Exploring Beulah Jackson: Yellowstone's Standout Female Antagonist
Lily Fisher
Published May 16, 2026
By Published May 15, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT Liz Hersey is an Editor and Critic for ScreenRant's TV team, editing, reviewing, writing, and creating content about the iconic shows you love to watch. She began her editing career at ScreenRant in 2019, shortly after joining the site as a Writer that same year.
With a passion for all things books, Liz frequently attends Toronto literary events and conferences, and loves interacting with her book lover community. In addition to being an avid reader of the romance and thriller genres, Liz is a writer of several short stories, and is currently at work on a young adult witch novel.
When she's not working, reading, or writing, Liz can be found seeing movies at her local cinema, attending live jazz events, or curling up on the couch to binge her favorite TV shows.
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The following article contains minor spoilers for Dutton Ranch episode 1, "The Untold Want", and episode 2, "Earn Another Day".
Taylor Sheridan's deserves its masterpiece status. Since its premiere in 2018, Yellowstone completely repopularized the neo-Western genre, introduced the , which has spanned multiple spinoffs, and delivered a prestige-level drama that speaks directly to the heart of middle America. However, the series dropped the ball in a couple of key ways.
Infamously, in the wake of Kevin Costner's abrupt departure as protagonist John Dutton. As a whole, the second half of Yellowstone's fifth and final season was a disappointment, and the fact that Market Equities strategy consultant Sarah Atwood, a character who never shared the screen with John, was responsible for the Dutton patriarch's death was particularly confounding.
Sarah Atwood was part of a greater Yellowstone problem: one-dimensional female villains. While not as offensively sexualized as Sarah, whose honeypotting of Jamie Dutton led to her downfall, like her, Yellowstone's other female antagonists were thinly written corporate sharks. Both former CEOs of Market Equities, Caroline Weaver and Willa Hayes, were no match for the Duttons' ruthless, outlaw way of life. Though Angela Blue Thunder, the Broken Rock Reservation's answer to Beth Dutton, showed some promise, ultimately nothing happened with her character.
Thankfully, Sheridan appears to be righting this wrong with Yellowstone spinoff . The series, which just had its two-part premiere on Paramount+, continues the saga of Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as they leave Montana behind with Carter to start a new life, opening up their own ranch in the fictional South Texas city, Rio Paloma.
For the first time in her life, John Dutton's only daughter is an underdog. In Rio Paloma, it's not Beth's ranch that reigns supreme, but the 10 Petal Ranch, owned by the formidable Beulah Jackson, played by Annette Bening in the Dutton Ranch cast. Beulah is shrewd, cutthroat, and bloodthirsty, making her not only the perfect match for Beth Dutton but also the best female villain in the entire Yellowstone universe. She's also reminiscent of a certain very important Yellowstone character...
Beulah Jackson Is One Of The Yellowstone Universe's Best Antagonists, Not Just A Good Female Villain
Though Yellowstone's male villains are much more brutal, entertaining, and effective than their female counterparts, they're not much deeper. That's what makes Beulah Jackson a breath of fresh country air.
Beulah may be the nastiest thorn Beth Dutton's side has ever seen, but the primary antagonist of Dutton Ranch isn't heartless. She has an abundance of love for her family and is fiercely protective of every member, from her rebellious granddaughter, Oreana, to her hotheaded son, Rob-Will, whose struggles with alcoholism threaten the 10 Petal Ranch and its legacy, which is the only other thing Beulah cares about.
A ruthless ranch owner who only cares about family and legacy — does this remind you of someone? The fact is that Beulah Jackson is the villainous funhouse mirror image of John Dutton himself. Though he may be and protagonist, John did some terrible things to protect his land and loved ones. The fact that there's an established location to dispose of John's countless slain enemies speaks volumes about his darkness.
The only major difference between Beulah and John is that he never picked on the little guy. John Dutton was absolutely monstrous when it came to protecting what was his, but that's where the fight ended, and it's never a battle he wanted in the first place. He didn't want to take over other ranches; he wanted to enjoy his own. On the other hand, Beulah wants a stranglehold over every ranch in Rio Paloma, and that includes Beth and Rip's small outfit.
Toward the end of the Dutton Ranch's premiere episode, Beth talks to Rip about her late father, saying how he never had the chance to be happy, and that she wants a more peaceful way of life. With Beulah coming for Beth's livelihood, finding peace won't be that simple — and theirs is going to be one heck of a battle to watch.
Cast
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Beulah Jackson -
Rip Wheeler
Chad Feehan Expand Collapse
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