Episode 7 of Yellowstone season 5 begins with young Rip and Rowdy out on the ranch alone. Rowdy starts talking about Beth inappropriately and taunts Rip about Beth. Rip finally hits his limit with Rowdy and punches are thrown. “You never mention her name!” Rip yells at Rowdy.
After a tussle, Rip wins this fight with his bare hands. But then Rowdy pulls out a knife. Rip gets the upper hand and hits Rowdy with a rock over and over again. He calls Rowdy a “coward” and threatens to shoot him the next time he pulls something like this. Later, Rowdy starts throwing up. He says his head is spinning. “I’m hurt bad,” Rowdy mutters.
Rowdy thinks he needs to go to the hospital. Rip sets off to go get help. Before Rip leaves, Rowdy says to tell John that he fell off his horse or he could get in a lot of trouble. Rip runs to the Dutton house and doesn’t lie to John. He tells John that Rowdy was saying inappropriate things about Beth.
John and Rip go off to find Rowdy. When they get to him, Rowdy is dead. John wishes Rip had just lied to him from the start. John warns young Rip that he’s going to have to lie now or he’s going to prison. John agrees to help Rip, but he has to stay on this ranch forever. Rip will have to remain unwaveringly loyal to the ranch, no questions asked. Rip quickly agrees. This ranch is the only family he has.
In the present day, Jamie explains his whole life story to Sarah. “My father hates me. Hates me. He hates me for becoming the very thing he asked me to become. No, forced me to be,” Jamie says. All he’s ever wanted was John’s approval and appreciation for his sacrifice. “He’s jealous of you, Jamie. And he’s scared of you,” Sarah tells Jamie, saying exactly what Jamie needs to hear. She’s got him hook, line, and sinker.
Beth and Monica share a rare heartfelt moment. Beth opens up to Monica about her own loss. “I know how you feel because I’ve felt it. And I feel it every day. So when I say I am sorry Monica, I really mean it,” Beth says. Monica believes that’s why Beth’s so mean. “Because nobody knows,” Monica says. Beth admits that she keeps this secret to herself because other people knowing it would only cause them pain.
John has his hands full with another ranch problem. There’s an issue with the cattle and the whole herd could be destroyed by the state if don’t act fast. Rip and some of the Bunkhouse are going to be gone for a while for some “real cowboy sh*t” as they take the cattle south. Rip knows his crew is going to be gone for a while, so Rip gives them money to go to the fair.
John has to lease land down south to keep the cattle. It’s going to cost a whopping $1.4 million a month. Beth tells her father that they don’t have that kind of money. John thinks he’s just going to get a loan and tells Beth that they can’t sell the cattle now because then they won’t have income for next year.
“We don’t have any income this year,” Beth says. John replies, “We have no profit this year.” Beth reminds him that they don’t have profit any year. With selling cattle instead of beef, Beth says that John’s business model will be the end of the ranch. John says it’s worked for 100 years, but Beth snaps that’s not true. John needs to rethink his approach quickly. John tries calling an acquaintance.
Jamie’s assistant tells him that she’s worried about him being with Sarah. She has a bad feeling about Sarah. Jamie is blind to anyone else’s concerns. Sarah and Ellis reveal to Jamie that John has put his ranch in the land trust. The land is now in a conservation easement. Jamie is blindsided by this. He has the authority to override this, but he knows that he shouldn’t.
Sarah notes that Market Equities will sue the state for a bad-faith negotiation. The company will file it in New York federal court. Montana will be on the hook for $4 billion. The state will go bankrupt if this happens. “Sounds like an impeachable offense to me,” Sarah purrs in Jamie’s ear.
Jamie realizes that’s true. If John resigns or steps down because he’s been impeached, Montana will have a special election. Sarah says they’ll support him and fund his campaign. “This is your chance to become governor and get our f**king land back,” Sarah tells him.
Beth takes matters into her own hands by calling the Four Sixes cattle ranch and asking about cattle. She later tells her father that they should make a deal with them.
In the midst of the ranch drama, Rip sweetly asks Beth to go to the fair with him. Rip reveals to Carter that he’s going to be gone south for a while. Rip tells Beth that he could be gone for a year. Beth doesn’t think she’ll survive being away from him for that long. “Where you go, I go,” Beth says. She says she’ll fly and meet him in Texas. Abby gets upset at Ryan when she finds out he’s leaving and basically breaks up with him. She understands his dream of being a cowboy but won’t follow him.
Despite their many differences, there’s still a magnetic pull between Summer and John. She’s become much more understanding of his way of life. They kiss at the fair. Meanwhile, Jamie is going over his speech to impeach his father. He asks Sarah what she thinks. She encourages him to follow through. Jamie’s about to go to war with his father and Beth. This will not be pretty.