Buckle up, Yellowstone fans, because we’re in for a wild journey. In “Keep the Wolves Close,” the Duttons make physical and political movements. Taylor Sheridan, co-creator of the show, is both writer and director for this episode, so fans knew it would be significant. Garrett bribed Christina to help Jamie run for governor on Sunday… Lynelle was telling John about her forthcoming Senate run, and how she’d be sponsoring his adopted son for the post.
Jimmy (Jefferson White) is hard at work on the 6666 Ranch. At the Yellowstone Ranch, Carter is warned by John (Kevin Costner) that he must make amends with Beth. She is, after all, the reason he has a roof over his head and food in his stomach.
Monica (Kelsey Asbille) becomes concerned when she is unable to locate Tate. When she sees her son and his father walking around outside, she relaxes. The spotted deer tracks of their new furry family member, and Kayce (Luke Grimes) teaches Tate (Brecken Merrill) how to read the deer’s motions.
Yellowstone Season 4 Episode 8 Release Date
Kayce has opted to deploy their dog in the search for the missing horses. Monica is still envious of Kayce’s work for “Miss Pouty Lips,” but Kayce reminds her that he is employed by the State of Montana, not Avery. He digs himself a hole by declaring that he will only work for unattractive women from now on, and Monica picks up on the fact that he thinks Avery is attractive.
Tate has decided that naming the dog “Dog” is a pain in the neck. Kayce is chastised by his mother, but she grants him mercy by changing the conversation to the dog’s name. After Monica leaves, Tate reminds his father that he owes him a favor.
Carter gives flowers to Beth (Kelly Reilly), who accuses him of being one of those men who use gifts to express regret. She informs the youngster she doesn’t want his flowers, and Carter is about to walk away disappointed when he reconsiders. He requests a ride into town and tells that he has decided to put himself in foster care. Carter is done because he doesn’t want to plough barns and doesn’t have any pals at Yellowstone. When Beth asks him what he wants to accomplish with his life, he gets emotional. “I haven’t had any dreams,” Carter admits. “I’m too preoccupied with figuring out what I’m going to eat and where I’m going to sleep to think about anything else.”
@Yellowstone #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/hGHdFgJrCr
— Finn Little (@FinnLittleActor) December 13, 2021
Beth sets the rules, informing Carter that he must do exactly what she says, when she says it. He can’t lie, and if he doesn’t understand something, he must ask questions. Carter claims he can make and keep that commitment. Carter asks his first question after shaking it. After should he send flowers to a woman if he doesn’t give them when he apologizes? “You give them for no reason,” Beth responds. “There’s no rhyme or reason.”
On the Four Sixes ranch, the wranglers and Jimmy (podcaster Jefferson White) are working for the herd. Dr. Emily (Kathryn Kelly) summons Jimmy to gather sperm from a passionate stud. Emily then asks Jimmy out “You’re one of six unmarried guys under 30 in this county. I date two of them and the other three are worthless, so I made my move.”
He is escorted back to the main buildings and given a sleeve to wear over a horse’s penis. He tries unsuccessfully to keep the enormous appendage in place before realizing what he’s doing. Needless to say, he’s taken aback by the fact that his new profession involves masturbating stallions.
Garrett’s big Plan
While Jamie (Wes Bentley) spends time with his baby kid, his previous girlfriend Christina (Katherine Cunningham) chats with his biological father Garrett (Will Patton) at Jamie’s new apartment. Garrett believes Jamie would be a good father, but Christina is sceptical, given that he was raised by John Dutton. Garrett feels Jamie learned how to not be a father from John, but that he may change. Garrett shares a piece of his plan, implying that Jamie would make an excellent governor.
Beth makes her first appearance at Market Equities and is unimpressed with the way her corner office has been arranged. She tells her assistant, Cal, that not only will she design it herself, but that he should probably quit sleeping with the receptionist and look for a new job as well. “I’m 0 for 3 with aides,” Beth admits. “Working for me turns out to be quite f**king risky.” Cal is at a loss for words, and Beth makes it clear that he is dismissed.
Not a great first day on the job. #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/bUclPLrZAL
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) December 13, 2021
Beth makes an appearance at a design meeting hosted by Ellis Steele, where a map depicting all of the construction phases is exhibited. Much of what is shown on the map isn’t in Market Equities’ portfolio, so Beth requests an ownership map of the proposed structures. She is told that who owns individual properties is unimportant, but she counters that if the first stage is to construct roads and sewers for all stages of development, then ownership is crucial.
