Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Watch ‘Em Ride Away

There’s nothing like a gathering to set the record straight.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 5 speaks to history, precedent, and how the world has changed in the last 100 years within the Dutton family and in the outside world.

It was ranch focused, leaning heavily into Beth, and it was a tremendous success.

It was especially moving that the hour began decades ago with another gathering showcasing another generation of cowboys led by John Dutton.

John, at two ages saying the same thing to his cowboys on gathering day, hit home how little things change on a ranch and how significantly outside factors can shake up things that aren’t meant to be shaken.

John didn’t have a schedule to rearrange to lead his team back then. Now, he’s got a trusted right hand in Clara who promised to wipe his slate clean and use the gathering to showcase what he’s fighting for as governor and to do in one afternoon what he’d otherwise do in two weeks.

John was stuck with a lot of governmental dead weight, but he scored gold with Clara. She tells it like it is and listens to John’s needs, almost immediately always having an appropriate course of action. She’s a great addition to the show.

The first gathering took place shortly after Beth upended things with Rip by sleeping with another ranch cowboy. It was giving Beth nightmares. That’s the problem with things staying the same; there’s always a reminder of times past.

But what it showed is that Beth’s approach hasn’t changed at all. She’s upfront and in your face about everything. It works for her, even if it sometimes distances viewers who wish she showed a little more kindness and compassion.

It was impressive how young Beth handled the aggressive cowboy, ignoring his advances and showing her favor toward Rip. She did put him through the wringer back then.

Beth’s approach hasn’t changed, but she’s tempering a little now that she’s committed to Rip. She spent her whole life pushing and pulling him, but once she got her footing, she has been trying to make up for it within her marriage.

I loved how the gathering brought everyone together and reminded them of the importance of friendship and family.

Kayce has been struggling in the wake of their baby’s death, and Monica only realized it once she saw him crying on the porch.

She urged him to keep his job and suggested the whole family attend the gathering. She may have had issues with the family when the series began, but she’s come around to their ways and can even appreciate how they love one another now.

Rip was learning the ropes under young John’s tutelage, and now, Tate and Carter got their chance to ride the range for their first gathering. Everything was coming full circle.

We also got to see Beth at her most vulnerable, when she felt left out of the festivities and hoped Rip would want her to go as much as she wanted him to want her to go.

Rip: OK, Beth. Let’s put the crazy away. Would you like to go on the gathering with me tomorrow? [very long pause] Beth, love of my life. I don’t think I can survive two days on my own, and God knows that you hate horses and cattle and bein’ dirty and cold, and especially bein’ told what to do, all of which is gonna happen tomorrow. But, would you consider coming and sparing me [laughs] the misery of being without you?
Beth: Well, I don’t need you miserable.

Being close to Rip has given Beth a new appreciation for the home she once fled, too. It wasn’t too long ago that she was fighting for the ranch for her father and nothing more.

Now, with her love for Rip and partly because of Summer’s disdain for the family, Beth is embracing the life. And embracing it fueled the fire in her regarding John’s environmental advocate and gal pal under house arrest.

One big happy family. And an assistant. And a hooker. I don’t know what could make this any better.

Beth

Things came to a boiling point when the family met for dinner, everyone at the same table, with Beth to John’s right and Summer to his left. I thought it was an odd seating arrangement, but it worked beautifully for the story to unfold.

Summer looked a gift horse in the mouth. You never do that, but she couldn’t help herself. She holds herself in high regard, loftily looking down at the ranchers and their ways.

From how they brand their cattle to the food on their plates, Summer finds fault with it and believes her way is the better way.

But we did learn that Summer’s parents were vegetarians. She’d never had meat. How she was raised impacted her belief system as much as how John raised his children affected theirs.

Their arguing was grating, and it even drove Monica into fits of laughter as she wondered how it could possibly be any more awkward than it was already. Then Beth and Summer left the table for a little one-on-one time.

Rip: You know what’s gonna happen, don’t you, sir?
John: I suspect it’s happenin’ right now, Rip. I’m sick of listening to it. Let ’em get it out of their system.
Rip: Nothing gets out of your daughter’s system, sir. Excuse me.

The Dutton family has been intertwined with violence since they arrived in this country, probably long before. It wasn’t so unusual to resort to violence to end arguments.

Even in the last century, fist fights solved problems. I had one in Jr. High that resolved our issues and even led to friendship. Dare I say that the battle between Beth and Summer might do the same?

I noted in my review for Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 4 that Beth and Summer have a lot in common, even if they have different viewpoints on most things. Their behavior is familiar, and it’s partly to blame for how violently they clash.

Violently clashing went literal out in the yard as the two women beat the hell out of each other. Summer was surprised by the ferocity of Beth’s fight, but she held her own. They had something to prove to one another and would go until that mission was accomplished.

