Yellowstone season 1, episode 5 recap: ‘Coming Home’

In the previous episode of Yellowstone, Kayce was arrested, Beth was playing mind-games with Jenkins, John was recovering from surgery for colon cancer, and Rip had a ranch hand murdered for roughing up another ranch hand branded with a Yellowstone Y.

As the series’ fifth episode, “Coming Home,” begins Monica has come to see John after Kayce’s arrest. John and Jamie are trying to figure out why Kayce was arrested. John sends Jamie to bring Kayce home.

At the Reservation police station, Kayce is being interrogated by Rainwater and the Chief of Police. They found the bodies of the men Kayce killed in episode 3. Kayce tells them exactly what happened.

Then Jamie storms in and quickly dismantles any basis the officials might have for a case against Kayce. Rainwater contends that given the circumstances there could be another solution.

That afternoon, Rip goes shopping for a new ranch hand at the jail. As a batch of convicts are released, he hires one named Walker.

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Meanwhile, Beth is talking to her boss at the bar. He wants her to come back to their office in Salt Lake City, but Beth protests that there’s plenty of money there. Her boss asks her if she’d like to head up a new local branch.

Beth says if she did the first company she’d try to shut down in Jenkins.’ Her boss supports the move. Beth notices Jenkins and his wife, Vicky, at the bar and befriends Vicky to Jenkins’ chagrin.

When Jamie and Kayce arrive back at Yellowstone, Jamie tells John that Kayce’s situation is taken care of. John confesses he wants to keep Kayce at the ranch, otherwise he’s worried they’ll lose him for good.

To that end, John asks Kayce to help him tame the stallion Kayce gifted him earlier in the season. Kayce agrees but won’t agree to take John’s money.

Meanwhile, Jamie introduces Monica to the president of Montana State. He offers her a job as an Associate Professor in their Native American Studies department. To Monica, the salary’s substantial, but she doesn’t want to take the offer because if she leaves the Reservation school there won’t be anybody to take her place.

John interrupts the meeting and Monica realizes the job offer was his idea. John tells her that he fears that if Kayce returns to the Reservation he’ll end up dead or in jail. John believes if Kayce’s at Yellowstone, he can prevent that fate, but he needs Monica to get Kayce there. Monica thanks John for the opportunity but rejects it.

When Monica leaves, John tells Jamie he needs to get him some leverage that will allow him to bring Kayce home.

Outside, Kayce works with the stallion and talks to Tate. Tate loves Yellowstone and says he wants to live there. Kayce gets mad at Tate for rejecting the home he and Monica have built on the Reservation. Tate runs away crying.

But after Kayce finishes up with the horse and wants to go home, Tate protest that John said they could spend the night. Monica agrees with Tate that they should stay. After all, it’s been a long day and she needs to recharge.

Back at the bar, a chauffeur pulls Beth’s car up in the parking lot. The chauffeur doesn’t want to let Beth, who’s clearly drunk, drive. Beth calls Jamie. After letting it ring for a bit, Jamie picks up with a sigh. She asks him to pick her up and he reluctantly agrees.

On the way home, Beth and Jamie fight like always. She argues that he didn’t lose their mother the way she did. To prove her point she holds a gun under her chin. When he encourages her to pull the trigger she does. Jamie stops abruptly but no one’s hurt.

Beth tells him you have to watch someone die to really lose them and that when their mother died she looked at Beth without any love. Jamie takes the gun and Beth cries. Jamie tells her if hating him keeps her from hating herself, he’s there for her. It’s the nicest thing any member of the Dutton family has ever said to another member — at least on this show.

Beth may be falling apart but she’s managed to seduce Vicky with an exciting night on the town. Vicky is back at the Jenkins’ place and thrilled with the evening she’s had. Jenkins knows Beth is trying to get at him through his wife, so he calls someone for help and tells her to get there as soon as possible.

At the ranch, Beth screams and cries in her room. Jamie encourages John to send Beth back to Salt Lake City. John says he needs Beth at Yellowstone because she can be the one thing Jamie can’t: evil. Truer words.

Walking around the ranch that night, Monica watches as Walker is branded by Rip.

Well, this is by far the most coherent, fully realized episode of Yellowstone so far. Many of the storylines started in the previous episodes were continued or paid off and we saw all the main characters. Not only that, the characters’ actions made sense based on what we know of them. Perhaps the show is finally finding its way.

Let’s see if it continues with next Wednesday’s episode of Yellowstone. Until then, have a look at our recap of episode four and watch the entire season released so far on the Paramount Network.