On last week’s episode of Yellowstone, John talked Jamie out of taking his own life, Monica and Tate moved back to Yellowstone with Kayce, and Beth was attacked by men working for the Beck brothers. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to text Rip, who saved her but not her assistant. (Thank you to my eagle-eyed readers who pointed out my oversight—Beth texted Rip “office help” just as the attackers came in.)
In contrast to the harrowing end of the previous episode, episode 8, “Behind Us Only Grey,” starts calmly with beautiful shots of the landscape followed by the ranch hands cleaning up around the bunkhouse.
Kayce comes in to get Jamie. Outside, he teaches him how to care for the horses. Kayce apologizes for Jamie’s status as low man but Jamie says he deserves it. Kayce informs him that although Jamie may need it, he doesn’t deserve it. He advises Jamie to lose himself in the work so he can forgive himself and move on. Jamie asks if Kayce forgives him. Kayce responds that Jamie’s his brother.
At the main house, Beth is tending to her very bruised face. She then goes to check on a sleeping Rip.
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After the credits, Monica and Tate are waiting at the breakfast table. Monica won’t let Tate eat until the rest of the family joins them, but John comes in and informs her that if they wait for everyone they’ll never eat.
Kayce comes in. With Beth, who looks and moves terribly, close behind him. Monica says nothing but scrutinizes Beth.
Beth gets up to leave while informing Monica that she should see the other guy. John follows Beth to the porch. Beth worries about what they’re going to tell her assistant’s parents. But John informs her that his concern is her. At the same time, Thomas Rainwater pulls up.
Rainwater and his companion survey the land and discuss how it used to be their tribe’s as Beth and John watch them. Then Dan Jenkins pulls up with his security. Beth asks John what he’s up to. John will only say he’s going to finish what the Becks started.
Jenkins approaches Beth and examines her face. He asks her if the Becks did it. She tells him her face was just the appetizer. Dan gives her his condolences. She tries to pass it off with the old saying “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Dan counters that he doesn’t believe that. Adversity doesn’t make us stronger, just harder. Beth says she’s shooting for Teflon. Dan chuckles and says he understands John better now. Beth too. Beth confesses that when she’s on the ranch she understands herself less.
Once John, Rainwater, and Jenkins have gathered, John thanks them for coming and informs them that now that they’re seen Beth they know what the Becks did to him. Rainwater says they did something similar to him, referring to the murder of his employee that happened in the previous episode. John asks what they did to Jenkins. He confesses they pulled his liquor license — sounds pretty tame in comparison to what the other two experienced.
Jenkins says he doesn’t see the logic in the Becks attacking all three of them. John explains: They want Jenkins to leave, they want Rainwater to stop building the new casino, and they want John to make him.
John admits up until now all three of them have played dirty but none of them have attacked one another’s families on behalf of their businesses. Rainwater throws water on the idea they can work together — their paths will always collide. Eventually someone will win.
However, Rainwater states that John has been a fair enemy. Jenkins says he doesn’t agree that John’s always been fair but at least he’s kept his fight with Jenkins. Now the trio has a common enemy who doesn’t fight fair.
Rainwater asks what John suggests but John turns the question back on him and Jenkins. Jenkins knows John’s games at this point. He says he knows John already has a plan, he just wants to bring Jenkins and Rainwater in on it so they don’t use it against him later. Nonetheless, John gets Jenkins to be the one to suggest that they should kill the Becks.
Rainwater then has his say. Unlike John or Jenkins, if he breaks the law it reflects poorly on his people. However, he adds that if something gets lost on the reservation it rarely gets found because usually there’s no one to look for it. He gives them his word that no one will look if they use the reservation to cover up their crimes.
John says he’s the one who’ll take out the Becks. If he needs either Rainwater’s or Jenkins’ help he’ll expect them to give it without question. He then walks away and Rainwater and Jenkins nod at each other.
On the porch, Monica approaches Beth. Beth reassures her that no one in her personal life hurt her, it was just business. Monica asks what kind of business does that. Beth responds that it’s the family business. Monica gets up to leave and Beth calls after her to ask that she not judge the family for how they protect the thing they’re giving her. Monica says she’s not judging but she doesn’t understand the ranch. Beth recommends she stop trying to.
