The Yellowstone universe expands with CBS’s Marshals starring Luke Grimes reprising his role as Kayce Dutton. The series is set a while after the events of Yellowstone’s series finale and focuses on Kayce, his son Tate, and Kayce’s new job as a US Marshal.

(The following is a recap of episode one, “Piya Wiconi,”  and contains spoilers.)

Kayce wakes from a dream about Monica and glances at the empty pillow next to him. He stares at himself in the mirror before heading out with Tate (Brecken Merrill) to herd cattle. Kayce spots a wolf in the distance, takes aim, but doesn’t shoot.

Tate’s supposed to work on the corral later, but instead he’s committed to spending the night on the rez after a meeting about an upcoming protest. Kayce makes breakfast and admits Monica was much better at this than he is.

US Marshal Pete ‘Cal’ Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green) pulls up with a box of explosives, and it’s obvious he and Kayce have a brotherly relationship. They were on the same SEAL team (Pete was the team leader) and Cal can’t believe Kayce’s satisfied working on the ranch, given his military experience.

“So much for evolve or die,” jokes Cal.

Cal’s genuinely worried about Kayce’s mental health and volunteers to help with the explosives. They head out on horseback and Cal admits that after being here for three months and gathering a team, he doesn’t get the way of life. Apparently while they were in the SEALs together, Kayce never mentioned he was from a wealthy Montana family. 

Kayce and Cal knock down trees with a combo of explosives and gunshots, and Cal confirms he’s a better shot now than when they served together. Even in Montana, the marshals have their hands full taking down gangs and cartels. Cal doesn’t understand how Kayce’s satisfied living such a quiet life. He confesses that after he got out of the Navy, he was messed up on drugs and angry at the world. The marshals helped him get his life back in shape, and he asks Kayce to join his team.

“My life’s been kill or be killed for too long, man,” replies Kayce.

Cal’s okay with that but could use Kayce’s help on a case near the Duttons’ old ranch. Kayce thinks two fugitives must be in an old cabin that’s not accessible to tenderfoots – like Cal. Kayce doesn’t seem interested until Cal adds that the fugitives are preying on rez women.

Over at the Painted Horse Casino, Broken Rock Chairman Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) heads a meeting about a mine the government has planned nearby. The mine isn’t on the tribe’s land, but it will affect their river. It will likely increase the reservation’s cancer rate, and Thomas points out the government has never cared that they’ve dumped poisons on their land or in their water.

Cal introduces Kayce to his team: Andrea Santos (Ash Santos), Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), and Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means). Andrea’s not big on horseback riding, but Cal advises them that it’s the only way to get into the area. He puts Kayce in charge since he knows the area.

Belle, Miles, and Andrea discuss the Duttons out of Kayce’s earshot, and Andrea has no idea who they are. Belle fills her in on Kayce’s backstory, including John’s murder.

Kayce doesn’t join them as they prepare to enter the cabin, preferring to let the marshals handle it. But after they walk away, he follows. Kayce spots a man on horseback just as he starts shooting at the marshals. The fugitive rides off and Kayce gives chase while dodging bullets. Belle catches up and Kayce suggests they get ahead of the fleeing fugitive by taking a different path. They quickly place a rope chest-high between trees. The fugitive crashes into it and gets knocked out of his saddle.

Kayce joins them for drinks at the bar that night, which gives the series’ first episode the perfect opportunity to fill out backstories on the team. Belle is a former ATF agent who’s an undercover specialist. Andrea’s father was a cop, and she joined the marshals to avenge him. She got kicked out of her unit in DC, and Cal teases that she’s a rebel. It was confirmed earlier in the episode that Miles is a member of Broken Rock.

Andrea changes the music on the jukebox and Belle warns her, “There are three things you don’t do in Montana: pet the buffalo, try to outdrink Canadians, and mess with cowboys’ music.”

