Yellowstone season 2, episode 2 recap: ‘New Beginnings’

Cynthia Vinney

Kayce (L-Luke Grimes) and Rip (R-Cole Hauser) come to blows on Yellowstone season 2 episode “New Beginnings” airing on Wednesday, June 26 at 10 p.m., ET/PT on Paramount Network.

On last week’s premiere episode of Yellowstone, John and Beth shopped for a candidate who could beat Jamie in the election for Attorney General, the cowboys blew off steam at a local bar leading to violent consequences, and John had a medical emergency that wasn’t cancer.

This week’s episode, entitled “New Beginnings,” starts in the hospital following John’s brush with death at the end of the previous episode. He’s gotten dressed and is seeing himself out against his annoyed doctor’s wishes.

His doctor convinces him to at least let him look at his sutures. The doctor says his sutures should come out soon, but given the way the vet cut John open he’s going to have a gnarly scar. The doctor reprimands him for not going to see a doctor earlier as another MD had encouraged. If he had John could have taken a pill to fix his issues instead of needing major surgery. John is unamused.

On the ride home with Kayce, John is in pain. He asks Kayce to pull over. Kayce suggests it might have been too early for John to return home. John throws the comment back in his face but Kayce doesn’t know what he means. John’s referring to the retaliation he and Rip took against the bar patrons for their brawl with Yellowstone’s wranglers in the previous episode. Kayce claims he needs to defend the ranch hands if he’s going to sleep in the bunk house with them. John says that arrangement has to end too.

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John says he understands Kayce now. He tells Kayce he has to learn to start living again but Kayce protests that he doesn’t know how. Neither does John, but he says they’ll figure it out.

After the credits, we pick up with Beth at her office. She’s buying up land sight unseen. The real estate agent tells her about a property she might be interested in. She gets angry at the agent for bringing her attention to a property that’s not for sale. She’s as caustic as ever.

At the university, Monica is starting her first class. She puts a misogynistic student in his place and then starts her lesson on Christopher Columbus’s first contact with Native Americans. She makes it clear this will be a different kind of history class. Afterwards, her new boss, who’s watching in the back, assures her that she did well. He also tells her about the many benefits that come with her new job, including physical therapy and housing. Monica’s astonished by the opportunities.

Beth is meeting with the owners of the property the real estate agent mentioned. She tells the owner she’d like to buy it. He claims it’s not for sale, but once he names his price he’s immediately given a check.

At the ranch, the cowboys are setting up a new fence. Walker makes a comment that angers Rip and Rip confronts Walker for his lack of participation in the ranch hands’ activities. Walker stops working and informs Rip that he’ll be leaving that night. Rip tells him that the only reason he’s at Yellowstone is no other ranch in Montana will have him. Walker comments that it’s because he has a fondness for the farmer’s daughter and observes he and Rip have that in common. Rip attacks him. Walker pulls a knife.

They fight until Rip’s ally, Lloyd, puts a gun to Walker’s back. Walker says he’s leaving, if they want to shoot him in the back they can go ahead. Rip says he’ll find Walker no matter where he goes as Walker rides away. He then tells the rest of the ranchers to keep working.

Walker goes back to the bunk house where Cowboy is taking his leisure. Walker collects his things and they say their good-byes.

Walker makes his way down the drive as John and Kayce come in. Kayce asks Walker where he’s going and Walker says he quit. He’s a cowboy and that’s it. Kayce claims that’s all they need from him. Walker disagrees and brings up the other night at the bar. Kayce says it won’t happen again but Walker’s skeptical. John informs Walker that he doesn’t need to listen to anyone else from now on but him and Kayce. He tells him to return to the bunk house.

Kayce (R-Luke Grimes) and Rip (L-Cole Hauser) come to blows on Yellowstone season 2 episode “New Beginnings” airing on Wednesday, June 26 at 10 p.m., ET/PT on Paramount Network.

At the main house, John has Kayce sign some paperwork and gives him Lee’s badge. He wants Kayce to officially take over Lee’s role on the ranch. John tells Kayce that when Lee ran Yellowstone he was honest and fair. He needs the same from Kayce. But Kayce can’t be that way with others until he’s honest with himself about what happened with Monica and Tate. Kayce confesses that he misses them.

Rip approaches the bunk house, throws open the doors, and tosses a saddle at Walker. Kayce stops things from going further and tells Rip to go see his father.

At the house, John tells Rip that in many ways he’s the only person he can trust because he won’t benefit when John’s gone. Rip professes his loyalty and John tells him he has a job for him that’ll be the hardest thing Rip’s ever tackled. He needs Kayce to learn how to run Yellowstone and he can’t do it if he’s living at the bunk house. So, Rip has to give up his house to Kayce and move into the bunk house with the cowboys.