Elsewhere, we finally see what the Becks are up to as Malcolm furiously stalks into his office. He trashes his desk and throws things. Teal comments if what they’re doing gets much bigger people will start to notice, so how far does Malcolm want to take things. Malcolm claims John’s not giving them much choice. Teal attempts to be the voice of reason by reminding Malcolm that it’s not just John, it’s his children too. Malcolm yells that he wants to take things all the way. Teal asks who Malcolm wants to start with and Malcolm responds they should target the one John loves the most.
The camera cuts to Tate — based on the juxtaposition, he’s the one John loves the most. Tate’s watching as Kayce saddles his new horse in the paddock. Kayce works to tame the horse. Monica walks over and Kayce asks her not to have doubts about their current circumstances. She corrects him: she doesn’t have doubts, she has worries. Kayce asks her not to have those either. Monica tells him she has to leave, she’s going on a field trip with her class and she’ll be home late.
At the Livestock Commissioners’ office, John is still having his men search for the people who killed his cattle in episode 4. His deputy hasn’t found anything. So John asks him to look up Beck. He discovers Beck has three Cessna planes he could have used to commit the crime. John puts two and two together and tells his deputy he’ll take it from there.
That night, Monica takes her class to a hip hop concert featuring Native American artists. The music speaks to Native American oppression and empowerment and clearly makes Monica think.
Later on the ranch, Beth is lying in bed next to Rip when he finally wakes up. He examines her face and tells her he wishes the men would come back to life so he could kill them again.
Monica comes home and gets into bed with Kayce who’s still awake. He informs her that her not communicating with him won’t work. So Monica asks him what happened to Beth. Kayce answers her question by telling her John used to tell him stories about all the wars he had to fight to keep Yellowstone. He never believed him but he does now. There are people who will stop at nothing to get more. Monica responds that Yellowstone isn’t a home, it’s a prison. And they’re all prisoners.
Living at Yellowstone doesn’t feel like their family to her. Monica’s relatives lived in houses smaller than the room they’re in. Kayce tells her they can live in town if she’d prefer. He doesn’t care as long as they’re together. Monica thanks him.
Early in the morning, Rip gets up and gets dressed. He’s going back to the bunk house before he gets used to being in Beth’s bed. Beth notes that the doctor told him to stay in bed. Rip kisses her and informs her there are beds in the bunk house. Rip grunts in pain as he walks across the ranch.
In the bunk house, the cowboys are getting ready for work. Jimmy asks if he can borrow Lloyd’s truck so he can get the money he won from the rodeo in episode 6 out of the bank. Lloyd jokes that he wants to go spend it but Jimmy claims it’s for his grandfather.
Rip limps in and everyone watches him stagger to his bunk. Lloyd asks if he’s alright. Rip says no.
Jimmy if the first customer at the bank. He gets his money and drives to the home of Ray, one of the threatening men who he owes money. He drops off the money and tells Ray he needs to leave his grandfather alone now. Ray agrees they’re square on the money but insists Avery still owes him for spraying him with bear spray in episode 3. Jimmy asks how much that’ll cost. Ray says he should bring Avery over and they’ll figure it out. The implication is clear and Jimmy gets angry.
Ray laughs breaking the tension — sort of. He tells Jimmy he’ll take another grand and Avery’s off the hook too. Jimmy tells Ray he just gave him every penny he has. Ray notices Jimmy’s wearing the belt buckle he won at the rodeo. He points out that it looks like it’s worth something. So Jimmy leaves without anything he won at the rodeo but with the men off his back — at least in theory.
Back at the ranch, Monica and Tate are watching Kayce work with Tate’s horse. John walks up to Monica. He confesses that most days he doesn’t know why he bothers but then he watches something like Kayce with the horse and he remembers. He observes that Monica doesn’t like it on the ranch much. Monica counters that she loves what they’re doing at the moment, but how often do things like that happen.
Every day on the ranch is a fight and Monica doesn’t want her family to be a part of it. John asks her to give them a chance at Yellowstone. She agrees.
