Cowboys and Dreamers

**Cowboys and Dreamers** is the fifth episode of the third season of *Yellowstone*. The episode premiered on July 19, 2020.

## Outline

The reason for Beth and Jamie's toxic relationship is revealed. Kayce bends the rules to help a family in need. Rip and the boys get into a confrontation with two men from John's past.

## Summary

A flashback, a teenage Beth turns to her brother Jamie for help after discovering she’s pregnant. As they drive to the reservation, Beth refuses to tell Jamie the name of the father. They arrive at Indian Health Services and Beth reaches out to take hold of Jamie’s hand. He volunteers to go inside and find out what to do next.

Jamie called in before showing up, but the woman manning the desk is shocked to see he’s white. Jamie and Beth deliberately chose the Indian Health Services knowing that if they went to Planned Parenthood in town, someone might see them and the word would get out. She explains they require anyone having an abortion at the Indian clinic to also undergo sterilization.

Jamie returns to the truck to fetch Beth but doesn’t immediately tell her about the sterilization requirement. Later, Beth meets up with the boy who got her pregnant who, it turns out, is Rip. She lies and says the test was negative, and then breaks things off with him.

In the present, Beth rises from Rip’s bed in the middle of the night. Rip also gets up and joins her on the front porch. She confesses she had a bad dream/bad memory but doesn’t want to explain what it was about when he asks. He suggests she tell him anyway and she says, “I’ve made two decisions in my life based on fear…and they cost me everything.”

Beth leans into Rip and he kisses her on the head. As she quietly cries, Rip replies, “Not everything.”

Jamie takes the oath of Attorney General as John looks on, uninvolved and unimpressed. As Jamie finishes reciting the oath, John commands his son to repeat the final line of the oath: “I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity, so help me God.”

Jamie does, but leaves off “So help me God” and John makes him add that again. Brief ceremony complete, John leaves but not before reminding Governor Perry Jamie’s all hers now. The retiring AG promises to help with the transition before hitting the golf course.

Jamie acknowledges he realizes he’s the AG now not at his father’s urging but because Governor Perry needed him for a specific task.

Rancher Boyd Nelson drives out to the field where a herd of horses are grazing. He withdraws a paper from his pocket and glances at it before putting a gun to his temple and pulling the trigger.

Kayce is in the office as the new Livestock Commissioner when he receives a call from Sheriff Haskell informing him of Boyd’s death. Haskell won’t explain why it’s a matter for the Livestock Commissioner but instead just asks Kayce to head out to Boyd’s ranch.

Once there, Haskell hands Kayce the blood-stained paper Boyd was holding onto when he committed suicide. The paper is a formal Notice of Intent to Foreclose document. Kayce feels horrible, knowing Boyd has kids he left behind. Kayce and Haskell realize the bank will take the horses as part of the foreclosure, and Kayce suggests they round them up and take them to Billings for sale. If the horses aren’t on the property, the bank can’t get them.

Kayce wants to sell the horses to get money for Boyd’s kids, but he’s not sure taking them is legal. Haskell assures him it’s not. Still, Kayce’s leaning toward doing it anyway. He asks what Haskell would think if he did, and Haskell reveals Boyd was his cousin.

“If you want to do it, I’ll look away,” says Haskell. “But if the bank finds out, you are up to your neck in trouble.”

Kayce decides the best option is to talk to his dad before doing anything.

Monica and Tate help the wranglers pack up their stuff. They have to move back to the house now that Kayce’s got a job to do in town, and Tate’s not in the least bit happy about that. He cusses and Monica wonders where he picked that up. The answer comes quickly as the nearby wranglers drop plenty of colorful words.

Monica asks Rip to have the guys leave their tent up, hoping to get Tate up there during the summer. Rip assures her he’ll have them keep it up.

Rip takes off with Ryan and Colby to check on the fence line as the rest of the wranglers bring the horses back to the main part of the ranch.

John’s back at the ranch when Thomas Rainwater and Mo arrive. Thomas jokes about how hard it’s been to reach John, and John assures him he’s been neglecting his phone on purpose. Lighter moments aside, Thomas wants to discuss their mutual problem.