In the bunk house, the ranch hands are hanging out when Rip enters. He drops his stuff and grabs a beer. The men are confused. Rip breaks the ice and everyone settles down except for Walker and Cowboy who are hanging out separately. Walker comments that he’s just in another prison at Yellowstone.

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The next morning, the ranch hands look to Rip to lead them but he tells them it’s not up to him. John gives Kayce a few words of instruction and then Kayce approaches the workers. He mounts his horse and tells them his plan to wrangle the cows into a field. Rip and Lloyd are at the back of the formation — a demotion. Walker gloats a little about Rip’s changed fortunes.

As they ride, Rip takes off after Walker, claiming he’s going to give him a hand. Rip eventually catches Walker and shoves him off his horse. While Walker’s on the ground, Rip rounds on him and runs his horse at him. It looks like his intention is to kill him, but before he can get to Walker, Kayce intervenes.

When everyone gets back to the ranch, Rip gets off his horse and approaches Kayce. He and Kayce fight as the ranch hands and John look on. Rip seems to have the upper hand until Rip encourages Kayce to hit him. Kayce punches Rip hard enough for him to go down. Afterwards, Kayce tells the cowboys that there’s no fighting at Yellowstone. If they want to fight, they’ll have to take him on.

Rip approaches John after everyone’s cleared out. John thanks him. He asks him to try to get along with Kayce because Kayce needs to depend on Rip. Rip counters that he hopes John can really depend on Kayce because he hasn’t seen proof that he can. Maybe John sees something he doesn’t. John says Kayce’s his son. Rip points out that Jamie’s his son too and walks away.

Beth Dutton (R- Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (L-Cole Hauser) reminice about their relationship on Yellowtone season 2 episode “New Beginnings” airing Wednesday, June 26 at 10 p.m., ET/PT on Paramount Network.

That evening at dinner, Beth comes in late and notices Kayce’s bruises. She asks what happened but John doesn’t want to talk about work at the table. Beth changes the subject to something else work-related and John objects. Beth goes off. She points out that they all live and breathe work so if they don’t talk about that what will they do, just eat in silence? She then declares that she’ll talk about whatever she wants and stalks off.

Kayce observes that nothing’s changed with Beth. John says he doesn’t think Beth’s made it through a whole meal since she was 11.

Beth is taking a walk on the property when she sees Rip in the distance. She notices his bruises and puts two and two together. She comments that it was quite the sacrifice he made. Rip agrees but says it’s what her father wanted.

Beth tells him she remembers when she first saw him and he was wild and angry and completely devoted to John. She was worried John would love Rip more some day but he doesn’t. Rip isn’t surprised. Beth asks him not to leave. Rip assures her that the Duttons are his family whether they think of him that way or not.

At home on the reservation, Monica tells Tate that they’re moving into university housing. Tate seems excited. Monica’s grandfather asks her about Kayce. Monica says the new place is actually closer to Kayce, but that’s not what he means. He tells her she has to really think about the decisions she makes. She assures him she has. But he reminds her that she and Kayce were married in ceremony, which means they’re married in the afterlife no matter what happens in this one. She should try to work it out with him or she’ll be miserable forever.

Later, Beth approaches Kayce on the porch of his new home. Beth asks him why he doesn’t just live in the main house. Kayce replies that grown men don’t live with their fathers but Beth observes grown men also don’t kick others out of the only homes they’ve ever known. Kayce says Rip could use the humility. Kayce thinks Rip’s a bully but Beth says that’s not true. Rip’s what their father made him.

Beth comments that Kayce gave up on the life he worked so hard to build with Monica pretty fast. Kayce says Monica doesn’t want that life anymore. Beth correctly guesses that Monica was worried Kayce would turn into John. And instead of proving her wrong, Kayce came right back to Yellowstone. Kayce says he’s just trying to protect the only thing he has to give Monica and Tate. Beth yells that she’s protecting it. She doesn’t believe Kayce has the ability to navigate the intricacies of running the ranch. She wants him to go home to Monica and stay away from their father. If Kayce does that, when John dies, Beth claims she’ll give the ranch to Kayce.

The next day, Kayce takes John to physical therapy. John isn’t being a very good patient and Kayce watches, laughing, John swims away in a snit and runs right into Monica, who’s also in a physical therapy session. Tate sees Kayce and is overjoyed. Monica and Kayce share a meaningful look as the episode ends.

If you want a refresher on what happened in the Yellowstone season opener, check out our recap. You can also stream season two’s second episode on Paramount Network.

Tell us what you thought of the latest happenings on Yellowstone in the comments!

Cynthia Vinney

I am a freelance writer and huge pop culture fan living in Los Angeles. I've co-authored the books Mad Men Unzipped and the forthcoming Finding Truth in Fiction, about audience's positive responses to fictional stories.