'Yellowstone' Season 3 Episode 3 Review: John Dutton wishes to leave the worries for another day
Spoilers for 'Yellowstone' Season 3 Episode 3 'An Acceptable Surrender'
"Ranching is a terrible business, grandson," John Dutton (Kevin Costner) tells his only grandson Tate (Brecken Merrill) in the beginning of Episode 3 'An Acceptable Surrender'. Decades of protecting the Yellowstone ranch has lacerated its marks on the patriarch of the Dutton family. It is not an easy business or a laid-back life. There are federal, state and county regulations, people in the city are always complaining about their farming and rearing methods, there is rarely any winning.
So if ranching is so hard, why do we do it, inquires the grandson. "Because it is one hell of a life, Tate," John puts it.
John indeed has lived one hell of a life. Protecting the seven-generation ranch all his life and fighting all odds to keep the land within the family has led to more bloodshed than he would have probably liked. But the devil never sleeps and danger is always looking around the horizon.
In Episode 3, this danger seems to inch closer to the Yellowstone.
Josh Holloway's Roarke Morris is sending an army to take control of Yellowstone. Ellis Steele (John Emmet Tracy) is the lawyer representing Market Equities, a new company that is a part of Providence Hospitality Management. The massive corporation now owns the nearby Paradise Valley Sporting Club and has purchased the now-dead Dan Jenkins' (Danny Huston) property. In Episode 3, Ellis approaches Governor Perry (Wendy Moniz-Grillo) with their plans for the airport, the resort and the land nearby. The sanctioned land is exactly John's land. With the possibility of her leaving, how does she help John?
Beth's business partner Bob Schwartz (Michael Nouri) had warned her of the threat this company and their plans will pose to the Dutton land. When she meets Roarke, by the river again, he warns her of the army he'll be sending their way. "Can your family fight the army?" he blatantly asks Beth, who has sworn to do so.
Elsewhere, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) does damage control for the massive mess from the previous episode. Livestock Agent Steve Hendon (Jordan) took matters too far when he accidentally killed two men. Jamie handles this rather expertly, might we add, and the problem seems to have taken care of. But as is customary in his case, it might come back to bite him. If not officially, we can only imagine what John will have to say for this.
It should also be noted that Jamie has lost his conscience. Now granted a brand new chance by John, he doesn't want to ruin things for the worse and tries his best to keep the situation afloat. But for how long?
When John refuses to meet Governor Perry and chooses to go to the rodeo instead, she goes to meet him. John, however, doesn't want to talk about troubles and/ or worries today - leave them for tomorrow, he says - he just wants to be at the rodeo with his family.
Perry agrees and offers the solution, promising him to tell him the problem the next day. Jamie is to be appointed as the interim Attorney General and he appoints a person of John's choosing to run the livestock commission. But John doesn't have anyone to replace Jamie with. Kayce (Luke Grimes) has already refused to do so. Perry offers to discuss with Kayce herself.
This delicate scene between John and Governor Perry highlights John's need to retire. The upside of forced retirement has shown John just how much he missed spending time with Tate and his family. And now when he has it, there are more vultures awaiting his land than before. But he must be made aware of what lies ahead.
The episode ends with a lovestruck Jimmy (Jefferson White) gravely injuring himself when bucking a loose horse at the rodeo.
Looks like peace can't nest at Yellowstone for long.
'Yellowstone' airs on Mondays at 9 pm ET/ PT on Paramount Network.
