The Dutton family (from L to R – Kelly Reilly, Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes and Wes Bentley) debate at the dinner table in Paramount Network’s hit drama series “Yellowstone.” Episode 3 – “The Reek of Desperation” premieres on Wednesday, July 10 at 10 p.m., ET/PT on Paramount Network.
Two weeks ago, in the second episode of the second season of Yellowstone, John decided it’s time for Kayce to take his place as the head of the ranch, which led to Rip being demoted and moving into the cowboy’s bunkhouse, Beth encouraged Kayce to leave the ranch because she doesn’t believe he has what it takes to be as ruthless as John, and Kayce took John to physical therapy only to find Monica and Tate there too.
After a brief break for the July Fourth holiday, Yellowstone is back with the second season’s third episode, “The Reek of Desperation.” It begins on the ranch. Kayce and John are deciding which pasture to put the cows in. John turns it into a test. Kayce passes.
Kayce takes the pasture plan to the wranglers, who all question it. Rip interrupts. He impatiently tells them to shut up and do what they’re told. As the others leave, he pulls Kayce aside and tells him not to let the ranch hands ask questions again. Kayce should just tell Rip what needs to happen and he’ll get it done.
As Rip leaves, Lloyd tells Kayce that he was a wrangler long enough that he should know who to talk to if wants something done. Kayce comments that he’s trying to do things differently, but Lloyd counters that “different never works.”
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After the credits, we check in with Thomas Rainwater and Dan Jenkins who are signing the papers for their land deal and posing for the press. Rainwater touts the new era that the deal will usher in.
At the Governor’s office, the Governor, Lynelle Perry, shows Jamie the video announcing John and Beth’s candidate’s run for State Attorney General. Not only is Jamie no longer running unopposed, they let their new candidate, Cassidy, use the announcement speech that was written for him.
Governor Perry tells Jamie he’s going to have to be ruthless when running for office, then she brings him in to meet with Thomas Rainwater. Jamie is surprised to say the least. He turns to leave, but Rainwater cautions that if he walks out that door he’ll lose. Cassidy now has Jamie’s platform, but Rainwater can give him a new one and it’ll be one Cassidy can’t take.
Jamie takes a seat and agrees to listen. Rainwater says he doesn’t have a secret agenda, he just wants tribal issues to get the attention they deserve. Jamie says he’ll need to think about it and asks for the day.
Kayce goes to see John at his office as the Livestock Commissioner. John is grooming him to take his place in the role. Kayce says he doesn’t want to be Livestock Commissioner, and John agrees he can’t be for about 15 years, but it’ll take Kayce that long to earn the credibility he’ll need. John says the office is the key to protecting Yellowstone and every other ranch like it. Kayce is cleared to start riding along on jobs for the office.
Kayce says he’s concerned about starting down this path. A lot can go wrong. But John tells Kayce he should let him worry about it. Kayce tries to register reasons he won’t be fit for office but John allays his fears. Defeated, Kayce leaves.
He goes to Monica’s new apartment at faculty housing. Things are still awkward between them. Tate is excited to see Kayce and shows him his new room. He has new bunk beds and informs Kayce that Kayce can stay over in one of them.
Kayce tries to give Monica some money. Then he tells her he doesn’t know how to not be with her. She’s his best friend. She agrees that he’s hers too but something had to change. And instead of changing, Kayce went to work for his father. Kayce protests that she told him to leave. Monica counters that everyone tells him to leave and he keeps doing it instead of staying and fighting for the life he wants. Tate tries to stop his parents from arguing. As he leaves, Kayce says that if Monica wanted something different she should have asked for it.
John (R-Kevin Costner) and son Kayce (L-Luke Grimes) talk ranch business in Paramount Network’s hit drama series “Yellowstone.” Episode 3 – “The Reek of Desperation” premieres on Wednesday, July 10 at 10 p.m., ET/PT on Paramount Network.
Elsewhere, Governor Perry meets John at a restaurant. They make small talk until things turn serious. John says he told her to find a new Attorney General. When she didn’t, he found one for her. Governor Perry says that it’s just put her in a position where her only choice is to fight him. Jamie was a convenient way to serve both their needs, but now it’s important to have an Attorney General that serves her needs, not John’s.
John claims he’s going to get Jamie to leave the race. When Governor Perry asks him how, he says she doesn’t have to worry about it but she shouldn’t fight him on it. Otherwise he’ll find someone to run against her next too.
They proceed to get drunk on wine and leave together. But Governor Perry stops things before they go too far. She asks John if he thinks he’ll ever fall in love again. John says no. The Governor agrees she won’t either.
At the ranch, Beth catches Rip feeding the horses. She asks him why he’s doing it. He explains it’s his job and Beth comments she wishes he hadn’t let Kayce win. She wishes Rip had beaten Kayce up so badly that he’d left and never come back. It would have been the best thing for both of them.
Rip responds that he’s happy to be feeding the horses again. Beth claims that if Kayce’s in charge things will only get worse. She tells him that there are other ranches, but Rip protests that there aren’t any others for him.
At another office, which is decked out in mounted deer’s heads and taxidermy, a new character, played by Neal McDonough, named Malcolm Beck is on the phone. He and his brother, who’s also his partner, have just learned about Rainwater and Dan Jenkins’ casino. They don’t seem pleased.