Rip hobbles over and John comments that he’s supposed to be in bed. John tells him to take it easy and Rip says he will but he’s clearly in pain. He asks if John has any painkillers. John sees Beth walking in the distance and genuinely thanks Rip.
John asks Kayce for a word and Rip agrees to take care of the horse while Kayce’s gone. John cautions Rip to take it easy again, and Rip informs him that Tate will look after him.
John tells Kayce about the Becks’ plane. Kayce asks where it is and John tells him. John asks if that’s useful information and Kayce says it is. Kayce wants to know how much John wants to know about what he does next. John says everything.
Kayce instructs John to set a meeting somewhere that’s too far for a man with a plane to drive. John counters that the retaliation needs to happen where they can control it — either the ranch or the reservation. Kayce tells him to set the meeting in Jackson Hole so they fly right over them. He also asks for the help of Dan Jenkins’ security guy. John isn’t sure about that idea. But Kayce figures if he’s involved Jenkins can’t use their actions against them. John agrees. Kayce says he wants it to be over, but John tells him it’s never really over.
At the paddock, Tate asks Rip why the horse runs. Tate thinks it might be fear but Rip says it’s simply instinct. Beth walks up and watches as Rip interacts with Tate. John comes over and comments that when you see Rip with Tate he’s just a big teddy bear. Beth wanders away.
She walks into the barn to find Jamie cleaning the manure out of the horses’ stalls. Hurt though she is, Beth is still horrible to Jamie. She tells him that despite her amazement that it could happen, at some point someone will love Jamie and Jamie will love someone and she can’t wait to take that from him. Beth sobs. Jamie says nothing. How heartwarming!
That night, a truck pulls up to a security booth at the edge of the reservation and asks the guard if the road leads to the park. The guard walks over to correct the driver, and the driver shoots and kills him. Uh oh.
At the main house at the ranch, Kayce and Monica are taking a bath together. Kayce is amazed that John convinced Monica to stay there. Monica says she doesn’t like their bedroom. The house is so big she wants kids in every room. It needs to have chaos to be a home. Kayce agrees.
Then Monica realizes the kids would all grow up and leave and the place would become a tomb again. But Kayce says that at that point they’d just give the ranch to Tate and his wife. Monica tells Kayce he has a lot of work to do.
John knocks on the door and instructs Kayce to get dressed. John goes to the bunkhouse and wakes Jamie, instructing him to get dressed too. Jamie goes to the truck waiting outside. He opens the passenger door and finds Kayce already inside with a gun. John instructs Jamie to get in the back.
They drive off and stop at the entrance to the reservation where the guard was killed. John informs Jamie he needs him to be a lawyer. Jamie looks relieved and John wonders where Jamie thought he was taking him.
Outside the Sheriff and the reservation police are arguing about whose jurisdiction the crime falls under. The man was shot on a county road but it’s tribal land. John, Kayce, and Jamie walk over. The Sheriff says it looks like something John did. John’s been clear about how he feels about the tribe’s new casino. John says he had nothing to do with it. The Sheriff says he knows. Rainwater walks up and declares they know who did it.
Everyone agrees it was the Becks even if there were no witnesses or other evidence. The investigation will stop construction on the casino. The Sheriff observes that the Becks probably are already planning what’s next so he recommends Rainwater make a public statement that he’s halting construction of his own accord to appease them. That won’t stop the Becks but at least it’ll slow them down long enough for Rainwater to figure out his next move.
The Sheriff then informs John that the Becks will take a swing at him next. John says they already did. But the Sheriff insists John should watch out, something else will happen. They could come on the ranch. John counters that nothing would please him more than them coming on his ranch.
John tells Kayce they need to take care of the Becks immediately. John calls Malcolm Beck who’s at home with Teal. They set a meeting in the square at Jackson Hole during the day. When Malcolm hangs up, photos of all of John’s loved ones can be seen on the table in front of him and Malcolm repeats the phrase “who he loves the most.” Clearly, the Becks are still coming for John, meeting or not.
There are only two episodes left in season 2 of Yellowstone and the tension keeps ratcheting up. We’ll see if everyone makes it through the next episode alive…
To catch up on the explosive events of Yellowstone‘s previous episode, check out our recap. And you can stream the eighth episode of season 2 now on Paramount Network.