Yellowstone: Why Rip Wheeler Is the Most Interesting Character
Taking a look at one of Yellowstone's most beloved characters, Rip Wheeler.
Cowboys have dominated the big screen for many years. The first motion picture was a sequence of pictures clipped together of a Black jockey riding a horse in 1888, meaning that men riding on horses have been captured for over 100 years. You can’t hate a good Western, especially when it’s done right, and recent shows such as Yellowstone, Outer Range, and Westworld do a great job of giving the audience what they want; what it’s like to work on a ranch, to have a dysfunctional family, and to swoon over cowboys. One of the most popular cowboys on television right now is Rip Wheeler from Paramount’s Yellowstone.
Rip is everything a cowboy is supposed to be: brooding, violent, and loyal. In Yellowstone, he proves through each episode that if the Duttons didn’t have him around the ranch, things would be very different for the family. He’s fiercely loyal to John, and proves time and time again that he would do anything for the man who took him in as a child and accepted him as one of his own. There are plenty of characters that filter in and out of Yellowstone, but Rip remains steady in his character and is extremely protective of not only the ones he loves but the people around him as well. Rip is authentic and, yes, definitely swoon-worthy, and is genuinely the most interesting character in the successful series.
The Fan Favorite
Throughout the successful run that Yellowstone has had so far, it’s obvious that Rip Wheeler is the fan favorite. Rip runs the ranch; there isn’t any other way to say it, but without him, the Duttons wouldn’t be nearly as successful as they are. Rip keeps watch of all the ranch hands, managing them and also appears to be John’s right-hand man and enforcer. He also looks out for other members of the ranch, such as Jimmy, taking the young man under his wing and constantly coming to his rescue.
The actor who plays Rip, Cole Hauser, admitted that he didn’t expect fans to love his character as much as they do, but he’s grateful for the appreciation all the same. In a great scene in season two, the viewers see how serious he is about his ranch hands when they get knocked around in a bar fight. Rip decides to take matters into his own hands and heads to the bar with a bull in tow, releasing it in the small building where all hell breaks loose. The patrons take off running but are met with Rip and a baseball bat, making them wish they had never messed with the Dutton ranch hands. Who doesn’t love a moody but selfless cowboy?
His Relationship with Beth
One of the best and most dysfunctional relationships presented in the series is that between Beth and Rip. They’ve known each other since they were kids, bonding over the trauma that went on when they were young, and when they became adults, they finally got to cross that threshold between friends and lovers. Rip, ever the gentleman, asks Beth to accompany him to a music festival, so the two can go on a proper date, but she heavily makes fun of him for even suggesting such an activity. So, Rip becomes creative and later invites her to drink in a car and watch a wolf tear apart an elk. Romantic, right?
Beth has gone through a lot, but through it all, Rip continues to show an unending love toward her and all that she carries. In season four, Carter is introduced, and many fans were thrilled at the thought of the three of them becoming a family, especially since Beth will never be able to have her own biological children. However, Rip still shows love to the boy as well as Beth, as they figure out what to do with him. He might not be the best father figure (his past is to blame), but they still have a nice family dinner that makes the audience swoon and feel all warm inside.
Being Chosen by John
John Dutton (Kevin Costner) adopted two boys when they were young: Rip and Jamie. The two have different roles in the Dutton family, but are both considered blood relatives to the head of the household. In season two, there’s an uncharacteristically soft moment between John and Beth regarding Rip and his roles on the ranch, as well as in the family. In the finale of season two, John gives Beth a letter that says he accepts Rip as a son and that he’s also gifting Rip a house on the ranch. Viewers are taken aback as they witness Rip cry and become emotional for the first and only time in the series.
From the very beginning of the series, it was made clear that Rip didn’t have a great childhood. He killed his father as a young boy and took that with him through adulthood, trying to fill that void of a father figure with John. It’s why he’s so dedicated to the Duttons and to the ranch, wanting that love and respect from his surrogate father, who ends up being his father-in-law at the end of season four.
A Hero in Cowboy Boots