Beth can’t hide her surprise at witnessing the neighborhood where her family has lived for decades transformed into a 52-gate airport and a resort town to match Park City. The area’s model depicts a development that stretches kilometers beyond what was originally envisioned, with dozens of high-rise buildings dotting the landscape. This is the first test of Beth’s allegiance, according to Ellis.
Back at Yellowstone, the cowboys are sifting through the cattle, and Rip (Cole Hauser) tells John that he’ll let Walker and Lloyd rest for the day. Walker (Ryan Bingham) waits for the right opportunity to emerge from the barn and get to work. He appears stiff, but Rip dispatches him to assist the men in sorting heifers.
Teeter (Jen Landon) hasn’t left yet and wants a speak with John, so John has told Rip to dismiss all the women. Teeter makes her case while John, who acknowledges he doesn’t understand a word she says, travels over with Rip. She was always the first to arrive, never a problem, and always the last to leave. Rip verifies that no one works harder than she does, but Teeter doesn’t lie when John asks if she ever got together with anyone in the bunkhouse, but she does state she was never told she couldn’t.
We're here for Teeter fighting for her job. #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/6THSe3Jwiz
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) December 13, 2021
Teeter shows John her Yellowstone tattoo on her chest and asks if Yellowstone for life is all a hoax. John is prepared to discard her. John sends her away for a moment and inquires of Rip about Teeter’s tattoo. Rip says that it happened after they “took care of that creature in the forest,” and John is surprised to learn that everyone involved now wears the ranch’s logo.
Rip claims it happened the night before the attack and grudgingly admits Kayce is aware of the new brands. Although John does not specifically state that Teeter has been rehired, Rip understands that this is a given as John rides away.
When Teeter tells Rip to return her belongings to the bunkhouse, he offers her an awkward hug. She’s relieved and overtaken with emotion, and Rip assures her that the brand does have value. (Rip never wanted to fire her, but as usual, he obeyed John’s commands without question.)
When Governor Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz-Grillo) arrives unexpectedly, John expects terrible news when she asks him to accompany her on a walk. She declares her candidacy for the Senate because she believes she can make a difference there. When Lynelle suggests Jamie as a possible gubernatorial candidate, John reacts quickly and negatively. He thinks Jamie has too much authority, but Lynelle claims he’s the only one who cares for Montana in the same way they do. He’s the devil they’ve heard of.
Lynelle jokes that she’d support John if he ran for the job, and she’s taken aback when he accepts her support. John honestly believes Jamie would be a disaster, and if he’s the only choice, he’ll run for governor to prevent Jamie from gaining such power.
Jamie would destroy everything, John believes, and Lynelle tells him that the press will be all over him. John professes to be fine with it and refuses to defend his previous acts. As a campaign slogan, he proposes “Damn right I did it.”
Summer (Piper Perabo) is spotted among the protesters outside the J. R. Hall Master Furrier store. She resolves to enlist Summer’s support in combating Market Equities without informing Summer of her plans. Summer isn’t making a difference, Beth tells her, because 15 people yelling in front of a store isn’t going to change anyone’s opinion.
“This store is the problem’s caboose.” The problem’s engine is completely unaware of your existence. Sweetheart, this isn’t going to help the environment. “All this is doing is raising your ego with very little effort,” Beth explains. She goes on to say that Summer will pass, but the globe will continue to be raped.
Summer falls into Beth’s trap by inquiring about Beth’s knowledge of environmental protection. Beth responds by describing a massive ski resort and an international airport just 15 miles outside of a national park. Condos and commercial malls will devastate North America’s most delicate ecology. Summer, once again, responds just as Beth had planned when Beth adds a few snide comments about Summer’s throng of demonstrators. While assuring Summer that a protest against the airport or other developments will entail effort, strategy, sacrifice, and risk, Beth reveals she didn’t make it up.
Beth explains that it’s all about how much money individuals can make, and no one cares about the animals slaughtered in the process.
Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) and Kayce are following Kayce’s dog as he picks up the horses’ scent and tracks them down. When Kayce states they’ve been calling the dog “Dog” all along, Mo responds that he does the same with his but in Lakota. Kayce likes the idea and asks if he can use it, settling on the name “Sunka” over “Dog.” When Kayce calls Sunka’s name, the dog comes to a halt and stares in his direction. Sunka, to be precise.
