Season 1 - 3 Discussion

[roughing it]

13 hours ago, rocketinu said:

I actually enjoyed the interaction between John and his grandson. They clearly adore each other.

It was nice to see John Dutton smile.  I love it when Kevin Costner smiles <melt>.  He has certainly aged well.

[Dowel Jones]

Well, Fred has got to be the dumbest guy around.  Anyone would notice that they're not driving to town and heading out on a lonesome canyon road.  And I guess you gotta make your bones to live up to that Yellowstone Ranch brand, indeed. 

How is Beth going to run for, and win the council seat?  I suspect she hasn't one friend outside of Rip, and unless Dutton fixes the election (no small possibility, there), even people who side with him probably hate her. 

I have this feeling that the two murdered druggies may have had an ally in the tribal chief and/or the police.  The woman's dad said she didn't want to go to the police, and there doesn't really seem to be any reason for them to arrest Kayce for doing the same thing he did to the other drug dealer in the trailer.  That is, unless there's a connection there.  Or maybe the chief is just mad at Dutton Sr. for throwing him in jail. 

Edited July 20, 2018 by Dowel Jones

[MrsWitter]

37 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

But, at least she gave Guido his upcoming in that bar. 

Do you realize that many Italian Americans (myself included) consider this term an ethnic slur (Jersey Shore kids exempted)? Beyond it being offensive, you’re not even using it properly.  The actor (and the character he plays) aren’t even Italian and he’s certainly not working-class. I’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt- maybe you’re just confused about its origin, connotation, and meaning. If so, now you know and I hope you’ll edit your response accordingly.

[MrsWitter]

2 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I have this feeling that the two murdered druggies may have had an ally in the tribal chief and/or the police.  The woman's dad said she didn't want to go to the police, and there doesn't really seem to be any reason for them to arrest Kayce for doing the same thing he did to the other drug dealer in the trailer.  That is, unless there's a connection there.  Or maybe the chief is just mad at Dutton Sr. for throwing him in jail. 

It’s not the same as what he did with the man in the trailer- that man was already dying. I doubt two white methheads have an allegiance with the tribal police. While we are informed she wasn’t raped, this is a traumatic event. Victims of trauma, especially women, and especially non-white women, are more reluctant to report violent crimes (especially in the immediate aftermath). Statistics suggest this trepidation is heightened among Native women. There’s also the fact that on many reservations, the justice system is limited in what crimes can be prosecuted. A more serious crime, such as kidnapping, would likely require an outside investigation and prosecution. This all said, the men were dead. Why would she put herself through police questioning?

 

While we don’t know for sure, I’m inclined to believe Kayce’s arrest is retaliation for Dad’s actions.  

Edited July 20, 2018 by MrsWitter
Typo

[Dowel Jones]

While your point is true, the connections between this show and the real world are tenuous at best.  Anything can happen for any reason, and that's my thought for the arrest.

[MrsWitter]

32 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

While your point is true, the connections between this show and the real world are tenuous at best.  Anything can happen for any reason, and that's my thought for the arrest.

I don’t really understand your point. This show is a dramatized take on real-life issues. While I don’t think he has always done it well, Sheridan has attempted to draw on the real world quite a bit. It’s overly dramatized and absurd at times, but that doesn’t mean there’s a “tenuous at best” connection to reality. Sheridan has very clearly tried to communicate a point about the oppression of Native peoples and the treatment of Native women on this show. He’s explored similar themes and concepts in past work (such as Wind River, which was drawn from actual events). We can debate how well he has communicated these themes, but if you’re just going to ignore them, you’re missing one of the major points of the show.

[Pallas]

18 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Or maybe the chief is just mad at Dutton Sr. for throwing him in jail. 

The tribal chairman is seething at Dutton for throwing him in jail. And he's had his eye on Kayce since the second episode, when he realized that someone other than Lee killed Lee's killer, ritualistically, and that Kayce was on the scene. He now also has the clip from the gun used to mercy-kill the meth chemist, which Kayce gave to the attending reservation police officer. Those police are allied with Rainwater, as all other law enforcement are allied with Dutton.