The bar’s getting louder and Cal suggests they head home. Tomorrow’s mine rally is expected to keep them busy, and Kayce says Tate will be there at the protest. He offers to help as a one-time deal, and Cal instantly deputizes him.

The rally’s fairly peaceful, but the crowd’s big and Cal notes that Kayce’s come well-armed. The protestors hold photos and Miles explains that they’re of cancer victims who became sick due to the toxins dumped onto the reservation.

Kayce spots Tate and asks him to go home, but Tate feels like he needs to be there. He doesn’t care if this could turn violent. Tate’s surprised his dad’s acting as a marshal, and Kayce explains he’s just helping Cal. Tate won’t leave and points out that after how much his mom suffered, Kayce should be part of the protest too.

Tate stares at his dad and then holds up a framed photo of Monica.

Thomas and Mo Brings Plenty are happy to see the “reclusive” Kayce Dutton, and Kayce’s all smiles as they talk. He admits he’s helping because Tate’s there and doesn’t want him to get in trouble. Thomas makes a joke about a Dutton father and son who don’t see eye-to-eye and then asks about the ranch. Kayce says, “We have 5,000 acres, 300 pairs, and a disobedient teenager. I’m living the dream.”

Kayce explains that Monica picked out a spot in East Camp for him to come visit her after she died. Miles interrupts to grab Kayce because the Secretary of the Interior is on her way to deliver a speech, and Thomas confirms Miles is a good guy.

Cal’s boss, Harry Gifford (Brett Cullen), arrives to greet Secretary Clark and introduces Clark’s security personnel to Cal. Harry explains he formed Cal’s marshal team as the last line of defense in the area.

The Secretary tries to speak but the protesters drown her out. Kayce spots a hooded figure in the edge of the woods and radios that he’s got eyes on a possible triggerman. Belle quickly scans the area and spots an abandoned backpack near the stage. Secretary Clark is rushed off the stage just as it explodes

Unfortunately, Thomas is injured in the blast.

Kayce takes Tate home and then returns to help Cal with the investigation. Gifford credits Cal’s team with quick thinking but needs them to find the perpetrators quickly. Andrea points out there aren’t surveillance cameras, so it’ll be tough going. Gifford demands that Cal find the bomber before Washington “cleans his plow.”

Belle’s got the pressure cooker lid from the bomb, indicating it was homemade. She’ll work on tracing the bomb while Miles tries to gather any local media footage. Andrea and Kayce will head to the hospital to talk to the people who were injured.

Over at the hospital, Mo tells Kayce this is one of Broken Rock’s darkest days. Thomas is still in surgery, and Mo notes that violence has a way of finding the Duttons.

Belle’s used her ATF contacts to determine the explosive powder came from the Montana Department of Energy. The pressure cooker lid’s serial number tracks to Buckner’s Hardware near Broken Rock. However, the person who bought it paid in cash so they can’t track their identity.

Harry jumps to the conclusion that someone on the rez is the bomber. Miles suggests they keep looking for evidence instead of blaming someone from Broken Rock.

They discover footage of someone with the backpack moving through the crowd. Facial recognition identifies the person as tribe member Jim Kaine, and he has access to explosives through his job. Miles reveals Jim’s brother died of cancer; that could be the motive.

Kayce believes the bomb went off right after it was left near the stage, which means Jim could be injured. A nurse confirms Jim was treated as a John Doe and is in recovery. Andrea places him under arrest as a person of interest.

Kayce remains in Jim’s room as a male nurse comes in to check on him. Jim indicates with his eyes that something’s going on, glancing at the man’s shoes. Kayce follows his eyes, gets a look at the shoes that don’t go with the scrubs, and follows the man upstairs to a restroom. The man leaps out of a toilet stall and attacks Kayce with a knife. Kayce tries to dodge the blade but loses his gun. They have a brutal fight over the knife that ends with Kayce retrieving his gun and shooting the man multiple times in the chest.

Belle discovers the man is John Decker, an Army vet who worked with Jim on an oil rig. Jim had access to the explosives and John knew how to make bombs.

