Beth Dutton of ‘Yellowstone’ won’t back down. How she took on the world in Episode 3

Season 5, Episode 3: “Tall Drink of Water”

Be warned: We can’t discuss the episode without, you know, saying what happened in it. So, if you haven’t watched it, go do that before reading this. Or accept that sometimes, spoilage is part of life.

Ryan Rusak, opinion editor: We’re back with a look at the pre-Thanksgiving episode of “Yellowstone.” Here’s a quick recap and some observations.

The episode begins with, yes, another flashback. Young (well, younger) John Dutton, portrayed by Josh Lucas, and the cowboys discover that wolves have had lunch on the ranch. Soon, we see an angry meeting of ranchers feeling betrayed by a federal program to reintroduce the wolves to the wild.

The symbolism is thick — wolves are at John Dutton’s door, and he must fight man and beast alike to protect the Yellowstone. Just like today. Otherwise, we don’t see much of modern-day John Dutton in this episode. Mostly, we see him brooding and having difficult conversations with his kids.

Nicole Russell, opinion writer: Just in terms of pure form, I was surprised to see writer-producer Taylor Sheridan start his third episode with a flashback. I prefer to see the action forward first and, like you mentioned, this seemed to be a scene that’s merely symbolic. Although, I can’t complain: Younger John Dutton is played by the adorable Lucas. Even his voice is very John Dutton.

Ryan: Instead, Episode 3 is Beth-tastic. In a period of less than 24 hours, she goes from seemingly winning the business battle over the Yellowstone to cuffed in the back of a sheriff’s cruiser. We won’t pretend to comprehend the legal and financial wizardry she pulls, but by selling off the brokerage she owns (oh yeah, kinda forgot about that) and putting its land in a conservation trust, she seems to have beaten the Market Equities evildoers who want to turn the ranch into an airport for a skiing playground.

At least, the above-board part of that. It’s all a prelude to playing dirty, as Market Equities’ own version of Beth, Sarah Atwood, makes clear. She engages with Attorney General Jamie Dutton, playing good cop to an attorney’s bluster about John Dutton’s decision to cancel airport construction leases.

It’s a rare strong scene for Jamie — he’s tough, smart and witty. Funny how different he is when his sister isn’t around.

Nicole: I really do love Beth at her Beth-iest, and this episode certainly epitomized that. While she was in the middle of negotiating selling to her friend, smoking a cigarette indoors a la the 1960s, she even made brokering a particular financial deal sound appealing.

It’s funny, while you marveled at Jamie’s wit, I kept thinking I’d never heard of an instance where the lawyers suing a party showed up at that same party’s office that day. Only on television. Yet, it works: We need to see that moment with Jamie and the pretty brunette gets her shot at luring Jamie into something — my guess is she’ll try to get him to double-cross the family.

RIP SHOWS CARTER KINDNESS, FACES RANCH TROUBLE

Ryan: We see a couple sides of Rip in Episode 5, too. For a minute, he’s actually kind to Carter, the young orphan charge who is so clearly a stand-in for Rip’s own youth. Of course, trouble finds Rip immediately, as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers show up to inquire about how the heck some loose wolf-tracking collars ended up in the river.

The Kayce-and-Monica storyline moves a little, as tribal chairman Tom Rainwater offers advice on a burial ceremony for the baby they lost to Monica’s Episode 1 car wreck. And Kayce gives up his position of livestock commissioner to take care of his family.

Nicole: I do wish to see Kayce and Monica, as characters and as a couple, expand further into something more complex. It seems like she’s constantly playing someone who’s forlorn or deep in sorrow (and/or recovering from something physical) and Kayce is the Only Man With Integrity. Instead of pitting him against his job and his family, why not allow him to keep the position and do both? Man’s gotta have a job doesn’t he?

As a woman who has borne multiple children and experienced an early miscarriage, I did appreciate the portrayal of Monica’s sorrow over a son she knew only briefly, then lost. Many, many women (and men) have felt that pain, and it’s often glossed over. A difficult, touching scene.