Kayce is, as usual, caught between: or should be. But to Rainwater, he's the nice-enough, muddled young rich boy playing Indian, who Rainwater plans to use as the fuse to blow up John Dutton. And to Dutton, he's a Yellowstone man and with the death of Lee -- that Kayce avenged -- his legacy. 

[meira.hand]

On 7/13/2018 at 2:42 AM, meira.hand said:

On 7/12/2018 at 6:28 PM, SnarkAttack said:

Kayce being the favorite, but wow...

Kayce sure shoots a lot of people.  

Wasn't he the son, in the flash back scene with his father, who refused to shoot the deer and said you should not kill someone even if it save many others?

I just realized my comment confused two different series. The scene I was referring to was taken from an episode of the series Condor that was broadcast on the same day. The older man was also played by a very well known veteran actor (William Hurt) in a flash back scene with his young nephew during a hunting trip.  

[Joimiaroxeu]

Poor Jimmy. His horse was like, "Nah, bruh."

Really touching scene with Dillon Dutton and his grandson trying to start the campfire.

Liked that "Frogman" song performed in the cowboy bar. I suspect that I'm about 180° away from their intended audience though.

Worst. Frat. Ever. I guess Dillon Dutton and his guys are confident they can terminate a branded worker with extreme prejudice and it will never get traced back to them? Or does Dillon Dutton just pay off the necessary people?

Quote

Wondering if Jimmy is actually a family member and doesn't know it.

Yep, that's what I've been thinking too. Dillon Dutton seems oddly invested in him to me. I'm also still wondering if Kayce is his biological son.

Quote

How is Beth going to run for, and win the council seat?  I suspect she hasn't one friend outside of Rip, and unless Dutton fixes the election (no small possibility, there), even people who side with him probably hate her.

My theory is Dutton is/will be secretly supporting another candidate and he's using her as a stalking horse.

Edited July 21, 2018 by Joimiaroxeu

[Dowel Jones]

I wonder if Dutton has always "recruited" from the ex-con population.  That way he has some control over them.  Rip threatened to send Jimmy back to jail if he didn't go to work at the ranch. He has also killed for Dutton, as has now the older ranch hand, and Dutton told Rip to go find another hand, specifying another prison guy.  His crew seems to be way outside the normal working population.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I think we all were the ones who "sacrificed" by staying to watch the romantic bar scenes.  I know my heart was going pitter-pat.

The best of this series are the timeless moments of a working ranch and the making of men.   Great stuff with Jimmy becoming a horseman.  Dutton with Tate building a fire, telling fantastic war stories of old.  Teaching Tate that he will have to work for what he will have.  Although it's weird, the idea of "made men" in a ranching context was cool.  

Then there is the cray cray.  I am more sick of Monica and her half-in, half-out womanhood and tribal heritage thanI am of the batshit insane Beth.  As I noted at the very beginning, the only chance her family had was to get the hell out of there.  They were persona non grata to the tribe and she and her hubby Kayce were dead set against John Dutton.  But nooooooo, she'd rather just fuss and moan and decry how unfair and dangerous everything is.  Sometimes, like it or not, you have to pick a side.  To choose no side is to choose chaos.  You chose, honey.  You did not choose your family's well-being.

I hate Rainwater, but I sure do respect his shrewd intelligence and western smarts.  You think he gives two feces about the dead bodies?  (And what were the chances that drillers would hit on that EXACT spot????)   He is wise enough to understand that Kayce would ultimately revert to familial loyalty, so he knows the best usage of him is to attack him to get to his enemy, JD.  

Other than Beth, the thing I least enjoyed was Jimmy's turn as Angelo Maggio (Sinatra's character in From Here to Eternity).  If Jimmy was branded, and it had the deep meaning Rip said it did, no way things would have got that far with Fred.   Then Fred being disappeared?  Just absurd.

