Malcolm Sets the Stage for a Showdown With the Duttons on ‘Yellowstone’ (RECAP)

Meredith Jacobs August 21, 2019, 10:58 pm

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Yellowstone_S2_Ep9_1 — (Paramount Network)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 2, Episode 9 of Yellowstone, “Enemies by Monday.”]

Malcolm Beck (Neal McDonough) crosses a line in the penultimate episode of Yellowstone Season 2.

“You build something worth having, someone’s gonna try and take it,” John (Kevin Costner) tells Kayce (Luke Grimes), and he’s right — and not just about the ranch. There are, after all, more important things worth having, like family.

Speaking of family, Monica (Kelsey Asbille) calls on her sister-in-law Beth (Kelly Reilly) for help when she’s accused of shoplifting, simply because of the color of her skin. And Jamie (Wes Bentley) finds out something important about his future family that may cause him to rethink some things.

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But there’s also a tragic end to one person’s family: Jimmy’s (Jefferson White).

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It may have been hard to imagine that Malcolm would actually go after a child, but at the end of “Enemies by Monday,” Tate goes to feed his horse before having ice cream for dessert … and never comes back.

Everyone begins searching, through the night and into the next day, until John finds tracks. Someone drove onto the property — and drove away with Tate, leaving his boot behind.

(Paramount Network)

Too Good for This Place

Monica browses in a shop, but when she goes to leave, the saleswoman, Veronique, asks to look in her bag. When Monica tells her to get a warrant, she calls the police. It’s not her first rodeo with “you people,” she says, rudely. Monica then calls Beth as the police go through her bag.

Veronique refuses to believe Monica’s a teacher and tells the officers she saw her hide something up her shirt and down her pants. She even takes a ring from the display and drops it on the floor, showing the empty slot. The female officer insists she strip in the dressing room, arguing that if she were really innocent, she’d want to prove it. It’s awful.

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When Beth walks in, Veronique knows her and tells her they’re closed. That’s when Beth reveals she’s there for her sister-in-law and finds Monica only in her underwear in the dressing room. She takes a photo for proof, orders the officer out, and leaves Monica to get dressed. Beth also knows the officers there, and their defense that Monica’s last name isn’t Dutton is weak. They leave, but Beth stops Monica from following them out because she’ll miss the “fun.”

That “fun” is Beth smashing up the displays of the shop and humiliating Veronique like she’d done to Monica. Veronique’s in her underwear when Monica stops Beth. This doesn’t undo what she did to her. Monica knows Veronique knew she didn’t steal from her and judged her for her skin. Veronique admits she did and apologizes.

(Paramount Network)

Beth takes Monica to a bar (to watch her drink since Monica doesn’t). What follows is one of the best Dutton family scenes of the series. Beth understands why Kayce fought so hard for his wife. She has a kind soul, and some people, like Veronique, will hate her for it. The other woman wanted to hurt Monica because she’s younger, prettier, and better than her, but this experience will stick with her for the rest of her life.

Kayce isn’t like her, Beth continues. He has the potential to be like John, and Monica owes it to him and their son to do everything in her power to keep that from happening. When Monica leaves again, and Beth knows she will, she wants her to take Kayce with her, because they’re both too good for the family.

Monica tries to broach the subject with Kayce later when he comments their son gets more affection from John in one day than he and his siblings did their entire childhoods. “That’s not funny,” she tells him. “That’s something you should examine closely.”

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Getting Rid of a Problem Before It Gets Worse

Jimmy’s grandfather is found dead. He had a stroke after a blood vessel in his brain ruptured as a result of his recent assault. As soon as Jimmy finds out, he wants to make Blake and Ray pay and immediately grabs a rifle. Rip (Cole Hauser) stops him and offers to show him how to get rid of problems so they don’t become new ones.

Even with everything else going on, this is something they need to take care of as soon as possible, Rip then tells Kayce. When they, Jimmy, and Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) are heading out, Ryan (Ian Bohen) insists on going with them.

The five of them blow up Blake and Ray in their trailer, but not before Jimmy retrieves his prize belt buckle from inside.

(Paramount Network)

Congratulations?

Christina (Katherine Cunningham) meets with Jamie about Sarah’s death. She knows it wasn’t an accident. “I don’t know what it was,” he tells her. But Christina’s worried about what this could mean for her because she knows what Sarah did. He promises nothing will happen to her.

“Do you think you’re a good man, Jamie?” Christina asks. “I don’t know,” he admits. “I’m trying.” He’s going to have to try harder if he wants to be part of their child’s life. Yes, she’s pregnant.

“You have nine months to figure out what kind of man you are and to be a father worth having,” she says. He follows her to her car and tells her not to tell anyone the child is his yet because he doesn’t know how his father will react. She knows he has a choice to make: “Serve your father’s family or serve your own.”