After violently dispatching with the Beck brothers in Yellowstone season 2, the opening episode of Yellowstone season 3 sees the Dutton family dealing with the fallout of rescuing Tate (Brecken Merrill) from his kidnappers.
As dawn breaks, a well-dressed John (Kevin Costner) tells Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Beth (Kelly Reilly) he'll be back before noon because it "doesn't take long to quit something," he then hands Jamie (Wes Bentley) his own set of nice clothes and they drive off the ranch together.
Meanwhile, Kayce and Rip (Cole Hauser) try to figure out what to do with their herd of cattle; the Duttons are made aware of a new threat already on their doorstep; and Jamie finally gets out of the bunkhouse. Read on to see exactly what happens in Yellowstone season 3 episode 1, "You're the Indian Now."
John quits
John and Jamie arrive for a meeting with Governor Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz), who is also joined by a federal official and the attorney general. They want an explanation for the attack against the Becks. Jamie says they had evidence the Becks killed their cattle using a private plane and that there had been a kidnapping, adding, "Livestock agents are bound by law to intervene in any active crime."
Perry agrees the Dutton family didn't technically commit a crime. However, the deaths of six people and the fact they were saving a family member from being kidnapped means the press are reporting it as a family feud rather than an act of law enforcement.
Seemingly no-one has a solution for how to stop the press reporting it as a gross misuse of power. Except for John. He is resigning as Livestock commissioner and accepts full responsibility for the agents' overreach. Everyone in attendance agrees this will help placate the public.
Perry says she won't forget John's resignation. John promises he won't let her, then asks for a week to name his replacement. Though he already has someone in mind.
Kayce isn't interested
When he arrives back at the ranch, John isn't even upset at having to quit, admitting to Beth he wasn't interested in the office. He just wanted control.
John wants to keep that control close, too. He tells Kayce he wants him to be the next Livestock commissioner, but Kayce isn't interested. He's not a politician. Instead he believes Beth or Jamie should do it, which would satisfy John's desire that a member of the family continue in the office.
After Kayce leaves, Beth surprisingly says Jamie should be the one to replace John. But John still can't trust Jamie. Beth disagrees, saying they can always trust Jamie to "be exactly what he is and do what's best for himself." She adds he'll use the office to become popular with the constituents, who are ranchers. And what's good for their ranches is good for the Duttons.
Ultimately, John tells Jamie, who was just beginning to fit in at the bunkhouse, to move back into the lodge and that's he's naming him the new Livestock commissioner. But only after John warns Jamie that if he betrays him again, Jamie's dead to him. Jamie gives John his word he won't, but John still looks unconvinced.
New neighbors
While deciding what to do with their herd of cattle, Kayce and Rip suddenly notice a group of businessmen on their property. They're the new owners of Paradise Valley Sporting Club, collectively known as the Providence Hospitality Management. Kayce and Rip dismiss the polite introduction of Ellis Steele (John Emmet Tracy), a lawyer for Market Equities who oversaw the purchase.
Beth is made aware Market Equities are in town through her boss Bob Schwartz (Michael Nouri). He's delighted Beth has bought up 17,000 acres of the nearby area, but warns her Market Equities just purchased Jenkins' land after his death. They know that Market Equities will have huge plans for expansion, way beyond golf courses and casinos. Schwartz tells Beth to keep buying land.
Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) also comes face to face with Steele after he receives a Cease and Desist letter from Market Equities to stop his own construction. But Steele won't discuss the issue directly with Rainwater, insisting they can only speak through lawyers.
Beth makes new friends
On her way back to the ranch, Beth stops by a liquor store to buy a bottle of whiskey. After spotting the bruises on the cashier's face, and still sporting her own marks after being brutally assaulted, Beth briefly describes how she stopped and killed the attacker, encouraging the cashier to do the same.
Once on the Dutton ranch, Beth spots someone fishing in their river. She gets out of the car and tells the man, Roarke Carter (Josh Holloway), that he's trespassing. Roarke insists he's not, explaining he only will be once he gets out of the water. The pair exchange some flirtation, with Roarke telling Beth his family owns the ranch five miles upstream. She then rebuffs his request for a date, before warning him to stay off their land.
Beth ends up at Rip's new house with a bottle of whiskey and they go inside to "christen" his abode.
Tate's trauma
Tate is still traumatized by his kidnapping and keeps having nightmares where he relives the ordeal. After Monica (Kelsey Asbille), who now fully understands how intense and historical the battle is for the Yellowstone, learns the ranchers are setting up a summer camp for the cattle she asks John if he can take Tate with them.
That night, as they sit by the campfire out in the wilderness, Tate tells John about his nightmares. John tells his grandson he will soon be able to change what he dreams about as he makes more memories. John admits even he has nightmares, to which Tate tells his grandfather that he still has time to change his, too.
Yellowstone season 3 episodes are on CBS Sundays in January and are available to stream on-demand anytime on Paramount Plus.