Why was all of this allowed to get so ridiculous?  The bones of the project were plenty enough.  

[zoey1996]

22 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Poor Jimmy. His horse was like, "Nah, bruh."

Really touching scene with Dillon and his grandson trying to start the campfire.

Liked that "Frogman" song performed in the cowboy bar. I suspect that I'm about 180° away from their intended audience though.

Worst. Frat. Ever. I guess Dillon and his guys are confident they can terminate a branded worker with extreme prejudice and it will never get traced back to them? Or does Dillon just pay off the necessary people?

Yep, that's what I've been thinking too. Dillon seems oddly invested in him to me. I'm also still wondering if Kayce is his biological son.

My theory is Dutton is/will be secretly supporting another candidate and he's using her as a stalking horse.

Did you mean Dutton?  You're wondering if Kayce is Dutton's biological son?  I thought that's been pretty well established by now, unless there's a surprise twist coming.

So John has (had?) cancer.  He's a tough old bird, to be riding/breaking the stallion like that - that's gotta hurt.

What's Beth deal, playing with the developer, Jenkins?  What's the point?  Her family's name may impress some in those parts, but not all, clearly.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Did you mean Dutton?  You're wondering if Kayce is Dutton's biological son?  I thought that's been pretty well established by now, unless there's a surprise twist coming.

I dunno, Rainwater's somewhat pointed conversation with Kayce in episode 2 made me think he was alluding to how easy it is to lie about paternity if the guy believes the baby looks like him. At the time I figured it could be Kayce he was talking about but now I'm wondering if it's Kayce's son. Either way, Rainwater seems to know some deep Dutton family dirt that the Dutton patriarch either doesn't know or has kept quiet.

Edited July 21, 2018 by Joimiaroxeu

[Ohwell]

I've looked on IMDB's website for the cast names and I don't see anyone named Dillon.

[Subrookie]

I agree with others that have issue with Beth and some of the other rediculous story arcs about her, but name one show like this on TV now. 

This is a genre that if you like it there really isn't a lot of shows like Yellowstone. I'll put up with some of the rediculousness because all the shows I have liked like this don't last long, like Deadwood. 

This show is like a modern day Bonanza. Enjoy it for what it is because westerns don't come along often. 

Edited July 21, 2018 by Subrookie

[Joimiaroxeu]

4 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I've looked on IMDB's website for the cast names and I don't see anyone named Dillon.

Gosh, neither did I. Life is such a puzzle sometimes. ;-| FFS, I corrected the name mistake in my original post. It'd be great IMO if everyone would stand down on the issue now.

Had to laugh when reading the reddit thread on this episode. Someone called Kayce a serial killer. Kind of makes sense to me given how many people he's killed already and it's only the fourth episode. There have been comparisons of the Duttons to the Corleones of Godfather fame but I'm thinking mafia types know to get rid of a gun after it's been used to commit multiple murders.

[Dowel Jones]

And take the cannoli.

[wanderingstar]

I haven't watched this show, but just came across the trailer, and I'm intrigued by the cast. The one exception is Danny Huston. I cannot stand him as an actor. How much of him will I have to deal with if I take the plunge and watch this?

[Pallas]

16 hours ago, Gillian Rosh said:

How much of him will I have to deal with if I take the plunge and watch this?

He's listed as a regular but functions more as a recurring. So far, the two-part pilot gave him the most play, then he had small scenes or none in the next episodes. 

[Subrookie]

I've had some time to think about this episode. I used to work logging crews and I have never seen bars like the one Beth was in. I never came out of the log woods to a place like that. They were dirty, rough and cheap. 

Are there really places that nice where real cowboys go? I doubt it. 

Edited July 24, 2018 by Subrookie

[IDreamofJoaquin]

I didn't understand Beth's messy story line and no Wes Bentley this episode so it sucked. 

[Pallas]

With Kayce feeling the heat from the tribal police, Dutton makes a play to keep Kayce and his family at Yellowstone.

