CBS’s Marshals episode three opens with Belle (Arielle Kebbel) drinking and gambling, down $10,000. The action quickly shifts to outside, where two men set off a bomb in the middle of an empty road.

(The following is a recap of episode three, “Road to Nowhere,” and there are spoilers.)

Kayce (Luke Grimes) is repairing a fence broken by a stallion when Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) arrive at East Camp. Kayce admits he hasn’t had time to tame the horse, and he’s glad to see Thomas is back on his feet after the bombing. He reminds the Broken Rock Chairman that the threat’s still out there.

Thomas confirms the government’s about to break ground on the mine today.

Kayce makes it into work and Cal (Logan Marshall-Green) gives him a hard time about splitting time between working on the ranch and being a marshal. Cal suggests he should try and stick around and bond with the team, but Kayce’s not into that right now. He’s still committed to Tate and the ranch.

And speaking of the team, Belle’s frustrated because Andrea (Ash Santos) and Miles (Tatanka Means) are acting like kids, hiding and shooting foam bullets at each other at work, pretending to clear the room. Kayce points out where Andrea’s hiding, and Cal credits his buddy with having excellent spidey senses. Miles asks for advice on how to clear the room and Belle suggests a little close quarters battle (CQB) training couldn’t hurt.

Cal places Kayce in charge of teaching the team some frogman tactics. Kayce puts the team through their paces, advising them that once they take the real estate, they hold it.

Over at the rez, Thomas Rainwater, Mo, and tribal police block the road when heavy equipment tries to move in. The driver explains Highway 191 was blown up so they were forced to enter through the reservation. Mo warns him to turn around now, but the heavy equipment can’t turn around in such a tight spot.

“Well, then they’re our trucks now,” says Thomas.

Cal interrupts the team’s training with orders to head to the standoff on the rez. And it’s not just the construction equipment that is detoured to rez land; ranchers trying to take their livestock to auction are also stuck. The marshals have been charged with clearing the public from the scene, but that doesn’t go over well with the team. Cal reminds them it’s their job to clear the locals, and Kayce admits it’s going to cause problems when the locals see the marshals standing with Broken Rock.

Cal orders the team to “strap on the hard armor” because they’re going into battle. As they prepare, Miles wonders if they should believe Cal when he says they’re not going to be pointing their weapons at Broken Rock. The tribe’s witnessed a lot of broken promises, but this time Kayce believes Cal’s telling the truth.

The marshals arrive on the scene and encounter a lengthy traffic jam and lots of angry people. The ranchers are happy to see Kayce among the team and praise his work as a livestock agent. They’re sure Kayce will straighten everything out and that he’ll back their side instead of the rez.

Belle and Kayce recognize the Clegg brothers and realize the situation has escalated. Belle points out that the Clegg brothers were recently involved in a situation reminiscent of Ruby Ridge. The police haven’t bothered them since.

Randall Clegg (Michael Cudlitz) blames Kayce for giving Broken Rock so much power after giving away the Yellowstone. Randall believes John Dutton’s rolling in his grave after Kayce turned over Yellowstone to the rez. Kayce doesn’t take the bait but also doesn’t allow his family’s name to be insulted.

The ranchers have become an angry mob when the marshals position themselves next to Thomas Rainwater and the tribe. Cal orders the ranchers to leave Broken Rock land and that’s when fists are thrown. Cal threatens to arrest anyone who doesn’t leave and some of the mob begin to peel off and head back to their vehicles. A woman passes by Belle and does a double take, identifying her by her real last name. She spits in Belle’s face and says she’d change her name too after what her family did.

The majority of the mob remains in place and more fighting breaks out. Suddenly, gunshots ring out, aimed at the marshals. Two women are shot and the mob instantly quiets down. Cal points out where the shots came from as Belle and Andrea tend to the wounded women.

Kayce and Cal locate spent .308 shells casings and given the distance, they came from a hunting rifle. They follow trampled brush and spot a man fleeing the scene. Cal yells out at him to stop but he refuses, and Kayce’s forced to get ahead of him and tackle the shooter.

Back at the office, the team acknowledges that the locals and the rez are against them now. Cal reveals the shooter was Don Moore, the first rancher who threw a punch. He couldn’t get his cattle to market and turned violent. Miles confirms the tribal police are checking to make sure there aren’t any other shooters out there.

Cal sends Andrea to question Don while Miles investigates his background. Belle is assigned to do the ballistics work. However, the standoff hasn’t ended, and they’re all concerned that the situation is just going to escalate.

Cal confesses he doesn’t get Montana and that the place gives him Afghanistan vibes. The ranchers and government are basically one tribe, and Broken Rock is their mutual enemy tribe. Thomas Rainwater confiscating the equipment doesn’t help, and Cal asks Kayce to ask Thomas to stand down before there’s a full-on war. Kayce thinks his presence will just escalate matters, but Cal is certain he’s the only person who can reason with all the parties.

