Yellowstone Season 5 Episodes 1 And 2 Recap: Governor John Dutton

The following contains spoilers for the "Yellowstone" Season 5 two-hour premiere

Happy "Yellowstone" Season 5 premiere! The Duttons, America's favorite dysfunctional family, return for a new season. According to The Atlantic, the series garnered the most television views in 2021 after NFL football, spinning off other hits for creator Taylor Sheridan. The veteran writer built a franchise in "Yellowstone" and explained that the western series was more like the story of a monarchy. Sheridan said, "This was one of the fundamental things I wanted to look at: When you have a kingdom, and you are the king, is there such a thing as morality?" (per The Atlantic).

The "Sicario" writer continued, "Because anyone trying to take your kingdom and remove you as king is going to replace your morality for theirs. So does morality factor into the defense of the kingdom? And what does that make the king? And at the end of the day, that's really what the show is about." The Dutton family story has more in common with the Targaryens than a western because it's an epic about defending the family and kingdom over everything. In the "Yellowstone" Season 4 ending, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) married. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) was bullied into killing his biological father while his legal dad John Dutton (Kevin Costner) sabotaged his run for governor. 

If you need to catch up on the first four seasons of the epic series, there's a great "Yellowstone" recap video to get you up to speed. Now, buckle up for the recaps of Season 5 Episodes 1 and 2.

In the first episode of Season 5, "Yellowstone" patriarch John Dutton becomes governor. John doesn't want the job, hates politics, and crushed his son Jamie's dream of becoming Montana governor to save the ranch. In other words, Season 5 is the same Dutton family we've grown to love (and hate), depending on the episode. John is only two hours into Season 5, and he's made just about everyone angry because he won't give into politics. More enemies are coming for the Dutton family this season, and they're going to war. John's former girlfriend, Senator Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz-Grillo), warns him, "You could be a really great leader John, but you're a sh****y politician because you won't play the game."

But Governor Dutton's main job seems to be breaking up fights between his daughter Beth and son Jamie. The two Dutton siblings have been at war since they were teenagers, but with dad in office, they all have to work together. 

In an interview with Deadline, Kelly Reilly compared the siblings to tigers. She explained, "It goes against every fiber in Jamie's body to do what he's being asked to do. Is it awful? He is like a prisoner in this family, and I think at any opportunity, Beth will remind him of that in her most eloquent way." By eloquent, she means Beth will brutally humiliate Jamie.

After the hoopla of swearing in John Dutton is over, "Yellowstone" pivots to a Beth and Rip flashback. It was strange because it came out of nowhere, and it's a random flashback showing how badly Beth treated Rip when they were young. Since there are about ten other storylines in these two episodes, we weren't alone in questioning the flashback.

"Yellowstone" Twitter is the best, and fans roasted the show for the Beth-Rip flashback. One fan tweeted: "15 minutes in, and we're already getting a Rip and Beth flashback!? #YellowstoneTV." Another fan was confused and tweeted: "I am very confused by the flashback. Beth was 15 when she got pregnant with Rip's baby and hit the abortion, that led to her hatred of Jamie. In the flashback, they are acting like strangers on their first date who never met before. Did I miss something?" Finally, one fan was totally brutal, tweeting: "That Beth and Rip flashback scene was quite possibly the worst scene in television history." A bit harsh, but there is some substance to the complaint.

While we're on the subject of flashbacks? In the Season 5 premiere's second hour, "Yellowstone" dropped another flashback of John Dutton (Josh Lucas) getting revenge on the construction company boss who poisoned his cattle.

Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) is like a superhero in a cowboy hat, but his job takes a toll on his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and son Tate (Brecken Merrill). In "Yellowstone" episodes 1 and 2, Kayce is busy dragging horse thieves across the river from Canada, and Monica goes into labor. With Tate in the car, she tries to drive herself to the hospital, and they get into a horrible wreck. The next morning John Dutton learns about the car accident and goes immediately to the hospital. Governor Dutton gets the gut-wrenching news from his grandson. Tate says, "I had a brother. For an hour, anyway." Then Tate shares that the baby boy was named ... John. The tough rancher has to walk away, and is overcome by emotion.

After Monica is released from the hospital, Kayce feels guilty for not being home to drive her to the hospital. Because Monica is amazing, she tells her husband, "I could 'should' myself to death, but I won't. And I won't let you do it either." Seriously, the Duttons do not deserve Monica and it will be interesting to see how her character progresses further down the season.

Jamie Dutton is the family punching bag, but he might be the most tragic character in "Yellowstone." He doesn't have the moral compass of his brother Kayce, and he's not as ruthless as his sister. But Beth Dutton might have gone too far with her brother Jamie. Beth's scorched earth tactics might cause Jamie to throw in with the enemies. In a TV Insider interview, actor Wes Bentley said, "He's really going through a lot under the surface, and it's boiling and getting dangerous." Bentley added, "What she's done is just horrible." In Season 4, Beth blackmailed Jamie into killing his biological father. 

In the Season 5 premiere, viewers watch Beth abuse Jamie while John Dutton ignores his son's legal advice. Jamie continues to offer John reasonable legal counsel (backed by Senator Lynelle Perry) even though his dad jumped over him to be the governor. Bentley told Us Weekly he wants Jamie to fight back this season. Bentley noted, "Every scene I read, it's like, 'What are you doing, man? Fight back!'...But we all get in these moments where something keeps you from that. And Jamie, it's hard to play him for that reason."

The third episode of "Yellowstone" Season 5 airs on Sunday, November 20 at 8 p.m. EST, on Paramount Network, with Seasons 1 through 4 streaming on Peacock. From the Season 5 trailer, things look rather dire for the Duttons and Yellowstone ranch. In episode 1, watching Governor Dutton's inaugural party, Rip tells Beth that her father is like Nero fiddling while Rome burned. The stoic cowboy warned his wife, "He's gonna lose all of this."

One thing to keep an eye on in Season 5? Beth Dutton might finally meet a real rival this season. Dawn Olivieri stars as Sarah Atwood in Season 5, and some fans call her the brown-haired Beth (per Outsider). Finally, please talk about Tate Dutton. The poor kid faces life-altering trauma every season. Please lay off Tate. Let's see a boring story about him for a change.