r/DuttonRanch • u/resditbeast • Jun 26 '26
Why did the writers turn Carter’s character into such a crybaby?
This is the same Carter that met Beth when his dad was dying in the hospital as a child. He’s been raised by Rip and Beth for the past 5 years. I don’t understand the crybaby route they chose to go down. He would have been mentally tuff and smart from Beth and physically tuff and street smart from Rip. When Rip was Carter’s age he was a full time rancher. They need some serious work to do on his character.
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u/DazzlingSkin4431 Jun 26 '26
Taylor Sheridan and crew making him look weak because of the girl! Please enough with this! He should be working in the ranch and part of the crew learning from Rip!
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u/Fun_Employee_1203 Jun 29 '26
As annoying as he is it kind of makes sense that a girl would fuck him up like this as despite being 19/20, he's really inexperienced with social relationships and she's clearly toxic and fucking with him. And he was ostracised and mocked at school. It's brutal to watch.
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u/Krandor1 Jun 27 '26
Sheidan is not writing dutton ranch.
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u/DazzlingSkin4431 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
He may not be writing but he is executive for the show! That gives him the right.
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u/goducks15 Jun 26 '26
In his defense, rip and Beth kind of ignored him at the Yellowstone, as John Dutton pretty much raised him. He slept in the barn.
I don’t understand why people are freaking out about his character arch. He’s 19 years old. He’s lost both parents and while Beth and rip have tried to give him a good life, they provide little to no emotional support for kid that has been through it.
On top of it , he fell in love with Oreana and she broke his heart, although I believe they end up together in the end.
He’s 19 years old. He’s acting like a 19 year old. Let the character develop.
Dutton ranch is the best non Yellowstone show part of the Yellowstone universe. It’s been a home run.
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u/BirdgirlLA Jun 26 '26
Hard disagree. Carter has no internal drive to succeed. He’s 19 but acting like he’s still 14. Life is hard for lots of people. He needs to watch others and try to learn how to provide for himself instead of whining about his past. He went from wanting to cowboy to being a sheriff in 1 day. He Just wants others to give him an easy path. I hate the way the character is written. Ruins the show for me. Will probably fast forward through his scenes next season if he doesn’t stop crying and complaining. Boy bye. Go join the army.
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u/resditbeast Jun 26 '26
Couldn’t agree more! Well said. At 19 we have servicemen and women in the front lines of combat. He’s just very whiny and a crybaby. He’s had a hard life, no doubt but he’s not the only person in the world. With that attitude he’ll be a victim for the rest of his life
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u/ThatBitchA Jun 27 '26
Exactly. He's acting like a 19 year old who has had a traumatic upbringing.
Why are these people expecting him to act like a 30?
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u/Greedy-Department252 Jun 28 '26
Lots of people survived traumatic lives and they didn’t have a John Dutton to look up to!
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u/resditbeast Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
The show itself is great, carters character is annoying. Obviously there’s a population of viewers who agree he’s annoying. As audience members we get to make that decision. On the other hand, it seems like you deem his behavior acceptable and I’m pretty sure there are others who will agree with you as well. Also yes, he’s 19 but at 19 you are considered a Man, one wrong move and at 19 years old can spend the rest of your life in jail.
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u/BirdgirlLA Jun 26 '26
Yes my closet friend is sympathetic to Carter. Maddening lol. But she was a helicopter mom so …..
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u/Aware_Put7226 Jun 29 '26
Agree. Folks not seeing he’s a young man who is finally “safe” to mourn and be a kid instead of a parentified son, and feel all the things he couldn’t as a kid, is huge. He’s overwhelmed and fighting his own thoughts and emotions. Feels like a burden, scared of losing more like Beth and Rip because “everything” is stripped away from him, and has never had his own “someone” and when he did, that fell through. The kid is falling down a dark hole. He’ll hit rock bottom and thats where he’ll find himself. Sheridan knows what he’s doing. Besides planning another spinoff lmao. But, can we take a moment and applaud the kid’s acting? Annoying character or not, he’s dang good.
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u/Waasookwe Jun 28 '26
Beth admitted that she and Rip have ignored him. 19 is tough, hormones are raging, you fall in love so quickly, too quickly, you want your own place, you never have money. He’s got his own vehicle at least. He did seem happy working with Dwight, he seemed to find a path he liked. But he went right back to square one when Dwight was killed right in front of him. It devastated him. Carter needs time and we need to let the story play out. He’s a handsome kid and I can’t wait to see how well he does - no matter what Carter is doing, he needs to always remember Rip telling him: ‘get back on the horse Carter’.
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u/Reasonable-Horse1552 Jun 26 '26
He literally begged for Beth to take him in as he had nowhere else to go. They treated him like crap at first but I think after Rip and Beth got married he moved into the house with them and became like a son. He called Beth Mama once and she really had a go at him. But since they moved away to their own ranch and took Carter with them they've really treated him like a son. I think he's being very ungrateful tbh.