[tessaray]

Yellowstone is getting a Season 2. 

https://deadline.com/2018/07/yellowstone-renewed-second-season-paramount-network-kevin-costner-taylor-sheridan-1202432618/ 

[rocketinu]

Poor Dan Jenkins. Not only does he have to deal with psycho Beth but his crazy ass wife as well. I see bad days ahead for him.  Looks like the ranch hands come from the college of hard knocks. Still enjoy the scenes with John and his grandson. At least John sees Beth for what she really is. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Within itself, I really enjoyed this ep.  

I was not buying the scruples of Rainwater and his toady police chief.  Although it was incharacter for him to deny Kayce an attorney.  Then again, is that something in tribal law, or just anglo law?  Anyway, that whole encounter was too easy.  Yes, Rainwater did want to know the truth of things.  But no, I don't see how he would be sanguine about it.  

Monica was infuriating yet again.  If she did not figure out she does not have a home with her tribe anymore, she is every bit as batguano insane as Beth.  She throws away the opportunity of a lifetime over unrequited identity?!!!!  Then she plainly sees that Dutton is a wonderful grandfather and Tate loves him - for the right reasons.  Nope.  Not enough.  Ay yi yi.  Now she's gonna lose it over a ritual.  Her people don't have some severe rituals?  Oh, really?

I so want to see the Senator again.  I'd love to see a political examination of the competing societal ways and rights.  There has been none of that since the premiere.  I guess we're gonna get a "Beth" on Beth confrontation.  Ugh. 

[Dowel Jones]

I was a bit confused during the barroom scene.  When Beth said she worked in Mergers & Acquistions for that law firm, Jenkins' wife said "Oh, you work with Dan."  Or did I misunderstand her?  If She and Jenkins work for the same firm, he would know all about what she does, and it oughta be clear to him who the target is. 

I don't think I'd park my multi-million dollar helicopter in the PD parking lot.  If some guy came around the corner, nursing a grudge against the Duttons, his pickup could do a shitload of damage to the copter and it's a long walk home. 

4 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Then again, is that something in tribal law, or just anglo law?

I did some quick Wiki research, and it appears that, as citizens, everyone is protected under the Constitution.  There have been lots of "interesting" cases over the year in tribal law vs. state or federal law.  There was another section which said that Indian courts do not have jurisdiction over non-Indians.  I'm too tired right now to delve that deeply into it, so maybe tomorrow I'll think about it.  The question is likely moot, anyway, because just as in any tv cop show, they run roughshod over people's rights and nobody blinks.  Jaime made the point pretty well that the tribe doesn't even have a case.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

8 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I was a bit confused during the barroom scene.  When Beth said she worked in Mergers & Acquistions for that law firm, Jenkins' wife said "Oh, you work with Dan." 

I think that was the firm she had just "re-joined" with that dude she was with.  Remember, dude (Dan?) said he did business and was friends with that turd.  The wife's retort was simply mistaken, imo.  Beth pointedly did not reply and we got the standard soap opera linger and then CUT to a new scene.

[seacliffsal]

I enjoyed this episode except for the Beth stuff.  I was momentarily really excited when the gun went off and the truck swerved as I thought she had shot herself.  But, nope, not to be...

I like watching the operations of the ranch-the horse buying, etc.  I also liked that Kevin Costner's character seemed more appreciative of his lawyer son.  However, when Costner was all "I need her evil..." it just didn't make sense as she appears to be ineffectual and, well, crazy (but not fun crazy...).

[Dowel Jones]

Although her alcoholism is very real, I think Beth is far more cunning than her behavior lets on, and Dutton knows this.  That's why he imported her from SLC to deal with Jenkins the developer.  He wants that guy gone, and, for better or worse, Beth uses her sexuality to lure him in.  She makes no effort to conceal the fact that she wants to destroy him just as she sharked that oil company owner in the pilot episode by buying up enough stock to ruin him if he didn't go along with her plan.  She appears to be ineffectual because that's how she want people to see her, but it's also tearing her apart every day.

