In Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 4 entitled “Horses In Heaven,” John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is making some big changes at the Capital, as well as trying to clean up the mess at the Yellowstone. The wolves killed on the ranch by Ryan (Ian Bohen) and Colby (Demin Richards) are beginning to become a serious problem for John and foreman Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). After firing his policy advisors, John makes an interesting new hire that is sure to get under Beth Dutton’s (Kelly Reilly) skin. However, Beth has bigger problems to deal with. She seethes about spending a night in jail for her part in the barfight, but Beth is even more furious when she discovers that Jamie (Wes Bentley) has a son with his former campaign manager, Christina (Katherine Cunningham).
Beth’’s vow to take Jamie’s child away drives Jamie to seek out corporate shark Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) who, in the process of seducing Jamie, reveals her plans to “assassinate [his] father’s reputation and choose a politician to support as the next governor” who will push Market Equities’ agenda. Back at the Yellowstone, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) and Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) bury their son under Thomas Rainwater’s (Gil Birmingham) watchful eye. Aware that Angela Blue Thunder’s (Q’orianka Kilcher) campaign against him is about to begin in earnest, Thomas uses the opportunity to convince John to visit him on the Reservation to demonstrate that he still has some power and influence.
Amid Beth and Jamie’s rehashing of a past they’d both like to rewrite and the return of everyone’s favorite activist, here are 5 things to pay attention to in Episode 4.
JOHN DUTTON’S HORSE DIDN’T DIE IN VAIN
As Mo Brings Plenty (Mo Brings Plenty) and his men from the Broken Rock Reservation prepare for the burial of Kayce and Monica’s son, John, they are interrupted by Rip and the Bunkhouse boys. When Rip asserts says they would have dug the grave, Mo Brings Plenty changes the subject to the dead horse left on Reservation property. Remember that dead horse? Just two episodes ago, Rip had to put down John Dutton’s prized horse after an accident Carter had while riding. “He died Monday,” Rip tells Mo, who replies: “We’ll bury him now. We’ll put him in the ground besides the boy.” Still curious, Rip inquires, “can I ask you why?” To which Mo responds, “You can ask, but I ain’t gonna answer.”
Fans will remember that in Season 5, Episode 3, Mo told Monica and Kayce that their son would need a “four-legged to take him on the journey.” Thomas explained, “your son’s spirit needs a horse spirit to carry him to the other side.” When Kayce incredulously asked if he has to kill a horse, Mo replied wryly: “Won’t have to. God will have his horse ready when your son’s ready.” And Mo was right.
BETH WILL NEVER STOP COMING FOR JAMIE
After Beth is released from prison, Jamie gives her a ride home. She spots a baby seat in the back of his vehicle, has a realization, and goes into shock. When Jamie reluctantly reveals that he has a son, Beth exclaims, “God gave you a boy?” Shaking with rage, Beth continues, “You have my womb cut out of me and God gave you a boy?” She beats Jamie with her firsts as he struggles to get the car under control. Fans will remember that the reason for Beth’s intense hatred of Jamie was revealed back in Season 3, Episode 5. As teenagers, Jamie took Beth to get an abortion at a free clinic on the reservation so that their father wouldn’t find out. The condition was that she would also be sterilized, which Jamie consented to without telling Beth.
As Beth tears herself crying from the car, Jamie follows her and tells her, “Taking you to that clinic is the greatest regret of my life.” “Of all the awful shit that you have done in your 45 years on this planet, Jamie, that is really saying something,” Beth snarls at him. Beth then shakes off her momentary vulnerability and snaps back into revenge mode, snarling at Jamie: “I’m going to take him from you. I’m going to rob you of fatherhood. You don’t deserve it, and he deserves better than you.” Jamie looks terrified as he should be.
LOSING SONS
As John and Beth watch the funeral for Kayce and Monica’s son from afar, John feels the loss of more than one generation of Duttons. After the funeral is over and Monica sits alone at her son’s grave, John goes over to offer his condolences to his daughter-in-law: “I know how you feel. I wish I didn’t, but I do. I buried a son right over there.” In the Yellowstone pilot, John’s son Lee Dutton (played by Dave Annable) was killed by Monica’s brother-in-law Robert Long (Jeremiah Bitsui) when Lee led a raid on the Broken Rock reservation to retrieve stolen cattle. “I remember,” Monica tells John. How could she forget?
A PREVIEW OF WHAT’S TO COME?
The conversation between Monica and John is rich and layered for many reasons–just think back to how much she hated him in past seasons—but one of the most interesting notes is the story John tells her about his childhood. “I had a brother for about 18 hours, his name was Peter, he was born early and his little heart wasn’t strong enough,” John remembers. John warns Monica that the experience “changed my mother and hardened her.” He then skips ahead to when Lee was born many years later and his father shared a realization with his wife: “Peter lived a perfect life. All he saw of this planet was you, and all he knew was you loved hm.” Monica takes comfort in this and lets herself cry on John’s shoulder.
In the upcoming prequel sequel 1923 (coming to Paramount Plus on December 18), fans will be introduced to John Dutton’s grandparents: John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale) and Emma Dutton (Marley Shelton) who will give birth to John Jr., the father of John Dutton III (Kevin Costner). We’re getting closer and closer to re-meeting the patriarch (remember Dabney Coleman played him in the Season 2 finale) of our patriarch. Fans have to wonder if we’ll see this scene play out in another prequel series.
SUMMER HIGGINS AS ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISOR?
When having lunch with Senator Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz), John explored the subject of pardons when discussing Beth’s most recent bad behavior. “You have the authority to pardon, commute sentences, grant clemency whenever you want,” Lynelle tells him, “but once you open that Pandora’s box, it does not close.” When that same conversation moves to the topic of wolves, Lynelle advises John to get an environmental advisor who is “not one of your rancher buddies, an environmentalist, someone who understands the way that they think.” All signs point to…
The return of Piper Pearbo’s Summer Higgins! You know, the activist who was sentenced to 37 years in prison in the Season 4 finale? John pardons her and waits for her as she exits the prison with this cavalcade of government vehicles. “Who took you so long?” Summer asks. John replies, “I’ve only been governor a week.” John tells her there’s a catch to her freedom: she will be under supervised (by him) release for the next six months because he needs her services as an environmental advisor. Looks like John just made his first new hire.
The post ‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Episode 4: 5 Things You May Have Missed, From John Dutton’s Horse To The Return Of Summer Higgins appeared first on Decider.
