Yellowstone’s two-episode premiere picks up approximately nine months followingseason 4’s conclusion.
During that stretch, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) has also run a successful political campaign.
But the Broken Rock Reservation leader’s response is tame compared to Caroline Warner’s (Jacki Weaver).
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She wakes up in her present-day home with Rip,now her husband, full of guilt and apologies.
On the ride back to the ranch, Jamie and Beth bicker while John tries to enjoy a drink.
Rip’s not entirely sold on John’s new role either.
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The next morning, John’s in a worrisome mood as well.
He jokingly threatens to fire Carter if he grows a beard.
(In John’s defense, both Carter and Tate have seemingly aged five years since last season).
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En route to the hospital, Monica and Tate were in a tragic car accident.
In the background, Kayce is embracing Monica, who’s unconscious in her hospital bed.
The premiere’s second half returns to the night of the accident.
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He frees himself with a pocket knife before finding his mother moaning in distress.
Monica commands him to find his phone and call for help.
Outside, Tate tells Kayce he liked having a brother and wants his parents to try for another baby.
Later that day, Monica meets Kayce on the porch.
She informs him she wants to hold a funeral at the Dutton ranch.
It’s back to business for John, who’s absolutely loathing the day-to-day grind of politics.
She also sides with Jamie, who warns that canceling Market Equities' lease outright will get them sued.
Beth takes the opportunity to again remind Jamie where he stands.
Jamie hands his father the executive order, but stresses it’s a “declaration of war.”
John signs it during a press conference, which Market Equities anxiously watches.
Warner is furious, and calls for her firm to sue for breach of contract.
But she’s also got a secret weapon.
The aforementioned Sarah Atwood, just flown in via private jet, is also watching the press conference.
I’m gonna start with him."
Trouble’s also brewing back at the ranch.
Rip and the boys come across a dead cow that’s been eaten by wolves.
Rip scolds Carter, takes full responsibility, and breaks the news to John.
But the Governor’s got more pressing concerns.
With Market Equities' funding pulled, he’s preparing to block their next move.
John plays the game, per Lynelle’s earlier advice, promising their reelection in exchange for the favor.
Young Dutton confronts the foreman, whose cocky dismissiveness earns him a fist to the face.
But the physical violence is just an appetizer to John’s message-sending main course.
Back in the present, Rip’s ordered his men to hunt those cow-hungry wolves.
They’re also wearing GPS collars that send out distress signals when immobile for 12 hours.
Killing the protected wolves carries a hefty prison term, so the cowboys call Rip for help.
As the episode closes, Warner glares at a newspaper headline reporting the denied re-zoning of her project.
Meanwhile, John’s enjoying his morning coffee while admiring the postcard-perfect view from his front porch.
His assistant Claire joins him.
She’s awed by the land’s beauty, and wonders what it takes to maintain it.
“It takes everything we’ve got,” John says without missing a beat.
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