5 Most Important Moments In ‘Yellowstone’ Season 4, Episode 9

In Yellowstone Season 4, Episode 9, entitled, “No Such Thing As Fair,” the Duttons are at an impasse. Written by series co-creator Taylor Sheridan and directed by Stephen Kay, this episode starts off with the first of two (!) knock down drag out fights between John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his ornery, but devoted daughter, Beth (Kelly Reilly). Beth is furious that John put himself in danger by running into Ruby’s Café to stop the robbery that cost his friend, Sherriff Donnie Haskell, his life. She laments, “You look for justice everywhere, everywhere but the mirror. Where’s the justice for the man who tried to kill you?” John informs her that Terrell Riggins, the man who was responsible for the attacks against them, is rotting in prison for the rest of his life. John still doesn’t know that it was Jamie’s biological father, Garrett Randall (Will Patton), who ordered the Dutton family hit via Terrell Riggins.

Soon after, John gets a call from Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo) who is in jail facing charges of felony aggravated assault on a peace officer as well as a laundry list of other violations that could mean life in prison. John visits Summer through the good offices of interim Sherriff Bill Ramsey (Rob Kirkland) and finds out that Beth was the one who advised Summer to slap a cop during the protest. John vows to speak to the judge (who owns him a favor, of course) and get her out of this mess. Meanwhile, Jamie, Garrett and Christina watch John receive extremely favorable news coverage for his actions at Rubys Café. Jamie finally reveals to Christina that Garrett killed his mother, and she advises him to get Garrett out of his life immediately so that the relationship can’t be used against him in his gubernatorial run.

Elsewhere, Jimmy (Jefferson White) and Emily (Kathryn Kelly) are in their love bubble at the 6666 ranch. Jimmy revels in this relationship and his burgeoning cowboy skills, but when he runs into horse trainer Travis (Sheridan) at a horse show, Travis tells him he’s taking him back to the Yellowstone. Shaken but steady, Jimmy vows to find a way to return to Emily.

Back at the ranch, John confronts Beth about her role in the numerous charges facing Summer. Unmoved, Beth passionately defends her decision to use Summer to help bring down Market Equities per her father’s initial instructions to help save the ranch. He tells her: “No more colleterial damage. We don’t kill sheep, we kill wolves.” Shocked at Beth’s lack of empathy, he asks her to leave the ranch, which devastates Beth. Unable to help her, Rip (Cole Hauser) watches as Beth later cries her heart out to one of Walker’s (Ryan Bingham) sad songs.

But perhaps the Dutton who faces the most introspection this episode is Kayce (Luke Grimes). Stalked by a wolf for most of his life, Kayce turns to Monica (Kelsey Asbille), Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and Mo Brings Plenty (Mo Brings Plenty) for answers. They advise him to undertake a vision quest, which will no doubt lead him to some unpleasant places before he gains clarity. With one more episode to go in Season 4, the Dutton empire seems more fragile than ever before.

Let’s break down the 5 most important moments from Episode 9 that will have repercussions throughout the rest of the season.

DUH, GARRETT IS BAD FOR JAMIE

After John’s run of good press for stopping that robbery, Jamie begins to think he has no chance to win the gubernational election. Christina advises Jamie, “John is the opposite of progress. You be the face of it. Progress doesn’t want to take the people’s land, it wants to preserve it. Progress wants opportunity and equality for all. Ranchers don’t win elections anymore. All you need is Bozeman, Missoula, and Helena.” Her earnestness finally moves Jamie to tell her that Garrett killed his mother and served 40 years in prison for it. When Jamie says he’s forgiven Garrett, Christina exclaims: “How noble, Jamie, that’s just great! You think the voters of Montana are gonna forgive him too?” She counsels Jamie, “If you have any interest in being governor, get him out of your house and get him out of your life.”

To his credit (which I can’t believe I’m saying), Garrett decides to make himself scarce for a while. When Jamie tries to argue with him, Garrett tells him to “think about all those times in your life that what you wanted was the worst thing for you.” When Garrett, seething with hatred, later runs into John at a restaurant, he snarls: “You could have told truth. You could have told [Jamie] what she become,” referring to his drug-addicted mother. John replies, “She became what you made her then you killed her for it…If you plan is to get me back for what you did to yourself, I will treat you like everyone else who showed up with the same idea and I will rid the fucking world of you.” Oh, John, if you only knew…

JOHN’S PLEDGE TO SUMMER

Summer is, understandably, freaked out that she is facing life in prison for her actions at the protest against Market Equities. When Summer concludes that they are making an example of her, her public defender and John confirm her fears. Her lawyer explains: “That’s exactly what they’re doing, and we need to let them just a little because there’s no jury of your peers here. Your peers are in Portland. In Portland, he may be the enemy or I might be the enemy, but here the enemy is you. We don’t want to go in front of a jury.” After her lawyer leaves, Summer asks John to speak to the judge. When John says that her best hope is a reduced sentence, Summer exclaims: “To what? 30 years? I’m going to do 3 decades in prison? That makes you the last guy I fuck in 30 years.”