Thomas knows John’s aware Ellis’ people want to use part of the Dutton Ranch for their airport. John reveals the A.G. would be the one who determines eminent domain and he’s not worried about the A.G. going against him now. He’s also not worried about the possibility Governor Perry will side with the developers.

Thomas believes if Governor Perry doesn’t help Ellis, she’ll lose the next election. John wonders why Thomas isn’t supporting an airport on the Yellowstone Ranch given its proximity to his planned second casino. Thomas sets John straight, acknowledging he doesn’t want a second casino and revealing he believes it’s an insulting revenue stream for an Indian Nation.

Thomas wants the valley to look like it did before white men arrived. He explains he and John want the same thing – they just have different reasons for wanting Ellis not to succeed. Thomas thinks he and John should postpone their fight and tackle this mutual enemy together. He suggests they pool their resources and make it so the corporation will eventually choose another place to build rather than be tied up in court for years. Corporations have money and manpower but don’t have time.

Thomas explains he’s got someone who can find items to help tie up the corporation in court. John says he has one of those people, too. Thomas was aware of that and thinks these two should meet. “Who knows what mischief they’ll come up with together,” says Thomas. John agrees.

Roarke is studying the market on his laptops and orders his person to snap up 300,000 at $1.35. “Short our f\*\*king stock,” he snarls. “Take that you little red-headed sh\*t.”

Trade done, he heads off to fish. Unfortunately, he’s barely out the front door with rod in hand when he gets a call telling him Market Equities has lost another point. He slams the fishing pole to the ground in anger and frustration. He storms back into the house, fishing no longer an option at this particular moment.

Rip, Colby, and Ryan discover buffalo in a field adjacent to theirs. They also spot two men on horses nearby. Rip beckons them to come to the fence and they meander over. Rip’s concerned the buffalo are going to spook the Dutton Ranch’s cattle, and one of the men suggests Rip just worry about keeping his cows on his side of the fence. Basically, he’s telling Rip to mind his own business.

It’s never wise to snap at Rip, and Rip challenges the man who was rude. The man hops the fence to confront Rip, and Rip punches him in the face before tossing him back over the fence. The other man takes that opportunity to pull a gun on Rip. He threatens to blow his face off and Rip tells him to just do it. The man doesn’t back down and Ryan jumps into the fray, displaying his Livestock Association badge and warning the man he’ll shoot him where he stands. Ryan tells him to put his gun down and the man suggests they tell John Dutton hi for him, revealing his name is Wade Morrow. He also warns they’ll see each other again.

After the men leave, Colby says he thinks the buffalo will tear the fence to pieces.

Roarke meets up with Beth at a bar. She wonders why he’s not in a river fishing and he explains he’s there to determine why she’s “poking a grizzly.” He compares Schwartz & Meyer shorting Market Equities stock to a terrorist attack. It won’t stop anything and only serves to hurt some people while others will be prompted to hurt them back. Beth tells Roarke to bring it on; she’s a veteran in this battle over her family’s ranch and no one has gotten the best of her yet.

He suggests eventually the Duttons will lose the land. It’s better to not fight and become extremely wealthy now, rather than let the land eventually slip away. He believes Beth should act like the smart businesswoman she is and strike a deal.

Beth admits she agrees with his reasoning, but her dad would never agree so they have to fight. She does, however, agree to his request to only short his stock in after-hours trading from now on so that he can spend his days torturing trout. Before he leaves, Roarke warns Beth she’s wrong if she thinks she’s up to this fight. Beth replies, “Right back atcha. You are the trailer park; I am the tornado.”

Later, Kayce meets with his dad to discuss Boyd. John describes Boyd as a dreamer who became an angry man. Kayce explains what he wants to do and John agrees, saying Boyd’s wife is a good person who Boyd didn’t deserve. When Kayce points out the risk if the bank finds out, John has the perfect reply.

“The bank’s not your problem. Your problem’s the people. Do what’s best for them – that’s the job,” suggests John.

John says once Kayce makes the decision, he’ll help him however he needs.

Kayce decides to help the family and John gathers wranglers from his ranch and another nearby to round up the horses. There’s so many of them all they can really hope is to drive them down the mountain as fast as possible. Rip labels their approach the “F\*\*K It” plan.

