Beth (Kelly Reilly) arrives at the governor's mansion, where police have already cordoned off the area with crime scene tape. Despite her inquiries, no one divulges the details of the incident. Her fears escalate when she spots John's assistant, Clara (Lilli Kay), with tears streaming down her face. Kayce (Luke Grimes) soon joins her and manages to push through the yellow tape, escorting Beth inside. The grim scene unfolds before them: John lies dead, with blood splattered across the bathroom wall and a gun lying nearby on the floor. Beth witnesses the sight herself and immediately suspects Jamie (Wes Bentley) as the culprit. However, Jamie too appears devastated as he watches the news report, his shock compounding when authorities inform him of John's cause of death. Stunned, he proceeds to a press conference, encountering Lynelle (Wendy Moniz), who is equally shaken by the event. Jamie struggles to deliver the news, officially announcing John's apparent suicide.
As Beth and Kayce ride back to the ranch, they listen to the press conference on the radio. Upon learning that it's being called a suicide, Beth insists that Kayce pull over, and she strides out into the open field. She phones Rip (Cole Hauser), informing him that John has been murdered and pleading for his return to Montana. Without hesitation, Rip sets off into the Texas sunset, eager to make his way back to Montana as swiftly as possible.
Despite a two-year hiatus between episodes and the introduction of a new major plotline, Yellowstone's fifth season's ninth episode continues to focus extensively on Rip and the Yellowstone cowboys' journey to Texas. From my perspective, the first eight episodes of season five seemed light on plot development, instead emphasizing the romanticized cowboy lifestyle. I was astonished that, with only six episodes remaining to potentially conclude the season, so much of this episode seemed to follow a similar trajectory.
Regardless, six weeks prior to John's demise, Rip and his crew embark on their drive to Texas. During the trip, Rip exhibits kindness to a young child who asks to pet their horses but sternly reprimands a couple of twenty-somethings for treating the ranch like a petting zoo. Beth then calls him, announcing that as soon as he arrives in Texas, she plans to join him for some marital intimacy, a comment that everyone in the car overhears.
They eventually arrive at the storied 6666 Ranch, where they converge with Jimmy (Jefferson White) and the other rugged cowboys of the ranch, who lend a hand with their herd. Rip surveys the terrain, noting their makeshift accommodations in tents despite the availability of a bunkhouse, and the omnipresent peril of wildfires. Before embarking on his chores, he undertakes various tasks, including retrieving a custom-made bit crafted by a seasoned artisan whom Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) had commissioned a decade and a half prior. Rip expresses his admiration for the craftsmanship of the spurs, prompting the artisan to gift them to him, perhaps sensing that Rip is a genuine cowboy, one of the dwindling few.
Rip's demeanor betrays a poignant melancholy over the impending demise of their traditional way of life. Among the camaraderie of the camp, he predicts that within three decades, their existence will be but a relic, replaced by vast wind and solar farms, and their beef will originate from distant Brazil. To mirror his somber mood, he requests Walker (Ryan Bingham) to strum a melancholic tune.
Meanwhile, back in Montana, Kayce, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and Tate (Brecken Merrill) inspect their isolated new abode on the ranch, deciding it suits their needs as a family home, far removed from the hustle and bustle.
These vignettes are interspersed with glimpses of the season's primary narratives, though only hinted at thus far.
Firstly, Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) conspires with a shadowy figure named "Grant" (alias used for discretion). He is the assassin she has retained to eliminate John, acting on the premise they had previously discussed with Jamie. Grant reveals they possess incriminating footage of Sarah and Jamie, which they could deploy as blackmail if necessary, clarifying that Sarah bears the ultimate responsibility for the act, not the means they provide. Grant outlines the strategy, suggesting suicide as the least risky option. Sarah sanctions the execution of the plan.
Elsewhere, Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) survey the lake targeted for the government's pipeline project. Rainwater expresses his grave concern that a pipeline explosion could contaminate the reservation's water supply, a catastrophe likely to be suppressed by the government. He declares that this battle is the very hill upon which they are prepared to lay down their lives. Mo stands resolute, ready for the impending conflict.
Returning to the present, Jamie arrives home in a state of utter devastation following John's demise. Sarah, awaiting him in lingerie with champagne in hand, was not prepared for such a response. Jamie comes to terms with Sarah's actions, having believed their conversation about killing John was merely hypothetical, never to be carried out. He fears that John may have taken his own life due to the impeachment hearing Jamie initiated. Sarah, however, reassures him that he is completely insulated from any involvement in the murder, urging him to embrace this new world without John and to move forward without mourning. "Lions don't die of old age," she says, "they are slain by younger lions." Jamie, the younger lion, now reigns over his kingdom.
Yet, Beth is not so easily convinced. While Kayce finds it unbelievable that Jamie would kill John, Beth insists that he would, backed by the resources of Market Equities. She urges Kayce to contact the state police and review the security footage from the governor's mansion to uncover the truth. However, the police reveal that a power outage occurred in the neighborhood at 3:50 am, mere minutes before John's death was confirmed at 3:53 am. Beth comments on the "convenient" timing. She tells Kayce to look Jamie in the eye and see if he is capable of such a deed. If he does, then Kayce can aid her in deciding how they will mete out justice.
Rip returns to the ranch (his journey reminiscent of a late-season episode of Game of Thrones), and Beth rushes into his arms, her emotions overflowing as she grieves for her father once more.
With only five episodes remaining in Yellowstone's fifth season (potentially the final season of the series), we hope that after this gradual transition into a new era, the show will quickly delve into the gripping storyline we've all been waiting for.
New episodes of Yellowstone air on Sundays at 8 pm ET/PT on Paramount Network in the United States. Episodes are streamed on Paramount Plus in the United Kingdom every Monday.