Despite the dig, John tries to comfort her: “You’re not a criminal. You got so mad you broke the law and they’re mad as hell you did it but you’re not a criminal, they know that. Now let them know you’re sorry.” Summer drops a bomb on John by saying she should have never listened to Beth, adding, “She’s the one who told me to protest here. She said take one for the team and make some noise, make the news, well I made the news and I don’t see my fucking team.” Stunned and angered by Beth’s part in Summer’s predicament, John promises to get her out of this mess. Yellowstone fans know that a promise from John Dutton means something.

JIMMY IS A COWBOY NOW

With a new lady in his life and a new cowboy hat on his head, Jimmy is truly finding himself at the Four Sixes ranch. When he’s tasked with helping haul horses at a horse show, he is more confident than ever as he watches his mentor, Travis, work. Jimmy gleefully tells Travis: “You were right about everything. It’s just you and a horse, that’s all it is. This old timer down there told me that cowboying is art without an audience. Guess he was wrong. Pretty big audience out there.” Shaking his head, Travis replies: “This ain’t cowboying, this is just showing off. It’s a lot of fun and when it pays, it pays good, but it is not cowboying. The best ride of my life, the best cow I ever worked, was in a field in San Saba, Texas, and nobody saw it. Not a soul. So your old timer was right.”

When Travis tells Jimmy to drive Metallic Cat, who just won the Stallion of the Year award, back to the Yellowstone after the dispersal sale, Jimmy is shocked. He breaks the news to Emily, telling her, “I gave John Dutton my word.” Overcome with emotion, Jimmy visits her once more and declares, “I’m not saying goodbye. I’m keeping you. I’ll do whatever I have to do.” He asks Emily to wait for him and she agrees. It’s safe to say that Jimmy’s return to the Yellowstone will be short lived.

JOHN VS. BETH

John calls Beth into the dining room, you know the room that she hates, to confront Beth about using Summer for her own purposes. Unremorseful, Beth tells him: “I don’t care if she dies in prison, I don’t care if she gets out. I do not fucking care, okay? I care about you. I care about Kayce. I care about Rip.” John points out, “If you care about them, you need to care about having some morality in the way you fight.” Incensed, Beth replies, “There is no morality here, dad, none. There is keep the kingdom or lose the kingdom.” John, unmoved, tells Beth, “My kingdom, my rules, we fight with dignity and you aren’t.”

John admonishes Beth that what she did to Summer was cruel. Beth snarls back, “Because you fucked her it was cruel?” Truly shocked, John asks, “Did you do it because I fucked her? Because that is cruel. God damn, Beth, I never thought I’d feel this way about you , but you’ve really disappointed me.” He might as well have slapped Beth in the face with those words. He continues, “Maybe it’s best if I fight this alone, and maybe it’s best if you go somewhere else while I do it.” Shocked, Beth argues that this is her home. John coldly responds, “Might be time to find another one.”

KAYCE’S VISION QUEST

Remember that wolf that’s been following Kayce around all these years? Well, he’s finally starting to take notice. Sitting around a fire with Mo Brings Plenty and Thomas Rainwater, Kayce describes his experiences with the wolf, and Mo explains, “The wolf is your protector. Your spirit animal. Because in your heart, you’re part wolf too. Carrying the wolf is a burden.” Thomas points out the similarities between men and wolves: “We form packs like they do. We breed territories like they do. We destroy our enemies like they do. We have tried everything in our power to destroy them. Before guns and bows, they tried everything to destroy us.” When Kayce asks why a wolf is one protecting him, Mo advises him to “cry for a vision. If you cry hard enough, he might tell you.”

Kayce prepares for a vision quest with the help of Mo. Mo warns Kayce, “Wherever something good is trying to happen, something bad is trying to stop it. The only safe place is inside your prayer ties. Your only protection is the pipe. Everything else around you could be evil. Beware the coyote. He’s the trickster. He cannot be trusted.” When Mo tells him that the quest will last “4 days and 4 nights. No food or water,” Kayce worries that he will die and rightfully so! Mo counsels him: “You must stand on a cliff of death to understand your purpose in life. It’s the only place where you can see it.” Good luck, Kayce, you’re going to need it.

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