[zoey1996]

On 7/27/2018 at 4:39 PM, seacliffsal said:

I enjoyed this episode except for the Beth stuff.  I was momentarily really excited when the gun went off and the truck swerved as I thought she had shot herself.  But, nope, not to be...

I like watching the operations of the ranch-the horse buying, etc.  I also liked that Kevin Costner's character seemed more appreciative of his lawyer son.  However, when Costner was all "I need her evil..." it just didn't make sense as she appears to be ineffectual and, well, crazy (but not fun crazy...).

I was hoping she'd shot herself too.  Maybe it'll come together in the season (series?) finale, but I just don't think she brings anything to the table.

So how do Rip and the cowboys decide when a new hire from the prison will fit in?  I didn't see what the new guy contributed (or Jimmy, for that matter) that makes him worthy of the Yellowstone brand (rocking Y).  

Side note, my dad and his dad had cattle in Kansas, and their brand was the lazy rocking W.  My brother used it for the name of a bookstore he had for while.  But enough about me.

Monica needs to figure out what she wants her family to be, and make it happen.  She seems passive and weak, the way she's going, and I don't think that's who she really wants to be.  What's the saying?  If you don't know where you're going, you end up lost. Or something like that.

Love Costner as Granddad (grandpa? don't recall what Tate calls him), but I've lost track of the number of deaths in this show already.

[Haleth]

I can't stand Beth either but Kelly Reilly is doing a great job making her deplorable. 

The best scenes are with Kevin Costner and the boy playing his grandson. 

[smartymarty]

On 6/30/2018 at 12:59 PM, Dowel Jones said:

the sign outside identifies it as Paradise Valley Catholic Church

I think only Catholics have an issue with cremation. (Also, brings another comparison to The Godfather, where people who kill pretend that they're still devout Catholics. John Dutton was concerned his son would not get into heaven if he was cremated, but he was cremating him to cover up his other son murdering someone.)

 

 

On 7/14/2018 at 6:38 AM, IDreamofJoaquin said:

What was with the cremated body and the gravestone?

I think he was pouring the son's ashes on his late wife's grave.

Really hated the hazing of Jimmy (duct-taping him to the horse). Between that and the dog killing, I might not make it to the end of this season.

Is is really a dinosaur skeleton, or does the kid just think that and it's really a horse?

[Pallas]

John reveals a family secret to Monica. 

[Dowel Jones]

I do have a twinge of sympathy for Dutton.  He has to be looking around and thinking of his own mortality, and thinking "This is who I have as my legacy?"  But it was his own fault.

Didn't the doctor tell Kayce to take his wife to the hospital?  With Kayce's Army training, you would expect him to be aware of the danger.  Now the police may have to investigate a murder.

Nice hit with the shotgun, kid.  I wonder who the driver was. 

Uh, Beth...Infidelity is not exactly a career killer, if you haven't been reading the news lately.  You don't have as much on the governor as you think. 

I didn't pay enough attention to the details of the development/casino swap, but I'm willing to bet that there ain't nobody coming away clean from that one.

The good thing about Rip is that eventually he will meet someone with bigger fists than his, and he will be coyote food somewhere.

[SnarkAttack]

They told Kayce to watch out for certain symptoms, and if she exhibited them, to take her to the hospital.

I can't believe they are going to kill off Monica?!  It isn't looking good.  I think she is the reason my husband is watching the show!

I loved the way the governor talked to Beth.

[roughing it]

8 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I didn't pay enough attention to the details of the development/casino swap

Heck, I take more time picking out my clothes for the day than he took in making that billion dollar deal.

[seacliffsal]

I couldn't believe that after Monica was knocked unconscious, fell flat onto a cement surface, and then had blood coming from her head and that they treated her in...the school's nurse's office?!?  And, Kayce was told to take her to the hospital only if Monica exhibited certain symptoms.  She was UNCONSCIOUS and had BLOOD flowing from her head!  If she does die, this is eerily similar to how Natasha Richardson died several years ago. 

