As we (very eagerly) await season four of Paramount TV’s Yellowstone (when the hell is it coming, anyway — enough is enough), we’re thinking about our favourite moments of the hot cable drama about the Duttons, owners of the biggest ranch in the United States. The show focuses on the family, led by John (Kevin Costner), a sixth-generation patriarch who runs the legal, illegal and everything in between dealings on the ranch.
Beth’s introductory scene: Remember meeting Beth Dutton? We sure as hell do. We really got a feel for her bad-ass-bitch attitude when she showed up in the boardroom and pretty much gutted an acquisition her company was targeting. The guy on the other side of the room completely caves, obviously. Beth (played by Kelly Reilly) is terrifying. And amazing.
Monica to the rescue: There’s a serial killer preying on women from the reservation and Monica’s gonna end it. In “I Killed a Man Today,” she uses herself as bait to catch him. This scene was hard to watch, not going to lie. Monica (Kelsey Asbille) pretends to be stranded on the side of the highway and it isn’t long before the psychopath shows up. He attacks her but gets taken out in true Yellowstone style.
Jimmy gets bullied: We liked Jimmy (Jefferson White) from the get-go. But when he starts getting bullied by a ranch hand, John’s right-hand man Rip won’t have it. Jimmy — who’s a branded member of the ranch — gets beat up, but Rip comes to his rescue and fires the other ranch hand. Lesson: Rip’s always watching, and you never piss him off.
Jamie’s a monster, too: Jamie (Wes Bentley), the Dutton we’re all supposed to believe is the clean-cut, straight-laced one, does a bad thing. He tirelessly begs a reporter not to print certain things he says about his family, but she refuses. Instead of walking away, Jamie chases her, bashes her head against the car, then strangles her. Rip (Cole Hauser) shows up and helps Jamie make the death look accidental. We know what you did, Jamie Dutton.
Jimmy gets revenge: Two men show up who claim Jimmy owes them money. They beat and kill Jimmy’s grandfather. Rip gets wind of the situation and vows to take care of the issue. The two partner with Kayce and a couple of other ranch hands, head to the meth-cooking trailer where the men live, then proceed to blow up said trailer, making the whole thing look like an accident. Rip always has the answer.
Beth gets attacked: This violent scene was the definition of brutal. When Malcolm (Neal McDonough) and Teal’s (Terry Serpico) men show up at Beth’s office, you know things are going to go from bad to worse. The Beck brothers’ guys kill Beth’s assistant and beat the hell out of her. But guess who shows up? Yeah, you’re catching on quick. Rip. And let’s just say he takes care of business as only Rip can. (We really like Rip. Can you tell?)
Rip + Beth = Love: These two, man. We can’t get enough. In the “Going Back to Cali” episode, Rip tells Beth he loves it when she calls him “baby,” and he asks what he should call her, to which she replies — wait for it — "wife.” Hot. She totally tries to take it back, but we know she means it. Then, in the episode “The Beating,” Beth officially proposes to her gruff cowboy…and we squealed. (Wanna see what we mean about these two? See below. You're welcome.)
Beth comes to Monica’s rescue: Monica is minding her own business in a boutique and the clearly racist owner accuses her of shoplifting. Luckily, Monica has the wherewithal to call Beth, who moseys on into the store and yeah, all hell breaks loose. We had a new love for Beth after this incident. We already knew she was a tough broad, but this showed her nurturing side, and we’re here for it. Picture Pretty Woman on steroids.
Tate is kidnapped: Really? You’re going to kidnap a Dutton kid? Not a good call. The Becks abduct Tate (Brecken Merrill) in the penultimate episode of the second season and yeah, dad Kayce (Luke Grimes) and the rest of the Yellowstone crew don’t take it well. Kayce ends up killing Teal while he’s sitting on the toilet (#savage), and the Yellowstone crew partners with the folks from Broken Rock Reservation to get Tate back. They’re successful, thankfully. Oh, and did we mention the part where John takes care of Malcolm himself? Perfection.
The season three finale: Yikes. If you haven’t watched it yet, major spoiler: Pretty much everyone is violently attacked. John is gunned down, Kayce’s office is hit and Beth is basically blown up. Who lives? Who dies? Where the hell is season four.
Post image: Kevin Costner as John Dutton/courtesy of Paramount Network.