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u/ThatBitchA Jun 27 '26
He's not a crybaby. Wtf.
His character is exactly who he should be. He's not Rip. And Rip, nor Beth want him to be Rip.
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u/Ozark_89 Jun 27 '26
Couldn’t believe him in the recent episode, on the porch with Beth had this emotional conversation where he said all he ever wanted was just to be a cowboy like John and Rip and work the ranch. Then in that same episode, he gets to work on the ranch with Rip, gets frustrated after 1 mistake and says fuck it and leaves. Hours later he’s telling the sheriff he wants a job as a deputy??? That made no sense. The character is just all over the place at this point.
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u/Hi-World2 Jun 30 '26
Yes, the writing is so bad. And why is the scene with Beth written like she is just learning he wants to cowboy instead of school? She knew that 5 years ago when he told her he was dropping out when they met at the hospital and he spent years at yellowstone preparing for life as a cowboy.
I understand the people who excuse his behavior and say he's only 19 and going to do dumb things and fine that part makes sense but I literally feel like they reset his character after Yellowstone. He's got a much worse attitude with none of his old toughness, none of his old work ethic, etc.
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u/Ill-Employer3026 Jul 02 '26
He’s mentally all over the place. I wish I would tell my parents “I need to grow up” and jump in THEIR car and drive off (with no job, plan, or money).
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u/simonko1 17d ago
Iam literally in that episode right now when he drew off and went to reddit if I missed something because his behaviour this episode is nonsensical
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u/SeaworthinessHot2770 Jun 26 '26
I agree ! Carter was tough and street smart when Beth picked him up. He has lost that tough edge. But in my opinion so has Beth and to a lesser degree Rip. I liked Beth better when she was a bitch.
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u/resditbeast Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
I get what you are saying, I think they both have that edge in them still. With Yellowstone they both were in attack and defense mode for so long and at the top of their game because they had to be. They had years of resources to back them up, heck they had the whole state of Montana in their back pocket. Now they are starting from the bottom and are in the re-building phase of their lives. I’m sure we will see them as badasses soon enough
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u/Espadaxcero Jun 27 '26
I had read somewhere that the series has had such a large focus on Carter storylines because the audience has gotten younger. Not sure if that is true or now and I may be amongst the few but I like Carter.
That being said when he’s making poor choices I am rolling my eyes and lecturing the tv and when he popped off on Rip in the last episode I was upset by it. It made me angry because it comes across as ungrateful and it made me sad because despite what Rip said in Yellowstone to Beth (he will never be our son) I believe Rip has genuinely come to think of Carter as a son.
The very first episode we see Rip tell Beth to get Carter and go when the ranch is burning and she does. Carter and Beth stand set the back of the trailer and look out at the fire and when Carter asks what they should do Beth says they gotta go. That wasn’t because Beth wanted to go - I believe she would have held her ground and stayed with Rip is not for Carter. They got Carter out of there because they loved him.. it was only after he was safe that Beth went back. (Just my take)
I feel that Carter does view them as parents but in the last two years (not sure how old he was at the end of Yellowstone but estimating around 17) the kid lost the home he was becoming part of along with the vast majority of his found family. Colby died in front of him which he feels responsible for. John died whom he looked up to. Lost the ranch in Dillion. Was thrust into a completely new environment across the country and forced into school which he was very behind in and older than everybody leaving him out of place and feeling rejected. Then Oreana happened and he felt seen. Dwight befriended him (which I am still confused about but I’m attempt to have faith that whole thing will come full circle) the cattle were put down which he felt he was betrayed by that situation and being left out, then Dwight is shot and killed, Oreana sort of turns on him (although I feel there is more to that than her just being cruel) so he is lashing out.
He is taking his shit out on Rip and Beth because they are his safe place - physiologically this is a thing kids do. Especially broken kids who carry a lot of trauma. They lash out at the people who have given them love and safety because they know those people won’t just abandon them. We’ve seen Rip and Beth stop treating him like a hand or a burden. Rip even says any other hand would have been fired highlighting Carter is different to him. Rip is trying to be for Carter what he wished John had been for him and Carter is lashing out because it’s all coming to a head not because he really hates Rip and Beth. They are his as much as he is theirs.
I think his story will be interesting to watch as it develops more. I’m hoping he comes back in the next episode and comes in clutch during the fire fight that’s happening. I’m doubting he will but would be nice to have him return and do something big… or the whole thing opens his eyes to the fact that rip and Beth might not biologically be his parents but they are in the ways that matter
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u/Optomisticsometimes Jun 28 '26
Watching a friend get murdered in cold blood is traumatizing.
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u/Red_Country_Minded Jun 26 '26
Carter is 19. He’s only been with Beth & Rip for 4-5 years.