At a home & garden store, two shady guys are buying a bunch of ammonia. They’re waiting in line to pay when a cop walks in. They get nervous and walk away from their cart.
Outside the store, Jimmy and Avery are loading their purchases onto a pick-up. Jimmy goes back inside to get one more thing. The two shady guys approach him. They know him. He greets them as Ray and Blake. Blake tells him he wants the money Jimmy owes him. Or instead he can go on a shopping trip for him, Jimmy knows what he needs.
Jimmy starts to buy what Ray and Blake want, but decides against it. The two men confront him as he exits the store, but Jimmy hits Blake and runs to the truck. He tells Avery they have to go, but Avery hesitates. Blake and Ray break the truck’s window and start attacking Jimmy. Avery sprays them with bear repellant and speeds away.
At the pool, Monica is working through a physical therapy session. She and her therapist bond. There’s chemistry there. But when the session ends, Monica tells him she’s married. The therapist knows, he saw the ring.
At the ranch, Lloyd finds Avery cleaning up the pick-up and Jimmy explains a can of bear spray went off by accident. Lloyd insults Jimmy but Jimmy doesn’t understand why what he says is supposed to be insulting. Avery tells Jimmy he’s so dumb it’s almost attractive. Jimmy appreciates the sentiment but Avery is unimpressed.
Elsewhere, Malcolm Beck and his brother go to see Dan Jenkins. They identify him as the guy that learned not to mess with John Dutton in a very painful way. Jenkins asks if they’re friends of Dutton’s. They say they haven’t met him but they know of him.
The Beck Brothers offer a lesson: thriving in Montana means you stay in your lane. Dutton has never been in theirs and they’ve never crossed into his but Jenkins has by partnering with the Native American tribe and opening an off-reservation casino.
Then they outline the exact deal Jenkins made with Rainwater. And they caution that Rainwater is going to nullify the deal and steal from Jenkins. Jenkins tells them off. But they inform him that not only do they run a rival casino called Rocky Mountain, Malcolm is the head of the Montana Liquor Board. And he won’t ever issue Jenkins’ new venture a liquor license. if he doesn’t want more trouble, they suggest he figure out a way to get out of the deal with Rainwater and make a new one with them.
Politics makes strange bedfellows as Chief Rainwater (R-Gil Birmingham) makes Jamie (L-Wes Bentley) an offer to help his campaign for attorney general in Paramount Network’s hit drama series “Yellowstone.” Episode 3 – “The Reek of Desperation” premieres on Wednesday, July 10 at 10 p.m., ET/PT on Paramount Network.
That night, Jamie and Christina are making dinner and discussing the situation with Rainwater. Jamie’s hesitant. It’s one thing to defy his father and run for office, it’s another to run against him with the financial-backing of his enemy. Jamie doesn’t know what to do. but Christina informs him that he needs money. Besides when he’s in office, he’ll have to compromise about all sorts of things.
Jamie goes for a walk and finds himself at Beth’s office. He asks her to forget about how they feel about each other and remember they’re family. Beth tells him they owe him nothing. He asks for her guidance anyway. She wants to know what he did to mess with their father now. Jamie objects that he didn’t, he just ran for the office he was told to run for. And Beth chose someone to run against him.
Beth is smug, but Jamie tells her he has a donor who’ll fund his campaign. She jokes that it’s probably a Russian. He tells her it’s Rainwater. Beth gets down to brass tacks: Jamie’s not a politician. The best politicians are narcissists, Jamie’s not. Jamie doesn’t really know who he is and he’s looking for the world to tell him. They can smell his desperation and will tear him into pieces if he keeps running — and their father with him. She instructs Jamie to think about everyone but himself and do what’s best for them.
The next morning, Christina wakes up to find Jamie asleep on the couch. He says he won’t take Rainwater’s money.
Christina tells him they’ll find the money somewhere else. Jamie says it’s not just the money, he doesn’t want to play dirty. Christina reminds him he’s played dirty his whole career, but Jamie thinks the current situation is different. Before he just reacted to situations, he didn’t initiate anything like he’d have to do with the campaign.
If he wants to beat John’s candidate he has to attack John because there’s nothing about the candidate to attack. Christina agrees. But Jamie won’t do it. Christina’s shocked. It’s the first hint of opposition and he’s quitting? She tells him to get out of her apartment.
Jamie takes it as an ultimatum: if he doesn’t run he can’t have her. Christina corrects him. If he doesn’t run it’s not like he’ll open a law office in town, he’ll go back home to his terrible family. And she’s not willing to be a part of that.
That night at dinner, John tries to bond with Kayce and Beth. They’re confused and aren’t forthcoming about their feelings. Then Jamie walks in. He informs them that he withdrew from the race. John welcomes him back and he sits down to dinner.
Beth starts to laugh hysterically and John walks out. As the episode comes to an end, John goes outside to watch Rip set up sprinklers. He’s thinking about his wife. He still misses her.
Well, all the Duttons are back at Yellowstone. We’ll see how that goes next week.
For a reminder of what happened in the previous episode of Yellowstone, take a look at our recap. And stream the third episode of season two on Paramount Network.