Summer was overmatched by Beth, but she didn’t give up easily. Rip’s earlier words to John seemed inaccurate. Beth did get it out of her system. She needed Summer to acknowledge that she was living in their home and to stop looking that gift horse in the mouth.

Beth: This is my fuckin’ house. I want you to show me, and everyone in it, respect. Do you understand?
Summer: What respect do I get?
Beth: You get exactly what you give.

That was a turning point. With the fight and Summer finally understanding the point, they managed to eke out casual conversation. Beth even offered Summer a pointer about standing behind her actions and not being embarrassed by them.

Summer: I should get cleaned up. You should, too.
Beth: I don’t hide from what I do. I wanted to fight, so we fought. Let ’em look.

Suddenly, the two women who were literally at each other’s throats moments before were allies, sitting bloodied at the dinner table, chomping on various game while the rest of the family turned away in disgust from looking at them.

John’s appreciation for his daughter grew after that altercation.

John: My daughter. I, uh, commend you, Rip. It must take a lot of courage to sleep next to that woman.
Rip: You know the saying, don’t go to sleep mad? Well, it’s never truer than my marriage.

Knowing the family history, he knows how Duttons have always embraced violence. What we also know about John is that, as far as we’re aware, he’s not the violent type himself.

When there is violence on his behalf, it’s carried out by others, whether by his cowboys wearing the brand or his sons.

You know, the first Duttons who settled this valley, fightin’s all they knew. It’s how they got here, how they kept the land once they did. But today, it seems like a liability. Cowards rule the world today, Rip, with coward rules and coward customs. To succeed, all you gotta know is how to blame and how to complain. I truly believe it’s the survival of the unfittest these days. You know, I always thought Beth would calm down as she got older. Every year seems like she gets wilder. Never seen anything else like it. What it must feel like to be that free. You know, I got one child I miss, one child I pity, and one I regret. That girl, that child, I envy.

John

John envies Beth. Of course, he does. It’s not easy to walk through life without regret, but Beth has managed it for the most part. She speaks plainly and doesn’t threaten unless she plans to act. It’s admirable, even if it’s borderline crazy, too.

But Beth is continually growing, too, and I can’t help but wonder if she might someday be able to see Jamie through a different lens, to understand that he wasn’t much more than a child himself when he made the fateful decision that fractured their family forever.

Love allows you room to forgive. I don’t think she’ll ever forgive Jamie, but maybe she’ll understand him a little better. The thing with Jamie is that he’s a coward.

Summer went toe-to-toe with Beth in a way Jamie never would. Perhaps having a child will give him enough confidence so the two of them could have the same type of confrontation. Hell, I think Beth would even best Jamie in a fistfight because fear would have him pulling punches.

I don’t know. It just came to my mind with all the talk of John’s children, how he feels about each, and how admirably Beth handled things with Summer.

It also struck me that earlier in the episode, John said Kayce was his only son, and later, he offered how he feels about four children, Jamie included. John needs Beth and Jamie to do something to fix their fractured family, even if he doesn’t know why it became that way.

Maybe it ends in Jamie’s death. Regardless, that’s the undercurrent dragging down their family even more than outside forces. When that’s resolved, the Dutton family will be better for it, no matter the outcome.

The end of the hour was as moving as the beginning, with Beth and Summer having another honest conversation.

Summer: How long will you be gone?
Beth: Couple of days. How you feelin’.
Summer: Like I got hit by a truck. How about you?
Beth: Like I got hit by a Prius.
Summer: I don’t know what to do while he’s gone. I don’t know what to do when he’s here.
Beth: Well, I think you got that part figured out. Why don’t you take a walk around this place. Hm? You’ll understand us better. Tell me if there is a forest in America in better shape or more loved. Then tell me we’re the enemy.

Beth is using humor with Summer now and offering solutions that could change how Summer views her family and ranching in general. That’s a significant development in their relationship and Beth’s personal growth, and I look forward to seeing if they can keep it up when everyone returns.

Monica, too, seems to have healed after her devastating loss. She’s grateful for the family she has, and she knows how much she loves them as she watches them ride away.

If it doesn’t make ya cry to watch your family ride away, you probably shouldn’t have one.

Monica

There wasn’t a lot of outside intrigue working for or against the Duttons this time out, and as is usually the case, it made for one of the series’ strongest episodes to date.

What are your thoughts after watching it? Do you have more respect for Summer after she faced Beth head-on? Do you see a future where these two women could amicably share the same space?

What did you think of how John spoke about his children?

As always, I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below. And if you need to catch up, you can watch Yellowstone online right here via TV Fanatic.

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