Sunka fits him perfectly! #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/25JcsaG14C
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) December 13, 2021
Sunka leads them to a pen in the middle of nowhere marked as a Mustang Control Facility administered by the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. The officer monitoring the pen is introduced to Kayce and Mo, who explains that the horses belong to the Confederated Tribes of Broken Rock. Although the police maintain they are wild mustangs, Kayce points out that wild mustangs do not wear shoes or wear brands.
The officer admits there was a blunder and that they were set to be auctioned off. Mo shows the official paperwork that the horses are tribal property, and the officer says they can have them if they get them out by Friday. Because the region is inaccessible to trucks, it will be challenging.
The job for the day is done, but Carter isn’t. While Carter listens to Rip teach him how to tie knots properly, Beth rests on the couch with a beer. Rip summons her to the big mansion and instructs her to drive. He doesn’t want a bear to eat her, and he laughs when she reminds him that a bear knows better than to mess with her.
Our money's on Beth in a Beth/bear showdown. #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/T0h3TIXLQW
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) December 13, 2021
John admits to being lonely and explains that his great-grandfather built this mansion to keep his family together. He also admits that he wants Rip and Beth to move in with him, and Beth tells him that he’ll have to ask Rip himself. Beth refuses to ask Rip, which John would prefer. If this is what John wants, he should ask Rip instead of telling him.
When Beth is about to leave, John tells her that he’s running for governor, albeit reluctantly, to keep Jamie out of the post. Beth snatches him up in a strong hug, relieved that they’ll be in charge of the story now. She goes into full campaign mode, telling her father to begin undoing what Jamie has accomplished. When John asks her to help him find a way out of the situation, she promptly shuts down. For the next four years, he does not want to leave the ranch.
Beth assures him that the ranch would still be there and that as governor, he’ll be able to shut down the airport and revoke state land grants. She goes over everything he’ll be able to do if he wins and emphasizes that this is the only way to save the ranch without selling it. John acknowledges that what she said is correct, and Beth agrees to assist him with the campaign.
While everyone is watching TV, Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) returns to the bunkhouse. Teeter is still taunting Colby, and Laramie is still with Walker, but as Lloyd enters, they all stand and pay attention to him. Lloyd pawned his one-of-a-kind belt buckle to replace Walker’s guitar earlier in the episode, and Walker is impressed with his new instrument. Lloyd smiles with relief because it’s better than his old one. (How come Laramie didn’t go when Rip urged her to pack her belongings?)
Walker inquires as to what Lloyd would want to hear, but Lloyd is unconcerned — all he wants is for Walker to play a song. As Walker dedicates “The Poet” to Lloyd, the bunkhouse falls silent.
🎵 "The Poet" by @RyanBingham. #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/SfUr8cXsJF
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) December 13, 2021
The next day, John is having trouble deciding how to approach Rip about moving up to the lodge. “The lodge is where family belongs,” he blurts out, then realizes he hasn’t asked a question. Rip recognizes John’s question and informs him that they have the wandering kid. That’s fine with John, but stray dogs aren’t, and Rip claims to dislike dogs.
Mo and Kayce assemble a group of men and begin the task of herding the stolen horses. The horses bolt as soon as the corral door is opened, and the men struggle to keep up. Fortunately, they’re on the correct track, and the men will be able to return them home. Kayce proposes Avery (Tanaya Beatty) get some trail cameras in case something happens again, and the family cheers.
Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) thanks Kayce and explains that, while being a minor triumph, it was significant. Thomas grins to himself as he urges Kayce to be wary of Avery. Avery seizes an opportunity to speak with Kayce alone and inquires if he believes in love at first sight. He claims he felt the same way for Monica. Avery admits that’s how she felt about him, but Kayce is convinced it’s not love. Kayce replies, “God wouldn’t allow you to love something that can’t love you back.”
Governor Perry holds a press conference at the end of season four episode seven, and Jamie misunderstands that she is about to endorse him for governor while she runs for the Senate. Jamie is perplexed to see John and Beth, but she is absolutely taken aback when Perry reveals her support for John Dutton’s governorship campaign.
Jamie pauses on the stairwell to absorb what just happened as John steps in front of the reporters. “This is just the beginning,” Beth says to Jamie as John informs the packed journalists that a war is being launched against their way of life.
John explains that he will defend Montana and its territory. “If they obtain it, our land will never look the same again.”
Then, John’s speech starts. “There is a war being waged against our way of life. That is progress in today’s world. If it’s progress you want, then don’t vote for me,” he tells Montanans. “I am the opposite of progress. I am the wall it bashes against. And I will not be the one who breaks.” John proclaims.
