Things are heading towards absolute chaos after the latest episode of “Yellowstone” aired on Sunday night.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE ‘YELLOWSTONE’ SPOILERS BELOW. BE WARNED.
The third episode of Yellowstone’s fifth season – “Tall Drink of Water” – continued to set the stage for absolute mayhem throughout the run.
After last weekend’s two-hour premiere, it was clear that the Duttons would soon only have more problems with John as the governor of Montana and Market Equities refusing to pack up and go home.
John’s vision for Montana is simple. Take things back 100 years and build a metaphorical wall around the state to keep outsiders in their home states. Well, there’s a lot to break.
Beth hatches a plan, but as always, she’s in chaos.
Beth’s plan to tank market equities seems relatively simple. She sold her majority stake in Schwartz & Meyer, keeping only the land she had previously acquired.
She has given up her interest for fear of lawsuits, Schwartz and & Meyer are now in complete control after Beth convinced the organization to “fuck” their main enemy “just a little”.
The country keeping them in the partition will go into a conservation easement, the airport deal will be officially dead once that happens, and Market Equities will bleed billions of dollars annually.
Well I will say this. The history of conservation easements is sound from a logical and legal point of view. The only part that might not be too accurate is that conservation easements are rarely used for rangeland. Most are used for wetlands, which is not the case here. It’s a small detail, but something to consider.
Well, as we all know, nothing ever goes well for Beth. After delivering what appeared to be a devastating swipe at Market Equities, she walked into a bar and was beaten, smashing a glass bottle over a woman’s head and arrested.
That in and of itself is not a big deal. However, the scene gave us the opportunity to meet the new sheriff. If there’s one theme that “Yellowstone” fans are accustomed to, it’s that the Duttons have always influenced and wielded their power over law enforcement. Before his death, Sheriff Haskell was, for the most part, a staunch ally of John. He got a little lost from time to time, but at the end of the day, John could dictate what would happen.
The fact that Beth was arrested seems to indicate that won’t be the case with the newcomer. That could be a problem, and it’s the latest sign the Duttons could be losing their iron grip. Something to definitely keep an eye on.
Will Jamie fall into a trap?
Jamie may be one of the most hated characters on TV, but he’s also one of the most intriguing. Above all, he is a survivor. That clearly doesn’t change in Season 5 of Yellowstone.
In episode three he found himself in an interesting dilemma. Sarah Atwood more or less admitted that market equities got screwed with John as governor.
However, Sarah digs her claws into the adopted Dutton son. There was an insane amount of sexual tension during their office conversation, and when she dropped the dinner proposal, you could feel the manipulation just boiling over.
We’ve seen this before with Jamie. We’ve seen him show good intentions and then be tempted to do something stupid. His original AG run with his little mum advising him is a testament to that. Speaking of which, where the hell is she these days?
Let’s be honest with each other as viewers and fans. We all know that Sarah Atwood actually has no real interest in Jamie. It’s all just for show. She wants it in her pocket. Does he know this or is he being led into a circular saw?
Jamie is not stupid. He is not. However, we do know that he makes stupid decisions. There are many examples of this on “Yellowstone” over the years.
Would he really be stupid enough to upset the man who raised him from the dead? I’d love to say no, but we all know he bloody well could.
Remember, I pointed out that Beth isn’t nearly as influential as she thinks she is over Jamie. If she burns him, she would have to burn herself in the process. Where does he go from here? Jamie has options. None of them are particularly good. He can stay with his father and let his witch torment a sister, or play his own hand and roll dice with Sarah Atwood. It’s hard to see a positive result either way.
The Monica/Kayce story continues to be heartbreaking.
In the premiere, we saw Monica and Kayce lose their unborn child in a horrific car accident. It was heartbreaking and a difficult storyline to consume.
In episode three of the fifth season of “Yellowstone” it didn’t get any easier. Her mourning scenes were downright brutal to watch. The kitchen scene was hit particularly hard. Kayce speaking to John about burying the child at the ranch so Monica can visit was powerful and also incredibly sad.
However, we see Kayce turning. He is willing to give up his role as a law enforcement officer to be with his family.
Enter rainwater. The Native American leader raised the possibility that Kayce could take over as a regional investigator for the Montana Department of Justice to help the tribal community. If it happens, it would further mean that the Duttons and Native Americans are getting closer through the Monica/Kayce/Tate story.
Kayce is a good man. He is a dark soul but a good man. I’m intrigued that he’s becoming a regional investigator. Taylor Sheridan could certainly invent some great storylines with this.
Is rainwater in danger?
Angela Blue Thunder isn’t too happy with Rainwater. Not at all, and she seems determined to teach him a lesson.
As she clarified, the lesson will not be pleasant, but it will be necessary. To be honest, I can’t stand them. Mo is great, viewers definitely at least respected Rainwater, but she’s unbearable. Hopefully someone gets her out or Thomas crushes her. Both results would be fine.
Importantly, it looks like Rainwater is about to lose the near-total support and control he once had on the reservation. It seems like John Dutton isn’t the only powerful leader under threat.
What about the story about killing wolves in “Yellowstone”?
Personally, I liked the wolf slaying storyline that we saw at the end of the two-hour premiere. It was funny, unexpected, and gave viewers an ominous sense of what was on the horizon.
Well we got an update when some investigators came out and clarified that they knew the wolves were killed on the ranch.
To his credit, Rip played it off as nothing more than a poacher, but this problem is clearly not going away any time soon. Taylor Sheridan didn’t write the wolf story with Colby and Ryan just to make them disappear.
I think it’s definitely here for the long haul. The Duttons could be in massive trouble if the truth gets out. Just another problem for John to deal with!
Other observations on “Yellowstone” episode three:
- It’s really crazy how different Carter looks from season four. It really throws me for a loop.
- The flashback scenes with Josh Lucas as young John Dutton are awesome. The scene in the old governor’s office was incredible. Power moves only!
- Still no Jimmy. Maybe it’s time to start wondering if we’re going to see him at all.
- The shower scene with Walker and Laramie was laughable. I’m glad to see that Lloyd didn’t immediately feel the need to stab anyone.
Overall, it was another excellent episode of Yellowstone. Can’t wait to see what we get in episode four.