Andrea informs Don that he’s got gunshot residue on his hands and will be charged with either attempted manslaughter or murder. Don insists he didn’t shoot anyone and that he’s just a dad worried about taking care of his kids, something he can’t do if the rez stands in the way of progress. He’s angry the rez has stopped an airport and hotels from being built, which cost the area good jobs.

Andrea understands but that doesn’t change the fact two women were shot. She suggests that he confess and make things easier on himself.

Miles and Belle talk about what just went down, and Belle confesses that leaving the ATF for the marshals brought her closer to home and closer to her family’s history. Miles can relate and notes that some people think he’s a traitor for wearing a marshal badge. Belle thinks Cal and Andrea will soon figure out that Big Sky Country is actually just one small town. They also admit that Kayce’s got it the worst, given his family’s legacy.

Kayce meets with Thomas and Mo and confirms the shooting had nothing to do with the bombing. It was just a reaction to the roadblock. He thinks it’s time for Thomas to stand down before there are further injuries. Thomas points out that John Dutton wouldn’t do that; he even rerouted a river to get what he wanted. Since the Duttons bled for their way of life, Kayce shouldn’t judge him for doing the same.

As Kayce’s leaving, he spots the same truck passing by for the third time. It circles back again and a passenger begins firing an assault rifle at Thomas and the others outside a coffee shop. Kayce returns fire. A bystander is injured and Kayce takes off after the truck.

Back at the office, Belle reveals ballistics indicate there were three shooters. Don continues to claim he didn’t shoot anyone, and now there are two shooters on the loose.

Kayce calls in his location, and the team tries to figure out if it’s the same shooters and if they’re now targeting the rez and not the marshals. Cal sends Andrea back to get the two names from Don and he finally admits that if he gives her the names, his family will be targeted. Andrea promises to help his family, and Don reveals the shooters are Carson and Wes Clegg. It turns out the Clegg brothers were hired to blast the rocks to make way for the mine. When the rez hindered the mine work, they put the Cleggs’ contract in jeopardy.

The black Chevy Kayce’s chasing is registered to Wes Clegg. The team prepares for action and fills Kayce in by phone on what they’ve learned. Kayce spots the truck and believes the Cleggs have fled on foot into the woods.

Cal orders Kayce not to go in alone, reminding him “one is none.” Kayce actually listens and waits for the team to arrive before heading in to track the Cleggs. They make their way slowly and methodically through the woods but can’t find any tracks. Suddenly, a shot’s fired in their direction and they take cover.

The team shoots in multiple directions, attempting to draw fire to determine where the Cleggs are located. Cal calls out their location and orders Kayce and Miles to remain hidden and move in on the flank but not fire. Cal lays down cover fire to draw the Cleggs’ attention while Kayce and Miles close the gap.

Kayce’s 50 yards out when he tells Miles they’re going to move up the slope and approach the Cleggs. He orders Miles not to stop once they begin moving. Kayce starts the approach but steps on a hidden mine and is briefly knocked out. He comes to, ears ringing, but recovers quickly enough to tell Cal to remain in position.

Kayce takes down Carson Clegg and Miles tackles Wes while he’s reloading.

Later that evening, Cal’s alone in the locker room and shakes as he takes two pills. He hides the bottle quickly when Kayce walks in. Kayce calls the Cleggs “Montana’s cockroaches” and knows they’ll pop up again. Cal wants him to go relax at the bar but Kayce declines. Before he leaves, he warns Cal to watch his back at the bar.

Ballistics clear Don Moore, and Wes Clegg confessed he and Carson were the shooters.

Thomas pays a visit to Kayce at East Camp and Kayce apologizes for asking him to stand down. He admits that after spending his whole life being pulled two ways, neither side wants him. Thomas believes they’re brothers for life after all they’ve been through.

Kayce believes his dad would have been proud of Thomas for creating a roadblock. Thomas reveals he returned the equipment and ended the standoff to obtain peace. Kayce thinks the Cleggs could have been behind the bombing because of their contract with the mine.

The talk turns more personal as Thomas admits he saw Monica’s shoes by the door. He thinks it’s Monica’s horse that keeps breaking down fences, and Kayce confirms he bought it for her right before she got worse. He didn’t try and tame it since she couldn’t ride it anyway. Thomas believes that whether it’s their shared grief or taking on the mine, they need to remain in the fight together.

Over at the bar, the bartender sarcastically jokes about Cal making friends everywhere. He wonders if there’s any threat inside the bar and claims he’s just misunderstood. Cal joins his team at a table and announces the shooting victims have been discharged. They can’t get over why the people they protect view them as the enemy, but Cal says they just need to keep doing their jobs.

Just then a stranger walks up and they’re certain it’s a threat. Fortunately, the man just wants to thank them for saving his friend’s daughter at the roadblock. He even pays for their next round of drinks.

The mood lightens and they toast, “To the protectors.”

However, things aren’t going as peacefully at East Camp. Kayce wakes, grabs his gun, and looks outside the front door. A single bullet has been placed on his doormat.

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