba, that desperation could push the character into dangerous territory.

“He doesn’t know what to do so he’s just going to use anything — all the resources possible — to keep what he believes is rightfully his.”

The timing could not be worse.

Episode 7 already shocked viewers with revelations about Beulah’s traumatic past and her connection to Mariano Reyes, while simultaneously setting off a bitter succession battle that threatens to divide 10 Petal Ranch from within.

As a result, many fans now believe the series has entered its darkest phase yet.

Ironically, Joaquin may have survived the gun pointed at him in Episode 6, only to face a far more destructive threat in Episode 7: losing the one thing that gave his life purpose.

And if Raba’s comments are any indication, the fallout from that loss is only beginning.

With tensions rising, alliances shifting, and several characters fighting for control of 10 Petal Ranch, viewers should probably assume what the cast already knows: in Dutton Ranch, nobody is ever truly safe