Yellowstone Season 2 Episode 5 Recap With Spoilers: “Touching Your Enemy”

Previously on Yellowstone, the Dutton’s faced sabotage when someone airdropped clover onto the ranch and caused the death of numerous cattle while things get a bit more complicated on the business side of things as well thanks to the casino development and the introduction of the Beck’s more directly into things. This week, Jamie has second thoughts about agreeing to exposing his father and tensions continue to rise for everyone involved. Here’s what happened in “Touching Your Enemy”.

Fair warning: Spoilers for Yellowstone beyond this point. Read on only if you really want to know.

What Happened in “Touching Your Enemy”?

In flashback, we go to Rip’s first days at the Yellowstone. He sees a horse loose in the field and goes to catch it, but young Beth tells him not to bother because it’s the horse that killed her mother. They have a tense conversation, but Beth encourages Rip to watch her walk away. That night, Rip is mocked by the others for being a little orphan boy. He gets into a fight with the man and another cowboy has to break it up. Rip goes to the barn to sleep and finds Beth. He confesses to killing his family and Beth says she killed her mother. She tells him to kiss her.

Back in the present, Beth watches Rip ride up but she looks past him to Walker and tells Rip that if she can touch the good in someone, she make it part of herself. Rip says there is no good in Walker. She apologizes to Rip, but he says she never has to apologize. Beth goes to breakfast and Jamie, Kayce, and John are all discussing finding the plane that dropped the clover. There ends up being an argument about what they can discuss at the table, and Beth leaves. John tells the two men to continue their investigation, but Jamie gets a text from the journalist. John goes to talk to Beth and she confronts him about Rip’s living situation.

Jimmy asks Lloyd if there is any additional work he can pick up for extra money, and Lloyd tells him that anything at the ranch would just be his salary but he could earn money with winnings from things like bronco riding and roping. Jamie and John meet with the new AG and Jamie gets a call from the journalist. When he speaks to her after excusing himself, she says she needs to verify his statements before she talks to John. Jamie is surprised she’s speaking with John and tries to rescind his permission to be quoted. He threatens to sue.

Dan Jenkins learns to use a gun and when he arrives home, he finds someone in his driveway. He pulls his new gun on the man who turns out to be a livestock agent. Kayce grabs Jenkins’ gun and drags him inside. Kayce tells Jenkins that the Duttons don’t want him dead but they want to be left alone. Jenkins isn’t having it. Kayce then says that Jenkins killed the cattle and Jenkins says he doesn’t know how to kill cattle but he knows how to destroy the Duttons.

Back at the Yellowstone, Kayce tells John Jenkins wasn’t behind the cattle killing, which surprises John. John also tries to get Kayce to open up about his military service and Kayce ends up telling him about one of his missions in Pakistan where he ended up killing a whole family when the target was using his wife and daughter as human shields. Elsewhere, the sheriff is watching a football game when he gets a package with a bottle of booze and a bullet that has a note that says, “don’t forget who you work for”.

Later on, John, Beth, and Jamie watch a press conference where the sheriff says the teenager being shot by the livestock agent was justified and he also apologizes to the agent who shot the teen and the agency for not supplying proper backup. Beth wants to know how John got the Sheriff to say that, but John says he didn’t. Elsewhere, Jimmy tries to learn roping better so he can win money. The cowboys have a competition and Jimmy does horribly.

Back at the Dutton house, Jamie goes to Beth for advice and he tells her what he did with the journalist. Beth and Jamie get into a physical altercation and Beth ends up dragging Jamie to John’s study and demands he confess. John makes Beth leave the room and tells Jamie he’s never seen Beth that angry. Jamie breaks down.