Paramount Network’s Yellowstone season five episode five begins with another flashback to a younger John Dutton (Josh Lucas) saddling up and riding out with his men, ready to spend the day herding cattle. Beth briefly joins the guys and after flirting with the ranch hand she previously made out with, she warns Rip to be careful. He’s justifiably standoffish, given Beth’s behavior on what was supposed to have been a date.
Zoom forward to current events and adult Beth (Kelly Reilly) is still having a rough time dealing with how rotten she was to Rip back in those days. Rip (Cole Hauser) is about to head out early, but Beth wants to talk about their relationship back when they were teens. Rip explains that he thinks about today and tomorrow but doesn’t spend time thinking about the past.
“Yesterday is what eats me,” says Beth, and Rip confirms that’s normal. It eats him, too, and that’s why he avoids thinking about it. They share a sweet but short kiss before he heads off for the day.
Huge smoke plumes can be seen over the mountains as Rip and John (Kevin Costner) walk and talk. Since the valley’s shorthanded, Rip thinks they should brand their calves now before they have to help out other ranches. Rip lays out his plan and explains they need to bring in 15 dayworkers, and John wants Rip to set up tents for temporary housing. Everyone will sleep outside, including the bunkhouse boys.
John orders his assistant, Clara (Lilli Kay), to clear his schedule. He’ll be working from the ranch for the next few days, and any scheduled meetings will have to be canceled. Also, he doesn’t want any additional meetings placed on his calendar.
John wants to remind everyone exactly what ranchers do and plans on making a big to-do out of the branding. Media will be invited, and Clara suggests she can make a guest list that will allow him to do two weeks worth of meetings in one afternoon. John briefly considers it and surprisingly agrees.
John’s meeting with his daughter’s next up, nd she wants to talk about Summer. John insists she’s not his girlfriend and she’s under house arrest right now, meaning she’ll be staying at the Yellowstone.
Beth thinks he’s keeping her around for her sexual abilities (she doesn’t sugarcoat her feelings) but John lays out the real explanation. Montana’s caught up in lawsuits over wolf hunting, bison leaving, and sage grouse that don’t know how to cross the road. John’s going to use Summer’s understanding of environmental issues to help him make his way through all the landmines.
Beth’s sure Summer doesn’t want to actually help him. She’s just literally and psychologically screwing with him. Beth’s convinced that everything – the fight over wolves, bison, and anything else – boils down to them wanting the Duttons’ land. Their desire to take the Yellowstone Ranch is at the heart of every battle.
Kayce (Luke Grimes) holds his head in his hands and sobs while seated on his porch with his dog. Monica (Kelsey Asbille) joins him and he admits he’s worried about her and life in general. He doesn’t have a clue what to do and Monica suggests he should keep his job. She doesn’t think Baby John’s death had anything to do with Kayce being at work; God just needed their baby.
Kayce’s worried about the job coming between them and Monica assures him that won’t happen. She also delivers the news that John invited them to the branding for a week. She wants to go but isn’t up to riding with them yet, but thinks Tate would be happy to have something to take his mind off burying his baby brother.
Rip’s busy going through supplies trying to gather stuff to outfit Carter for the ride ahead of them when Beth shows up. She surprises her hubby by asking him to outfit her, too. Rip’s completely taken aback; nothing in Beth’s history suggests she’d like to go on a long ride without real supplies.
Beth gets defensive and threatens to take off for Vegas when he doesn’t jump at the chance to have her along. With everything on his mind, Rip’s not prepared to deal with her issues right now.
“Okay, Beth, let’s put the crazy away,” says Rip before asking her if she’d like to go with him as they round up the calves for branding. She doesn’t respond.
Rip seriously has the patience of a saint when he takes a deep breath and takes a different approach. “Beth, love of my life, I don’t think I could survive two days alone,” says Rip. He adds that although she hates horses, cattle, getting dirty, and being told what to do, he hopes she chooses to spare him the misery of being without her.
Things turn playful as they tussle and then kiss.
John and Summer (Piper Perabo) don’t see eye-to-eye on branding cattle, so Summer won’t be joining them on the ride. However, Clara can ride so John invites her along. Plus, she can bring a satellite phone in case anyone needs to reach them.
John’s happy to see Kayce, Monica, and Tate have joined them and invites them for dinner.
When Clara sees Kayce, she asks if that’s his youngest son. John replies, “That’s my only son, Clara.”
And speaking of the son John’s not claiming, Jamie (Wes Bentley) is surprised when Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) shows up at his office after he called off their dinner date. Jamie doesn’t want to get involved in a relationship and what they did the other night was unprofessional. He finally catches on to the fact Sarah had sex with him to keep him from representing the State.
Jamie’s not worried because the State hires outside counsel. Sarah responds by taking off her dress, promising to get even more unprofessional. (So far, Sarah’s a horribly underwritten character. There’s no evidence yet that anyone, let alone the Duttons, should fear her.)