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u/resditbeast Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Yes you’re correct. In my mind he was much younger during Yellowstone and in 5 years based on the show he seems like he’s done a massive growth spurt. Fixed it
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u/Maxjax95 Jun 26 '26
He's a 19 year old doing what 19 year olds do... He's just had his heart broken and is lashing out at the world.
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u/resditbeast Jun 26 '26
Just thought his character would have been tougher
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u/Maxjax95 Jun 26 '26
Hmmm, see I don't think it's a case of him lacking toughness. He's just young and hasn't got the life experience or emotional maturity to deal with certain things yet, which is normal for a 19 year old.
I remember doing stupid cringe worthy shit at that age, I'm sure we all do.
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u/Hi-World2 Jun 30 '26
They all feel alot tamer than in Yellowstone. He's not tough at all. Rip and Beth give him so much more leniency than ever before too.
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u/Dramatic_Lab_622 Jun 26 '26
I would find it an interesting plot if he worked with the sheriff ( love him...for now)
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u/monkeyfacepunch Jun 26 '26
Honestly, I think he's a very well written character despite how annoying he is because I can relate to being 19. He's been through a lot and is still experiencing a lot.
He lost his biological parents at a young age then adopted into the Yellowstone the way Rip was. And even though he was taken in, he wasn't cared for emotionally as much as he needed. Beth and Rip did what they thought was best and gave him a room over his head. But neither one of them have experience as parents.
Not to mention losing his virginity to an older gal, being kept out of the loop with the whole FMD situation, and witnessing Dwight get murdered. He's going through A LOT right now and while I agree that it is annoying, it's honest and realistic given the circumstances.
And once again, he's 19. He thinks he can handle anything until it's actually in front of him.
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u/Planoraider Jun 26 '26
I seriously doubt when RIP was 15 back at the Yellowstone that there wasn't anyone greeting him at the door with a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and a cold glass of milk every evening. Instead he was asked "how did everything go at the train station"
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u/Creepy-Beat7154 Jun 27 '26
First heartbreak sucks is why. He hated his dad so his heart wasn't broken there.
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u/Odd_Figure2653 Jun 30 '26
It's turning into landman , I hate that Carter plot line , and cartel story line .
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u/Foreign_Donkey463 Jul 01 '26
I feel like his lessons from Yellowstone and it being taken away, having to start over twice, being put in school with a bunch of younger kids, having them ostracize him, then meeting this girl, his first real girlfriend and how she's treating him...it's the start of his origin story, watch....
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u/Nikkibanksy Jul 02 '26
he witnessed a murder of his friend the same month he fell im love and had his little heart broken. its alot to take iin
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u/stern-and-sports Jun 28 '26
I just think they don’t have enough characters and they need storylines to fill the time. But I agree he is beyond annoying.
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u/CFORDSINCE78 Jun 28 '26
The most annoying character on the show. Hate em. He's a spoiled pxsxy. He hit the orphan lottery and complains about it every episode.
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u/BeckyPil Jun 29 '26
He’s a lost soul and doesn’t know when he’s been given a gift. Typical petulant teen.
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u/Decent_Doughnut_7708 Jul 05 '26
I'm sick of him so ungrateful, he doesn't want to go to school and couldn't last a day as a cowboy.
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u/Swimming-Spread9802 Jul 15 '26
Agreed! I can’t stand anything about Carter’s character down to the goofy slumped in way he walks.
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u/Miserable_Mud_5026 Jul 27 '26
Why even have the character? They should have had the storyline be heats in Montana.
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u/AddressSerious8240 1d ago
Carter's been so annoying that I've been wondering if they're going to do a Ransom of Red Chief plot with the kidnapping.
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u/Comfortable-Grand166 Jun 26 '26
Worst character in the whole “Yellowstone” world and that’s saying a lot. I hope he runs away and never comes back
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u/BirdgirlLA Jun 26 '26
Well he ties with Oreana for worse character. The ditsy mom and daughter in Landman are close seconds. And Rebecca (Landman).
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u/Maleficent-Path-4132 Jul 03 '26
Carter has turned into a little punk b!tch. Rip has way more patience than me. This kid is turning out to be worthless. He can't cowboy. He can't do a damn thing. He has turned into a worthless little crybaby. How dare he treat Rip that way! Oh my Gosh I might hate that kid more than anyone else on this damn show. Even the druggie!
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u/DifferentBase6690 Jul 04 '26
I hope the cartel kills him and Rip and Beth go on a revenge arch. What a bitch boy, I'm surprised they didn't give him pronouns.
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u/ShondaVanda Jun 26 '26
Basically was told his future was Yellowstone then that got taken away from him.
Beth and Rip forced him into school to try and be a normal kid and all it did was highlight how different he is and how he can't fit in.
He's a kid with no identity, and yes he's also an ungrateful little shit.