Yellowstone Season 3 Episode 7 Recap With Spoilers “The Beating”

In the previous episode of , things got even more complicated and strained for the Dutton family as Jamie’s role in Beth’s past — specifically the hysterectomy that she didn’t consent to as a teenager — came to light and as Market Equities started to make a more direct play for the Yellowstone ranch. This episode, Jamie finds out a hard and shocking truth about himself while Beth makes a major decision about her relationship with Rip. Here’s what happened in “The Beating.”

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

What Happened in “The Beating”?

At night, some wranglers herd cattle into a truck. In the early morning, Jamie gets up and takes some files and heads off into the city before everyone else gets up. At the bunkhouse, Rip is annoyed with all of the overnight guests, which prompts Jimmy’s girlfriend, Mia, to say that they will work alongside everyone else.

Kayce goes and inspects the field where the cattle were taken from and sees that the fence was cut and that the stolen cows weren’t branded or tags. That means that they will probably be sold right away so he tells Ryan and livestock agent Steve Hendon to check ranches that might have purchased the calves. At the office, Jamie is informed by his assistant that court documents haven’t been filed to change the ranch’s power of attorney locally so Jamie thinks they may have been filed in Salt Lake. Jamie is also informed that he needs to go sign for a certified copy of his birth certificate.

Beth goes and talks to John and he wonders if she plans to marry Rip. Beth says she would he he’d ask, but John says Rip won’t ask because it means he’d have to ask for her hand. John suggests Beth should ask him herself. John supports her marrying Rip as long as he treats her well.

Back with Jamie, the clerk comes back and has shocking news for Jamie: turns out, he’s adopted. His birth name is James Michael Randall and his birth parents were Phyllis Mary and Garret Randall. He was adopted by the Duttons and we soon find out why. Garrett Randall was convicted of second-degree murder for killing Jamie’s birth mother when he was a baby, which is why John lied to Jamie. Upset, Jamie leaves and gives his birth father’s files to his assistant and asks them to find out everything they can about him.

Beth goes to work and finds Angela Blue Thunder, who wants to talk about Market Equities. Angela thinks Willa Hays will try to get Beth fired, but Beth isn’t worried. Beth also tells Angela that they can’t trust Jamie and Angela warns that they will have to get their hands dirty which is fine by Beth. Meanwhile Kayce heads to a livestock auction and asks about a trailer. The driver spots Kayce and decides he’s gonna drive off rather than unload which prompts Kayce to follow him on a horse. He ends up lassoing the driver to get him to stop. Kayce interrogates the driver and threatens to beat him if he doesn’t reveal his accomplices.

Elsewhere, John is at a diner when Wade and his sone show up. Wade’s son tries something, but John stops him and tells Wade that he gave him a job and a place to live and Wade stole “the one thing a cowboy doesn’t steal”. As he leaves, John warns Wade that he plans on getting back what Wade has of his. After a very rough day, Rip makes it back to the ranch and goes straight to his house. Beth then gives Rip a box with a man’s ring and asks him to marry her. They banter a bit and he accepts but points out that there’s no official record he exists. Beth says a marriage license is just a contract and she doesn’t need it. She just needs him to stand up with her in front of family and friends and he agrees.

Kayce, Ryan, and Hendon show up at a trailer with stolen cattle in the front. They knock on the door, but shots ring out and a firefight ensues. Ryan is fine and Hendon is hurt, but alive. Kayce enters the house and finds a little girl standing by her father’s dead body. That night, John is looking at an old photo album and Jamie confronts him about being adopted. John tells Jamie about how his biological father beat his mother to death with a showerhead when Jamie was just three months old and that his adoptive mom should be called his mom because she loved him and cared for him and that John should be his dad because he took care of him, too. But he also says that Jamie can call him whatever he wants. John also says that he can locate his birth father, confront him for himself and decide who is really his father.