Beth, Carter (Finn Little), and Rip sit down for dinner at the small table, and Carter’s still shocked he gets to go with Rip to brand the calves.
Meanwhile, Summer, Kayce, Monica, Tate, and Clara join John at the main dining room table. And although he knows it’s not a wise decision, John wants Beth’s group to join them. He’s determined to have a real family dinner for once.
John orders Beth to join him and warns that if she can’t say anything nice, she needs to keep her mouth shut.
The dinner’s just as tense as you’d expect. Summer’s disturbed by the meat being served and doesn’t hold back voicing her disappointment about the deer, doves, and ducks they’re about to eat.
Monica busts out laughing, saying what everyone thinks about how uncomfortable things are. Monica continues to laugh as Beth asks Summer to step outside so they can discuss the way of life on a ranch. Rip volunteers to go after them and John chuckles when he says that’s a terrible idea.
Kayce smiles his first genuine smile this season and Monica struggles to hold it together.
Laughter breaks out around the table, but Rip’s seriously worried about what’s happening outside. And, it turns out, he’s right to be concerned.
Beth punches Summer in the face and Summer hits the ground. She gets up, only to be punched again. Fists and insults fly, and they’re surprisingly evenly matched. It’s a brutal battle that only stops when Rip tells them they both look stupid and ridiculous.
“Do you think that you’re going to beat the other one into respecting your opinion?” asks Rip, not actually in need of an answer. He wonders if this is the kind of manners Beth is trying to teach Carter. And he tells Summer not to insult people in their own homes. If she doesn’t like the food, she shouldn’t eat it. There are starving people all over the world and she should be grateful she’s being fed at all.
If she can’t leave, then she needs to figure out how to get along.
Rip wonders if they’ve had enough, and neither agrees to end their fight. Rip suggests they stop rolling on the ground and just stand toe-to-toe trading blows.
The suggestion’s barely out of Rip’s mouth when Beth punches Summer in the face. Summer returns the blow, and they briefly get back into it again. Summer falls down and looks at Rip, and he explains that if she wants to quit, she needs to do it for herself. He’s not helping her stop this fight, but he’ll make sure it’s over if she quits.
She gets back up and the fight continues for a short while until Summer’s knocked down again. She stays down and sobs, and Beth finally helps her up. Beth demands that Summer show the entire Dutton family respect while she’s staying in her home. In return, she’ll get what she gives.
They head back in to eat, although Summer’s not sure her mouth’s working well enough to chew. The truce is almost over before it can begin when Beth tosses out an insult. Beth quickly apologizes and says they’re not doing that anymore.
In a show of solidarity, neither woman gets cleaned up before returning to the table.
Beth’s in a much better mood and Summer explains she’s never eaten meat. They have a normal discussion about how humans are designed to eat meat, but John’s obviously not happy about how this family dinner went down. He excuses everyone from the table, and they leave in silence.
Beth and Summer remain seated and keep eating. One of Beth’s teeth drops onto her plate and Summer smiles.
John and Rip have a chat over alcohol, and Rip assures John that he and Beth never go to sleep mad. John recalls his ancestors fought all the time to keep the land. Now, cowards rule the world. All you need to succeed now is to be able to complain and blame. It’s now the survival of the unfittest.
John wonders what it’s like to feel as free as Beth. He also confesses he has one child he misses (Lee), one he pities (Kayce), and one he regrets (Jamie). However, he envies Beth. (Apparently, he’s back to claiming Jamie as a child.)
Morning arrives and the bunkhouse boys prepare for a few days of hard work without any of the comforts of their home. The Duttons are also busy packing in a big breakfast before they ride out. They eat in comfortable silence.
Pretty much as one, they leave the table, with only Summer remaining behind.
The Yellowstone’s cowboys gather outside along with all the dayworkers they’ve brought in as well as cowboys from nearby ranches. The mood’s light and friendly as John joins them.
Everywhere saddles up and Beth reacts in pain as she gets on her horse. She’s going to feel every bit of that beating during the ride.
Summer steps outside and tells Beth she feels like she got hit by a truck. Beth jokes she feels like she was hit by a Prius. Summer’s not sure what to do while they’re gone, and Beth suggests she walk around the ranch to understand them better.
“Tell me if there is a forest in America in better shape or more loved. Then tell me we’re the enemy,” says Beth before riding off.
Monica says goodbye to Kayce and tells him to keep their only boy safe. Kayce gently strokes her face and says they’re going to remedy that.
John addresses the group and explains what they’ve got planned. It’ll mean empty stomachs and sore backs for a couple of days. He rides off and everyone follows.
Summer and Monica watch them leave and Monica cries a little, sad about watching her family ride away.
The promo for episode six shows that someone passes away on the ride!
Season five episode five, “Watch ‘Em Ride Away,” ends with a dedication to set electrician Timothy Reynolds who passed away on August 24, 2022.
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