‘Yellowstone’: Major Character Returns to the Ranch Amid New Threats

The surviving members of the Dutton family are finally back on the same side. Jamie Dutton returned to the ranch for a meal with the family after officially backing out of the race for attorney general on the latest episode of Yellowstone.

“The Reek of Desperation” followed as Jamie (Wes Bentley) lived through the aftermath of his father, John (Kevin Costner) and sister Beth (Kelly Reilly) funding his opponent’s campaign in the race, and having to choose between his ambitions and his loyalty to his family once again.

While he was still Governor Lynelle Perry’s (Wendy Moniz) pick for the job, her solution for the financing issue was for Jamie to align himself with Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), a known nemesis to the Dutton Ranch. Jamie said he had to think about it before making any sort of decision, while the people around him pushed to teaming up with his father’s enemies.

Meanwhile, tensions continued to rise at the Dutton Ranch, as Beth continued to push Rip (Cole Hauser) to defy her father’s orders and not support Kayce (Luke Grimes) as the head of the workers. Rip, however, appeared steadfast on honoring the billionaire’s wishes to see his son in control.

Kayce struggled with being separated from his wife, Monica (Kelsea Absille) and son Tate (Brecken Merrill) after seeing them move into a nice home provided by her new teaching job at the university. Despite his hopes of getting back together, Monica kept him at arms length during his visit.

All hope is not lost on them rekindling their love, however, as she shut down her physical therapist’s attempts at flirting with her during their session later in the episode.

As Jamie continued to wrestle with his choice, the episode gave fans a first look at the dangerous Beck brothers. After news of a new casino being built close to the national park appeared in the papers, the series introduced viewers to this season’s big bad Malcolm Beck (Neal McDonough).

He and his brother paid Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) a visit and threatened him with sabotage if he didn’t back out of a deal with the reservation in favor of a new partnership with them. After he refused, they revealed they control the state’s liquor board and they would make it impossible for him to work in the business. Malcolm also said he had never met John Dutton because they both stayed in the lane, which is the key to both of them surviving in Montana together.

After Beth and Jamie had an unpleasant reunion at her office, he returned to his apartment and told his girlfriend he was thinking about backing out of the race. She did not take the news well and kicked him out, saying she is not interested in a relationship with him if he doesn’t pursue the opportunity.

Jamie returns to the ranch in the middle of a family meal, making Beth laugh in satisfaction that her brother gave up so easily. John welcomed his son back to his table and walked away from the table, taking the last moment of the episode to ask his late wife Evelyn why she had to leave him alone.

How will Malcolm Beck threaten the ranch? What will Jamie do next? Yellowstone airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.