We know Beth Dutton doesn’t run away from a fight. Not with a man, not with a woman; If a horse looked at her sideways, she would probably hit it. As she told her cellmate at the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department at the beginning yellowstone Season 5 Episode 4 (“Horses in Heaven”), “I Am the Wrath of a Despised Woman,” and this Beth will never be a Bethany. However, she needs the support of Jamie to fight another day outside of a prison cell. Hailey Brewer (Ashley Platz), the California woman whose face reminded Beth of a beer bottle, is insisting on the assault charges. But wait, says Jamie. Is Hailey ready to be charged too? There’s no self-defense law for two combatants in a bar brawl, and Beth’s opponent leaves the meeting frustrated, calling everyone in Montana a hillbilly. But it’s okay, they’ve heard that from the coast types before, and for now, Beth is free with a lesser disorderly conduct charge.
Does his help make them allies? Hardly. Beth isn’t out of the clink for five minutes before punching Jamie in the face and head, almost knocking his vehicle over. There’s a car seat in the back. “You have a child?” she asks Jamie in disbelief, her anger and pain building. “My body was cut out for you, and God gave she And in a spectacular twist, Beth correctly targets Christina (Katherine Cunningham), “that broodmare of a campaign manager,” as the mother of Jamie’s son, who we learn is also named Jamie. Which means a secret male Dutton -7th generation heir for succession issues, especially as Jamie begs Beth not to reveal his existence to John Dutton? Beth has a few ideas on this – she will forcibly take baby Jamie from her brother. Add secret children to the list of people against which our most impulsive and fiery Dutton is ready to fight.
In the capital, John is still grimly learning about the grueling mechanics of state government. He fires an entire room full of political mania and cancels another round of luncheons – Dutton has been governor for a week, but it’s not clear anyone but his family members and perhaps brave aide Clara Brewer (Lilli Kay) will survive his reign. As usual, Senator Perry talks him off the ledge. She advises Dutton to stay one step ahead of the state legislature and always initiate, not retaliate, which feels like a principle for the salty ranch owner to hide behind. But the question is, can he stand above the fray when it comes to the protected wolf murder? In the governor’s office, he blocks a detachment of fish and wildlife officials. But Perry warned him that wolves, buffaloes and environmentalists are the bane of every Montana boss’ existence.
Take a look at who is also dropping out? John breaks Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo) out of her sentence and puts her on the ranch – she’ll advise him on environmental issues while he trades barbs with his “bipolar sociopathic daughter,” who gives Summer some tips on post-prison hygiene of sorts the greeting. Beth loves to fight. But she seems to keep her choicest slings and arrows for the women who have crossed them.
As Mo and a team of excavators prepared the site for the traditional funeral ceremony for Monica and Kayce’s young son, John, they buried a horse next to the tiny grave so the boy could have a mount in the afterlife. It’s an image that sticks with John and Rip’s innate sense of freedom – in a ranch life marked by change and strife, it’s heartening to believe in the comfort of horses in heaven. John also shares a quiet moment with Monica after the ceremony, telling her about his own little brother, Peter, who only lived for a short time. “This boy has lived a perfect life,” he says of Baby John. “All he knew was you love him.” The governor is also returning Kayce his badge, at least for now; Kayce is still adamant about quitting the cattle commissioner job. But there’s a sense his father might need an ally in that department, given the ongoing chaos surrounding wolves and collars and cover-ups.
Jamie and Sarah Atwood’s dinner is coming up, but it quickly turns into a drinking and flirting session. Sure, Atwood is still on offense – “We don’t have to to win‘ she tells the Market Equities Attorney General, they’re just going to murder John Dutton’s character and his term await a kinder governor — but on the sidelines, it’s fun. Atwood tells Jamie she feels irresponsible. He answers in the same way. And the two leave their whiskey glasses to giggle and make their way to a nearby restroom, where they continue to perk up. is she playing him does he play her It can be a bit of both. But neither Jamie nor Sarah knows who’s playing the long game. Beth has been watching her the whole time and sneaks into the toilet to sniff Sarah’s purse. “Who is this bitch?” she asks, and Beth’s research uncovers a New York State ID, which raises some questions about the validity of the corporate killer’s given name. “Impulse control. Find some,” her father warned her after the bar fight and resulting jail stint. But Beth’s fighting spirit is matched to the game Sarah Atwood is playing.
Hooked Rocking Y’s:
- When Delbert Mitchell (David Atkinson) of the nearby Poison Creek group enlists the help of Rip and the Bunkhouse boys branding, it’s a sequence that bursts with the day-to-day running of a cowboy, the trust of friends and family, and the traditions threatened by outside forces, be it a market value or the legacy of what’s left of Montana’s way of life. While Teeter, Lloyd and the others rope up the young cows and lead them to the cows brand pen, Rip and Ryan help out with the hot poker and vaccinations happening at the same time. Boys and girls in cowboy gear lend a hand, too, and when the branding is done and it’s time to kick back with refreshments, Rip shares a makeover with Delbert. “At least the world hasn’t learned about this place,” he says, and Delbert worries about the world they’re leaving for the next generation. Both men know the inevitable has only been slowed down. Change will come, and you must face it when it comes.
- The branding sequence also gives Yellowstone another chance for a musical highlight. Oklahoma-based singer-songwriter Zach Bryan previously appeared on the show with his songs “Flying or Crying” and “Condemned.” This time it comes plaintively from “The Good I’ll Do”. American heartbreakthe triple (!) album Bryan released earlier this year.
Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @Glenganges