On “Yellowstone,” there is perhaps no threat bigger than the mercurial daughter of John Dutton (Kevin Costner). Arguably the most trusted of the Dutton offspring, Beth (Kelly Reilly) schemes not only against her family’s enemies but sometimes even against her brothers. Ever-changeable, there is no predicting what Beth will do next — least of all by her chosen partner. For most of the series, Beth and her father’s go-to enforcer, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), are engaged in a tumultuous dance. Though Rip and Beth have been in love with each other since they were teenagers, things never seem to work out between them until in Season 4, when they officially get hitched.
After an untraditional engagement where Beth presents Rip with a ring, she spontaneously decides to get married in the season finale. There is only one way to pull off this wedding, and that is the Beth Dutton way. She kidnaps a priest (Jim True-Frost) — despite not being Catholic — and orders him to fulfill the ceremony. With only Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) and John in attendance, the ceremony is short and sweet, with very little paperwork because of Rip’s troubles with the law. Beth doesn’t care about a fancy wedding and being contractually obligated to be with the person. She just wants the wedding and to spend the rest of her life with Rip. But as is usually the case with the Duttons, that isn’t the end of the story. There are still more obstacles to hurdle for this cattle-ranching couple.
Beth has a lot to make up for
Just because a couple gets a storybook ending doesn’t mean it will be smooth sailing. Especially on the Dutton estate. Blackmail, murder, and coverups are day-to-day occurrences, and that isn’t even counting the crimes committed in the past. There was barely a time when Beth wasn’t so unequivocally … well, Beth. Even as a teenager, she had some of her worst moments. She always knew what she wanted, and it came at a cost. Though being head over heels for her father’s farmhand, even back then, she was an expert in self-sabotage.
She played Rip hot and cold and, on one occurrence, kissed other cowboys in front of him to make him jealous. Rip was less than deserving of this treatment, and Beth carried that guilt for decades. In Season 5, she acknowledges her past mistakes and admits that playing games like that took time away from each other. She was going through trials of her own following the worst thing Jamie (Wes Bentley) ever did to Beth, but that was no excuse for treating the love of her life that way. Beth tearfully apologizes to Rip, wanting to start fresh. Rip naturally doesn’t need such an admission, but Beth’s trauma and how she was raised are sure to always make this couple interesting for the foreseeable future.
