'Yellowstone' season 2 finale 'Sins of the Father' review: The Duttons reclaim everything they have lost and set the stage for new beginnings
Major spoilers for the season 2 finale of 'Yellowstone' titled 'Sins of the Father'
When we left off week, the Duttons were looking for Tate (Brecken Merrill), who at that time was presumably kidnapped by the Beck brothers. In an attack that was meant to immobilize the Duttons — as Teal Beck (Terry Serpico) later points out to Kayce (Luke Grimes) that "no one ever fights back" — the Becks took what John Dutton (Kevin Costner) held dearest, his grandson Tate. However, in the finale of season two, the Dutton family fights back, and brutally so.
'Sins of the Father' opens with John Dutton caring for his aging 90-year-old father, played by Dabney Coleman. In a heartwarming scene, the father-son duo rides to a quiet place in the mountains and reminisces about life, love, memories, and family — they have lost so much already, and if the story continues the same way, they must protect. "Don't let him take it away from you, son. Not an inch," he desperately tells John.
Cut to the present where John is gearing up for the fight to get back Tate. "My whole life is a long series of losing things I love. We're not gonna lose this one," he tells Rip (Cole Hauser).
In another part, the Becks are closing in on John and his allies. Two hitmen, presumably working for the Beck brothers, enter Dan Jenkins' (Danny Huston) house and shoot him dead. His absence will definitely be felt in season three. A series regular in season one, Jenkins' character took an unpleasant turn in season two when he joined hands with John and Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) to bring down the Becks.
Once John is notified of Jenkins' murder, he goes in faster than ever. He teams up with Sheriff Donnie (Hugh Dillon) and gets him to ease off the security around the Becks. Even so, they are careful not to let the murders lead back to them. As Donnie suggests, "You gonna do this John, you gotta do it right. You gotta make it about cattle. And get a warrant." And so Kayce goes to the Beck ranch to take care of the first order of business, Teal Beck.
Teal is killed by Kayce on the toilet — shot dead, but not before he reveals information on where Tate is. Teal tells him Tate is being held with someone in Montana and begs to be not killed — at least not on the toilet. But Kayce has given his word to Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and "a man always keeps his word".
With one Beck brother down, the Duttons must now take care of Malcolm (Neal McDonough) and find Tate.
In the dark of the night. the ranch boys join Rip, Kayce and John to head to where Tate is being held. After teasing the audience in an unfortunate scene, Kayce finally finds Tate alive!
When the news reaches John, he tells it to an emotionally distraught Monica, who hugs her father-in-law, in what is presumably the first time ever. We had assumed that Tate's disappearance might persuade Monica to stray off the Yellowstone ranch and the Duttons, but it has, instead, brought their family closer than ever.
Speaking of the family getting closer, John finally gave Rip what he deserved, and everything. All Rip has ever wanted was to be seen by John, as his own son. And in the finale of season two, John calls him his own. In an emotional scene that got us teary-eyed (because we have been rooting for this since season one), Rip is overtaken by emotions as his dedication, loyalty, and love for John has paid off.
The finale also blesses us with another Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip moment. Will these two get married already? In fact, we were expecting a proposal against the picturesque marvel of Montana. Since we didn't get that, we expect their love to blossom further in season three.
Season two finale 'Sins of the Father' was a contrast to how the rest of the season was painted. More emotional than angsty, the episode had a surreal ending with most of the characters cleared off. This sets the stage for a fresh beginning. In a clip released by the network, the Duttons take time to heal from what season two brought their way. They take time to find their peace and love and begin anew.
While release dates are not out yet, season three will be out in 2020. 'Yellowstone' airs on Wednesdays at 10 pm PT/ET on Paramount Network.