Kayce doesn’t believe Jim’s a killer and as John’s body is wheeled by, Kayce stops them to open John’s phone with facial ID. John has a game open on his phone, and Kayce knows that during the war, people communicated via game chat rooms. He opens the chat and sees a video of Jim’s wife and daughter being held hostage.

Kayce gets Jim to tell him that they’re holding his wife and daughter to make him help with the bombing. He doesn’t know where they’re being held but does know the target was actually Rainwater—not the Secretary.

Decker is part of the Trailkeepers survivalist group that is anti-land back. When Rainwater campaigned to get their land returned, it put him in their crosshairs. Finding the group is their best chance of retrieving Jim’s family.

Harry isn’t thrilled to have a Dutton working with the team, but Cal stands by his friend, reminding his boss that Kayce’s a war hero. Harry’s never liked the Duttons or their reputation for being beyond the law. But Cal refuses to get rid of Kayce, suggesting Harry do it himself if he wants him gone.

Jim’s daughter had a tracker and it indicates she’s about 100 miles away. Andrea stays behind to monitor the action while the rest head out in a helicopter. Andrea asks Harry how the Trailkeepers could have known about the secretary’s movements three days before it was publicly announced. Harry’s impressed and says it’s a good catch.

Quick research shows Decker’s connected to the local Fish, Game, and Parks director, Owen Kilborn, who’s been included in the planning and investigation. Harry realizes Owen knows about the team heading to the Trailblazers’ location, just as the team comes under fire at the remote house. Gunfire’s exchanged and Kayce’s responsible for most of the shots that hit their marks.

Belle’s hit in the vest area and Miles helps her. Jim’s wife is located, still tied to a heater, but her daughter is missing. Her shoe, with the tracker, was left behind and Kayce realizes they were lured to the location.

Kayce tortures one of the injured men until he says they’re heading to a lake. The team makes it to the lake and one of the men holds Jim’s daughter as a shield. The kidnapper forces Cal to put down his weapon but doesn’t notice Kayce in the shadows. Kayce fires one shot and hits him while he’s still holding Jim’s daughter. With his dying breath he says, “You’ve stopped nothing.”

Owen received $250,000 for the bombing and would have gotten away with it if Jim had died. Cal suggests they take the win and is proud of his “modern-day posse.”

Cal grabs a quiet moment alone, takes a pill, holds a photo of his young daughter, and briefly cries.

Kayce realizes he knows Belle as an Isabelle whose family breeds cutting horses. She asks that he keep that information to himself, and Kayce agrees. The team relaxes and goofs off after the hard day, and Cal advises Kayce that this team is the antidote to all the violence they’ve witnessed.

Kayce visits Thomas in the hospital and admits he always ends up on the wrong side of the fence. Mo points out he did great work with the marshals and truly helped Jim get his family back. Kayce confesses that it felt good to kill for someone instead of something.

“The Duttons are all born with a killer instinct, but you’re not a killer, Kayce. You’re a protector,” says Thomas.

Kayce and Tate have a heart-to-heart, and Kayce apologizes for forcing Tate to live like the Duttons have lived for 100 years. Kayce believes the wrong parent died and he’s keeping a grip on this place because it’s all he can offer Tate. John told him there would be a time when Tate would test him. He wants his son to know that East Camp is his home, but not his destiny.

Tate’s worried his dad will hate him if he doesn’t want to stay at East Camp. Kayce reminds him that after losing his parents, his brothers, his SEAL teammates, and Monica, he has survived. But not being close to Tate would end him.

The series premiere ends with Kayce riding to the peaceful spot Monica selected for him to speak with her after she died. He calls her his only friend, admits he’s lost, and claims the best part of him died with her.

He’s going to find a new beginning for him and Tate. As he’s leaving, he spots the wolf. This time he pulls the trigger. (And that’s the only part of this episode that, as a Yellowstone fan, I disliked.)

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