Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3 Review: Tall Drink of Water

At the end of last week’s Yellowstone gigantic double-header premiere, we saw Rip’s men (Colby and Ryan) put the wolves’ collars on a log and chuck it down the river. We knew as soon as it got stuck on some brush last week that trouble was coming for the ranch.

A “Tall Drink of Water” starts off in another John Dutton (Kevin Costner) flashback. Young Rip (Cole Hauser) finds a pregnant cow’s stomach ripped apart from wolves.

In a town meeting (still in the flashback) we find out wolves were released 800 miles from Yellowstone. They were brought in from Canada, meant to be in areas where there was no livestock.

The only problem is nobody told the wolves that. It’s hard to contain wild animals to one region.

John sits down with the Governor in the flashback, who wants proof, to which John replies: “My word is my proof.” This isn’t his first rodeo.

If anyone knows the cause of cattle mutilation and where it came from, it would be him. He’s the livestock commissioner after all, it’s his job to know.

The significance of the wolves is that they are so highly protected even in today’s real society. Though Ryan and Colby didn’t mean to shoot them, people wouldn’t care how it happened.

It would reflect on John badly and potentially get him kicked out of office. This would destroy his whole plan.

The big bad wolf is now a fairytale come to life. Beth (Kelly Reilly) is on her way to Salt Lake City for a business meeting.

She is trying to stay one step ahead of trouble she got herself into with Caroline Warner. Warner wants her in jail as she wants to destroy the Duttons and stop her and John from taking everything.

Before she is on the journey, she has a moment with her father. John is doing some reflecting and admits he can’t reflect in the nighttime, only in the morning.

Beth questions him, wanting to know what he’s reflecting on. He remarks that there are some memories fathers shouldn’t share with their children.

They seem to be personal memories he wants to keep to himself. John finally reveals he’s thinking about his late wife.

What little happiness Beth had on her face is instantly washed away. She nods in silence as he continues to speak about her.

"“She was a magnificent woman, I wish she could have lived long enough for you to recognize that to know it. To know how much she loved you.”"

Beth starts to head towards her car before uttering these words to him, as a gesture to move on from it.

"“You can love a memory all you want but it can’t love you back. Find someone that you can love while you’re still young enough to do it. Her memory is not going anywhere.”"

Though it’s a lovely sentiment from Beth, we have seen John try to move on and she’s never liked it one bit. Every woman he has been with she has had an outrage about.

Now with Summer, I can see why. She’s too young and tried to go toe-to-toe with Beth which never works out for the opposite party.

I, however, adored him and Lynelle (Wendy Moniz) together, to which Beth was a never a fan of either. One begs the question does she really want him to be happy now only because she is happy with Rip?

Would she have the same energy if she was still having toxic relationships? Beth then had to get away from John before her emotions betrayed her.

She goes into her car in an emotional state with tears in her eyes. The topic of her mother always brings this out in her.

Her mother’s death still weighs deeply on her mind. Even as old as she is now, something that happened when she was a child still heavily impacts her life.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3 Recap: What could Beth’s life have been if her mother was still alive?

It would be very interesting to see how different Beth’s life would have been if her mother had lived. Or even if she had forgiven her before she died.

Though I do think she would have fought for the attention from John even more. But if she had a mother to help her through the abortion, things might have gone differently.

She’d had somebody she could go to instead of hiding it from her father, the one man she so badly didn’t want to disappoint. I would love to see more insight from the story of Evelyn Dutton.

Does she have family still around? Is there a connection Beth can find to her mother to help her heal one day?

Newcomer Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), is the fierce businesswoman who was hired by Caroline to help take the down the Duttons. Many of you may recognize the actress portraying her as Claire Dutton from1883, where she played the no nonsense sister to main character James Dutton.

Could her new role lead us to a connection to the family or will they just resemble each other? It would surely be interesting if there was a connection, especially with the way she’s been carrying on with Jamie Dutton, who is not a biological Dutton.

I do wonder if Sarah has her own motives for helping Caroline and going after the family. There is a sweet moment between Carter (Finn Little) and Rip (Cole Hauser).

It’s about soft as you are ever gonna see Rip get. After losing its mother, the calf is now on its own which is why Carter is bottling feeding it.

He asks Rip if he’s going to ship it off. The calf will instead be used for roping and stay on the ranch.

The next line is a line for Carter which embodies both their stories.

"“Orphans don’t get shipped off around here in case you didn’t notice.” Rip to Carter."

But the nice moment couldn’t last long, as they never do. The Wildlife officers pull up to Rip, questioning him about the wolves and the collars that were attached to the logs.

They knew from the tracking devices that they were on John’s land three days prior. What seemed like a smart option at the time may come back to bite him but more importantly John.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3 Recap: How are Monica and Kayce doing since the death of little John?

Monica is still going through it, which is very hard to watch. Anyone who has lost a child can relate.

And we see her go through the stages of grief. Kayce knows that he has to make a change.

He knew his vision was about a choice, and he chooses his family. In order to do that, he can’t be the livestock commissioner.

Bad things keep happening. Rainwater and Mo tell him he should look into becoming an investigator for the state, but they can’t offer him a job on the reservation.

Monica was in the process of chopping vegetables and cuts off her hair in a stage grief. Falling to the floor she cries in agony.

