Yellowstone Recap With Spoilers: "Tall Drink of Water"
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of Yellowstone... The episode begins with a flashback to something attacking cattle on the ranch back in the 1990s. John thinks it's the park wolves. There's a whole town hall meeting about the wolves from the conservation park, they've been attacking livestock all around Montana.
Beth has to go to Salt Lake to wrap up "loose ends." She talks to John and he tells her about her mother, saying he wishes she would've lived long enough for Beth to realize what a magnificent woman she was. Beth tells him a memory can't love him back, so he should find someone who can while he's still around.
It's Lloyd's birthday and the ranch hands are celebrating. The woman Lloyd and Walker fought over is back in town and Lloyd doesn't seem upset about it like he used to. Wildlife rangers show up to the ranch and say they found wolf collars attached to logs in the river and need to follow the paths of the animals. They take Rip with them. Meanwhile, Kayce and Monica talk with Rainwater about burying and grieving their son. They're going to have a ceremony for him. When Monica leaves, Kayce says he wants to give up his position as the head of the livestock agents because his vision told him to choose. He's choosing his family, but he hopes Rainwater can help him with a job. Mo suggests talking with Jamie about appointing him as an investigator near the reservation, but Rainwater tells Kayce that he should make a change when the next opportunity presents itself, not just on a whim. Monica cuts off her braid while she mourns the loss of her son.
Two lawyers are awaiting Jamie in his office, one of which is Sarah Atwood, the woman working with Market Equities that plans to use him to get to the rest of the Dutton family. Their suit demands the state uphold the original lease agreement for the airport and Jamie stands firm on the situation. He knows they have no case. When no one else is left Sarah tells Jamie that he's better at the job than she expected. She knows his angle and she knows he thinks the decision to block the lease is a bad idea for the ranch. She says she's there to find a soft landing for them both, inviting him to dinner to discuss it further.
Kayce meets John at the ranch and they talk about family and work. Kayce says Monica wants to bury their son on the ranch and John says that whatever they want is okay with him. Then Kayce says he can't serve the state and his family, and he hands his father his badge. Rainwater approaches the casino to found a protest where a young politician speaks against him. Inside, Angela explains to Rainwater that his old ways aren't moving their people forward. She's working to remove him as chairman.
Beth meets with some lawyers to sell Schwartz & Meyer .She's wants to sell her remaining shares and let them keep controlling the land funds. All she wants to do is keep the land. She explains that Market Equities is probably going to sue her for her dealings with them. She's going to put the land in a conservation easement, killing their development. Her plan loses Market Equities money, enough to get executives fired. The deal is signed and Beth prepares a press release. This ultimately causes the New York offices of Market Equities to drop the lawsuits. Caroline tells Ellis to turn Sarah loose and bring down the Duttons in any way possible.
Beth, Rip, and the ranch hands head out to a bar in Bozeman to celebrate Lloyd's birthday, despite Rip thinking it's a bad idea. Abby, the singer Ryan met at John's inauguration party, is playing at the bar. A woman hits on Rip and it causes Beth to attack her, starting a fight throughout the whole bar. The new sheriff says that everyone can go except for Beth, because she broke a bottle over the woman's head. She's arrested and taken in as the episode ends.