Ryan: Back to Beth, because it’s all about Beth. She wants to celebrate her big victory, and hey, it’s ranch hand Lloyd’s 58th birthday. Beth takes the bunkhouse group to a bar — in spite of Rip’s rather ridiculous effort to tell her no, for fear of the group getting into a fracas.

Of course, it’s Beth he should worry about, not the cowboys. When a drunken out-of-towner hits on Rip, Beth handles it maturely, clocking the Californian with a beer bottle and then hitting her again while they’re all being separated by the law. Hence the aforementioned arrest. Not good for the governor’s chief of staff.

Nicole: This whole scene was so wild and so out of character for anyone in this field — and yet, it was kind of refreshing to be reminded that Beth is not all conference rooms and high heels. Get someone who loves you with the kind of ferocity Beth loves Rip — as the kids say.

Breaking a glass bottle on the woman who dared to make a move on her man is as unbelievable as the fact that she actually got arrested for it.

I half-expected Rip to whisk her out of there. The fact that he kind of let her taste those consequences is important. And of course, makes for an interesting story ahead.

Ryan: I really hope the Broken Rock Indian tribe storyline continues to move. In this episode, we got a little action, as consultant Angela Blue Thunder (the tribe’s answer to Beth) drums up a protest against Rainwater and makes it clear she’s gunning for him. The Dutton-Rainwater conflict was bursting with promise in Season 1, and it’s been set aside for all the out-of-state business machinations.

The prelude series “1883” made clear that the Duttons’ ownership of the land was contingent on the local Indians’ blessing — and that it came with an expiration date. Surely the series has to move back toward resolving that, and soon.

Nicole: I have to admit, this bores me. Is it an afterthought? Are there teeth to these threats? We’ll see.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS ABOUT EPISODE 3

• Ryan: There’s so much with Beth in Episode 3, it’s hard to unpack it all. But one interesting moment that could get lost was her brief discussion with John about her mother. Beth’s reaction shows it’s one of her few weak spots. Expect more flashbacks to flesh that out.

• Nicole: When I saw that tear fall down Beth’s cheek, I thought: This whole family makes decisions based on severe trauma. My therapist doesn’t recommend that.

• Ryan: And was this show always so heavy on flashbacks? The entire opening segment was one, and it feels like a little bit of a crutch for show guru Taylor Sheridan to move the story along. But hey, I’m not the one writing, like, nine hit series at once, so he gets a pass here as long as it doesn’t become overbearing.

• Nicole: Can we give some credit to the cinematographers? And God? The opening scene, and multiple scenes throughout just looked stunning. The Montana landscape is gorgeous. I read recently that Yellowstone is filmed at the Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana. If you’re curious if Yellowstone has caused an uptick in tourism in Montana, due to the aforementioned cinematography, it has.

• Ryan: Nicole alluded to this last week, but this show really brings it for the ladies. Costner, Lucas, Cole Hauser’s Rip — but they’re all the same type, the strong, gruff type. I can only assume that’s the appeal.

• Nicole: The men of Yellowstone are mostly the stoic, gruff type, except for maybe Jamie and Kayce. But even Rip has such a soft side; I bet that’s why women love him. Hear that, men? Be as manly as you can and show your tenderness, too.

• Nicole: And speaking of relationships, in real life, would a man want his woman to clobber the person making eyes at him with a glass bottle? Or would he say she’s too crazy? Just wondering.

• Ryan: Because it’s apparently my brand, here’s this week’s whiskey observation: When Beth buys shots for the cowboys at the bar, it’s Crown Royal. I’m sure the Canadian stalwart is popular in Montana, but I’d expect hardened cowboys to go for something a little stronger than that 80-proof starter whiskey. Then again, when the boss is buying, don’t ask.

• Nicole: Line of the night: When Beth’s starting her tab and orders whiskey shots and beers, the bartender says: “We have a special on tequila shots?” Beth responds: “Do I look like I’m on spring break? Whiskey.”

• Ryan: My pick for best line: Young John to the federal official at the center of the heated meeting: “You don’t know me well enough to call me John. It’s Commissioner Dutton.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2022 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Beth Dutton of ‘Yellowstone’ won’t back down. How she took on the world in Episode 3."