Beth continues to be my least-liked character and just this week T.V. Guide wrote her up as a scene-stealing strong character.  Although I will continue to watch this show, it is obvious that my sense of reality is far different from the show's AND T.V. Guide.

Saw Mission Impossible over the weekend, and the lawyer son had a featured role in it.

Oh, and the new deal for a combo casino complex and subdivision, can't see how that can go wrong...

[lazylou]

6 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Oh, and the new deal for a combo casino complex and subdivision, can't see how that can go wrong...

I do not know why I am still watching this terrible show.  There is nothing about the story line that is an accurate representation of current day Montana.  They can't even get the name of the state House of Representatives right.  It is not called the assembly; not officially, not colloquially...just on this TV show.  At some point Dutton said there were two delegates...but there would only be one per district since the revision of the Constitution in the 70s.

Well, in REAL present day Montana, gambling casinos can be found in literally every decent sized city.  There is an internet site offering a list of the THIRTY best casinos in Bozeman.  These are not Las Vegas type places, but it is hard to imagine how the Chief thinks he is going to make his proposed casino pay.  

Had Dutton really dynamited the feeder streams to change their course, depriving downstream users, lawsuits would be filed right and left.  And if Dutton is upstream, why would he want to...he may want to dry out the property below him currently being developed by whatshisface...but he is also messing up everyone downstream on what I guess is the Yellowstone...or is it the Gallatin...or the Madison.  I don't know where this place is supposed to be.

There are all kinds of real problems facing cattle ranchers, big and small; all kinds of terrible problems facing modern day tribes, too.  A great TV show could be made using actual conflicts.  
The best thing on the show last night, the only thing I think might happen, is Kayce's confrontation with the grizzly.  But then he would probably have been grateful to whatshisface for happening by.  And I think some discussion of the bear problem might have followed.  

[Joimiaroxeu]

Heh, Kayce's horse saw the bear and was like, "See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya."

Dutton is a sick SOB. If he wanted to brand one his kids, I think Beth is probably the one who could use it a lot more than Kayce. All three of his children are like the walking wounded so he's pinning his hopes on Tate. Who may not be a Dutton after all.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Mel Brooks was a better Governor. 

The major backstory scene with Dutton and Monica was really good.  But, instead of a thank you and apology to her for his grandson, to go along with a gargantuan mea culpa, we got nuttin'.  

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the professionals in the tribal office explaining to their client what he did, and did not, want.    Then Rainwater told them what was what.  And they all took their collective compensation.  They gave him zero value.

Then came the angering moment: Rainwater was ignorant of the Dutton rerouting of the freaking river?!!!!!!!!!!!  Horrid, horrid storytelling.

No police.  No fire.  No EMT.  No school lawyer/representative to handle a situation with Dutton's daughter-in-law?!!!!!!.  No mandatory trip to the hospital.  So unreal.  

If any man had his intestine removed, he would die if he rode as hard as Dutton did less than a fortnight after surgery as we saw in the last ep.  By the bye...do you recall Dutton being away for even a single day? 

Big city news babe is a nice new arc.  Can't wait to see how they minimize her power. 

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

No mandatory trip to the hospital.

But she got two and a half yards of Kling bandage around her head.  That should have been enough.

I did get a kick out the initial conversation scene of the two women fly fishing.  If you watch closely, one of them winds up like a wannabe Norman MacLean, then casts the line, only to have it strike the water directly in front of her. 

By the way, was that Bart the Bear?  Is he still alive?  Last I saw of him was in Legends of the Fall.

[IDreamofJoaquin]

Do all the ranch hands have to look like Rip?

YAY! Wes Bentley is back and punches Beth.

