On the latest Yellowstone, the Duttons prepare for war
John lashes out and opens up in "Horses In Heaven"
After decades of enforcing “frontier justice” to protect the Yellowstone Ranch and the Dutton family’s legacy, all of it came this close to being torn down because of a bar fight. This week’s episode of Yellowstone, “Horses In Heaven,” is a pivotal one, as John (Kevin Costner) and his brash, zero-bullshit method of governance takes center stage and a toll on his future, all while Beth (Kelly Reilly) is forced to ask her brother Jamie (an excellent Wes Bentley) for help getting out of jail—in a way that puts them both on a collision course for a fate worse than prison. Let’s get into it.
Here’s what went down
What we leave behind to our children and how we leave it are key themes this week, as John makes politically damaging moves to ensure his family’s legacy while grappling with the thorn in his side that is Beth’s arrest. While Jamie gets his estranged sister out of jail on a disorderly conduct charge, the situation puts considerable strain on John’s efforts to keep one hand on governing the state while the other tries to rein in his children.
John’s life gets even more complicated when investigators close in on what really happened to the wolves on John’s land. That forces Rip to lie about the animals’ murders, but John is surprisingly okay with that, as Rip did it to protect the ranch. So between the hell-storm coming from these wolves, and the seduction of Jamie by MKT Equities’ duplicitous Sarah, John now faces a battle from both within and without. And it just might cost him everyone and everything he fights for.
This week’s best moments, ranked
3. John’s first (and last) conference with staff
John’s brand of blunt-force diplomacy clashes with the pencil pushers’ way of doing things, specifically with regard to the consequences that Montana’s land and wildlife will suffer at the hands of a costly solar power expansion. John doesn’t like how this expansion came about and, upon seeing no need for anyone other than himself to vet or make policy, he fires his entire political staff and calls it “a great day” for Montana. But by appointing himself to where the buck stops, his real troubles in office are just getting started.