The wranglers all head out and pretty quickly the horses stream down the mountain with the men hot on their heels. They’re a thing of beauty to behold as they cross fields with the wranglers close behind.

The horses are led into the corrals with minimal trouble. Apparently, the “F\*\*k It” plan worked perfectly. Kayce, Rip, and John laugh about what they just did, and John had such an exhilarating time he wants to do it all over again.

Jamie rings up Randy Harper to let him know he’s the new A.G. and ask if he has any unresolved issues he’d like to discuss. Randy’s shocked and says he can’t think of any, now aware they have nothing to worry about when it comes to the deaths of the two suspects while in custody.

The horses are delivered to the auction house without incident. Kayce wants to sell them as a pack and the man in charge confirms he can easily do just that.

Kayce returns to the Nelson ranch to speak with Boyd’s wife. There’s a large gathering of people there to mourn Boyd and support the family. Kayce’s ushered through the house and into the kitchen where Sheriff Haskell introduces him to Carolyn Nelson. She gives Kayce a huge hug and then asks what he got for the horses. Kayce reveals he hoped to get more but was able to sell them for $16,000. He hopes that helps with the funeral, and Carolyn confesses she’s not having a funeral for her dead husband. She thinks he took the coward’s way out.

Jimmy is released from the hospital and arrives back at the bunkhouse accompanied by his girlfriend, Mia, and her friend, Laramie. They grab beers from the fridge, and Jimmy warns them the wranglers won’t like that. They don’t care. They’re playing music and dancing as the wranglers arrive, and Jimmy tries to tell the guys it’s not his fault. Fortunately, they’re all in good spirits and ready to party themselves, given that it’s Friday night.

Ryan gives Colby a hard time about Teeter who continues to tease Colby about the fact they’ve had sex. Colby, reluctantly, admits she’s sort of growing on him.

Rip’s in a rotten mood and hearing the music from the bunkhouse isn’t improving it any. He’s pissed it’s not even sunset and they’re already drinking. Rip heads over to the bunkhouse where everyone’s having a fun time and as he enters he growls, “What the f\*\*k are you dipshits doing?!”

Only then does he realize one of the dipshits is Beth. She’s dancing, drinking, and having a good time. He joins her, a smile finally coming to his face as they kiss.

John chuckles, sitting outside the house as he listens to the music. Kayce joins him and John’s happy the wranglers are cutting loose after the day they had. He compliments Kayce on breaking a rule that shouldn’t have existed, acknowledging he did it for the right reasons.

Kayce wonders if they should head over and join the fun, and John admits he can’t. “I never had much luck leading men *and* being their friend,” he says. He hopes it can be different for Kayce.

John heads into bed and Kayce takes his place in the chair on the porch.

## Cast

Main Cast* Kevin Costner as John Dutton
* Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton
* Kelly Reilly as Bethany Dutton
* Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton
* Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler
* Kelsey Asbille as Monica Dutton
* Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton
* Jefferson White as Jimmy Hurdstram
* Denim Richards as Colby Mayfield
* Forrie J. Smith as Lloyd Pierce
* Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater

Flashback* Kylie Rogers as Young Beth
* Dalton Baker as Young Jamie
* Kyle Red Silverstein as Young Rip

Recurring Cast* Josh Holloway as Roarke Morris
* Wendy Moniz-Grillo as Lynelle Perry
* Ian Bohen as Ryan
* Hugh Dillon as Donnie Haskell
* Mo Brings Plenty as Mo
* Timothy Carhart as Mike Stewart
* Boots Southerland as Wade Morrow
* Brent Walker as Clint Morrow
* Jen Landon as Teeter
* Jake Ream as Jake
* Eden Brolin as Mia
* K.C. Clyde as Randy Harper
* Brad Garfield as Boyd Nelson
* Kathleen Wilhoite as Carolyn Nelson
* Ethan Lee as Ethan
* Hassie Harrison as Laramie
* Carrie Wrigley as Ellen

## Music

* *Long White Line* by **Sturgill Simpson**
* *Drunken Poet's Dream* by **Hayes Carll**