[IDreamofJoaquin]

I think Bart the Bear died a number of years ago.   When I saw Monica on the ground I was just done.  I haven't finished the episode.  I'm so sick of people dying or coming across dangerous tragedies each episode.  This isn't fucking GOT or TWD.  Isn't it supposed to be a little realistic?   Would you know that many people in harms way in your everyday life? 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Mel Brooks was a better Governor. 

Heh, I approve of this reference.

That's probably one of the reasons why this show decided to go with a female governor but then they've got her sleeping with Dutton. She and Dutton are both single so on the surface it's not a big deal but the governor being literally in bed with a guy who wields a lot of political power and is undeniably corrupt is iffy. In this show's reality, Montana seems to be basically Dutton's fiefdom, at least the part of it that isn't owned by the Native Americans.

[Haleth]

The state and the school corporation is going to have one heck of a lawsuit if Monica dies or has any permanent injuries.  The nurse should have sent her to the hospital immediately.  That turban of bandages around her head was ridiculous.

[walnutqueen]

On 8/3/2018 at 10:45 PM, Dowel Jones said:

By the way, was that Bart the Bear?  Is he still alive?  Last I saw of him was in Legends of the Fall.

Bart the Bear died in 2000.  His namesake, Bart the Bear II (Little Bart) carried on this legacy, appearing in several films and TV shows, but I don't see this show listed on his IMDB page.

[lazylou]

On August 5, 2018 at 5:11 AM, Haleth said:

The state and the school corporation is going to have one heck of a lawsuit if Monica dies or has any permanent injuries.  The nurse should have sent her to the hospital immediately.  That turban of bandages around her head was ridiculous.

In fairness, while I think this was filmed in Utah, it is supposed to be in a very small town on or near an Indian reservation where Tate goes to school and Monica teaches (I think, but I am not rewatching to be sure.) The nearest real hospital may be a long way away. Ambulances, EMT's, etc., may be a long way away by modern standards. To me, her injury seems very doubtful.  I guess she was trying to break up a school yard fight and a student accidentally or purposely decked her, and maybe this could happen.  I think schools on reservations are operated by the beloved Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the prospect of successfully suing them is pretty daunting.  

[Pallas]

A plan is set in motion designed to squeeze John Dutton and threaten his sovereignty.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The first half of this ep was the stuff I most like about this series.  Lots of vignettes about the basics of human nature and of the land.   The Beth-whisperer piece was nice of itself.  Too bad she is too far gone and unwilling to follow it up with therapy which might just cement her new understanding.  Nope.  She is back to wallowing in wickedness in service to Daddy and her various neuroses.

The death of the hiking couple is not on Rip and he would know it.  The grizzly made a run at him and he would have been forced to let go of the rope to get his rifle.  

I liked the pretense of the law actually meaning something with the jailhouse visit of the kid who hit Monica.  Rainwater set him free to set a trap for Kayce, if you ask me.  Kayce is just dumb enough to fall for it, too.

Jaime's Calvin Coolidge speech was profound.  Too bad his own father's actions will soon led to "reforms" which will loose all manner of growth controls. 

Rainwater's whining to his driver was ridiculous.  What a pitiful attempt by TPTB to redeem him and elevate him to moral legitimacy.  YMMV. 

[Dowel Jones]

I wonder what happened to Mom to turn her against Beth so viciously in the horse accident episode.  She seemed to actually like Beth this time, at least to the point of educating her about life.  It looks like she definitely started her down that bitter path early on.

Jenkins' plan to own the hotel is doomed to fail, methinks.  He will need a workforce there, and the tribe could easily make that too difficult to accomplish.  I wonder what Rainwater has up his sleeve for that property.

Rip wouldn't even have to explain what happened out there.  He could say that the grizzly charged, he killed it, and then found the two hikers dead at the bottom of the cliff.  No one else would even know his part in the attempted rescue.  It would look like they tried to climb up, but failed. 

Dutton is in bad shape. Coughing up blood?  No bueno.

Gotta love those tourists.  Climbing through the wire when there's a gate 50' away.