Thomas and Mo tell Kayce you have to let her do it. His consoling is great as a loving husband but it’s not what’s going to get her through this.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3 Recap: It’s Subpoena City

Jamie is served from Ellis from Market Equities and Sarah who appear in his office. He took millions in lease payments from them, but they still have no case and both Jamie and they know it.

But it still won’t stop them from a fight. However, Ms. Atwood is taken aback by Jamie’s surprising confidence.

Admitting he’s pretty good and better than she expected. She has a sultry and sophisticated nature about her, in the way Beth is but not so much in your face about it and in a demeaning way.

Though she is helping Caroline it’s hard to know how many sides she’s playing in this game. She claims she’s not here for a lawsuit but a soft-landing spot.

She offers him to dinner at the Deerfield Club that evening. This could be her way of softening Jamie up enough to get some dirt on him, but I feel like she has more up her sleeve than that.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3 Recap: It’s the end of the line for Kayce and commissioner days

John comes up to his father who is overlooking the beautiful mountains, trying to convince himself to be good at a job he doesn’t want. Kayce asks his father permission to do a traditional service and bury his son at the ranch so that Monica can visit him whenever she wants to.

He, of course, has no convictions. As Kayce hands over his badge as the livestock commissioner he is saddened by it.

But Kayce explains to him he can’t serve both and he chooses his family. Giving what John is trying to do for his own he relates to that.

He knows the state needs him but Kayce knows Monica needs him more. I think part of John knows that had he been there more for his own wife, things might have turned out different.

He doesn’t want those same burdens on his son. Meanwhile trouble is now brewing for Rainwater as well.

A protest goes on outside of the casino over jobs and income. Inside he meets with Angela, who he thinks he’s trying to teach him some kind of lesson.

But it’s not a lesson at all, it’s the end. Angela and others want him removed.

Rainwater has an old style way of what he thinks the reservation should be. But in this new age people want change.

They want more freedom and Angela wants him put out to pasture.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3 Recap: Beth finally has a new fight to focus on

Out in Salt Lake City, Beth finally embarks on some fun. She has a meeting with Rob at Schwartz and Meyer where she has the controlling interest.

The offer she lays out seems way too good to be true to him. And if it’s too good of an offer there’s always a reason why.

For the offer she would still be making 300 million dollar’s worth of real estate. Beth knows Caroline and company are going to sue her with everything they’ve got, and Market Equities is one of Rob’s biggest competitors.

It’s a win win for both them. She can save her own hide and Rob can help keep a big rival at bay.

Rob tells her there has to be a rattle snack in this deal. But Beth has the greatest line of the entire show.

We all love a confident, 10-steps ahead of you, Beth Dutton.

"”I am the rattlesnake, but you’re not who I’m gonna bite.”"

He is reluctant at first, but Beth assured him he can trust her. He signs off on it.

It doesn’t take long at all for word to travel, before Caroline is asked to return to New York. Her position as CEO is clearly in jeopardy.

Beth’s plan worked but Caroline is still not done with the Dutton family. New York wants to drop the suit and Ellis thinks it’s already checkmate.

When it came to the topic of what to do with Sarah now, Caroline said there are no rules for Sarah. Turn her loose.

It will be interesting see how much Sarah is capable of. A Sarah and Beth showdown is on the verge.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3 Recap: A birthday celebration gone bad

Now it’s our good buddy Lloyd’s birthday celebration. He’s perfectly happy drinking and playing poker with the gang but Beth is bored with it.

She wants to celebrate her big win and his birthday in a better way. She suggests they go out to a real bar in Bozeman.

Rip immediately tells her no. Real cowboys and fake cowboys never ends up well.

Not to mention with Beth on board, it’s sure to be hurricane. Everyone is soon having fun and Beth is buying rounds.

They are all dancing and having a great time. Rip asks her to keep her crazy in check, but that does not happen.

A woman drunkenly hits on Rip and confidently walks up to Beth. Rip knows this is bad trouble.

Hell on wheels Beth is back. She simply gives one quick look and busts her in the head with a bottle.

A bar fight ensues and Beth has a bouncer put her in a choke hold. She ends up getting arresting but not before she gets one last punch in of course.

The new sheriff doesn’t go by the old cowboy rules. He’s not letting Beth get away with this one and doesn’t care that her father is the Governor.

Rip tells him trouble will come for him for this and it will. For now though, Beth is taken in.

Will she have a run in with daddy’s ex-girlfriend in the big house? Find out next Sunday on Paramount Network and CMT at 8PM ET when Yellowstone returns.

What I loved about the episode

• Kayce putting his family first above all else
• Monica letting herself feel the pain to move forward
• The dynamic between Sarah and Jamie
• Jamie finally acting like he has a spine
• John’s ability to talk about Evelyn freely

What I disliked about the episode

• Beth is way too old and already in enough legal trouble to be starting even more fights
• John’s sulking about his governorship
• Too much on finance and big business
• Angela’s role in putting Rainwater out to pasture
• Too many flashbacks and not enough present character development

Score: 7/10

While there were great moments of development for Kayce and Monica, John’s role as governor left little to be desired. He’s still sulking about a job he does not want.

The business side left little to be desired as well. It’s fun to see Beth kick some butt, but I don’t think the general audience will understand most of it.

She should also not be surprised when she’s arrested for smashing someone’s head open nor should Rip. You can’t do that kind of thing with witnesses and expect to get away with it in 2022.

It will only lead to more Beth drama John will have to clean up.

Tell us what you thought of the new episode of Yellowstone in the comments below!