The Dutton Ranch Spin-Off Finally Gives Beth & Rip The Ending Yellowstone Couldn’t
Rip and Beth are Two of the Most Important Characters in the Yellowstone Franchise
Beth was John and Evelyn’s only daughter, and she never managed to live up to her mother’s expectations. With an emotionally absent father and living under Kayce’s shadow, Beth was a lonely kid who suffered the heavy criticism of her mother. One day, while riding along the land, Evelyn was critical of her daughter’s fear of horses. The confrontation and Beth’s lack of riding skills led to an accident where Evelyn fell off her horse. Kayce offered to go looking for help, as he was faster, but Evelyn, blaming Beth for her injury, forced her to go. By the time help came, Evelyn was dead, and Beth blamed herself. This moment marked Beth’s personality, who developed an irrationally tough persona to try to right her mistake. Things got much worse when Jamie subjected her to an involuntary hysterectomy, pushing her to the hyper-independence she displays in the series and the untrustworthy personality she developed. This also explains why Beth needs so much approval from her father, the only parent figure who would give it to her.
Rip, on the other hand, suffered violence and neglect at the hands of his father. When Rip’s father brutally murdered Rip’s mother and little brother, he finally killed him. Rip ran away from the law and ended up taking refuge at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch under John’s care. However, far from a father figure, John offered Rip plenty of work and little opportunity to develop his life. Rip never went back to school and could never even leave the ranch, as he didn’t have any legal identification. John and the ranch were everything Rip had, and he would have died to protect them, going as far as becoming John’s muscle and personal assassin. Their unique trauma shaped both Beth and Rip, turning them into the abusive John’s greatest allies. It’s no wonder that the two found solace in each other, given that they were both lonely people who craved John’s approval. Their situation led to a twisted romance filled with drama, cruelty, and co-dependency. Yellowstone‘s finale made it look like Rip and Beth are the perfect couple, but it’s time for the Dutton Ranch spin-off to delve into these characters’ hurtful ways and to add realism to their relationship.
Yellowstone’s Ending Butchered Rip and Beth as Characters
There were many aspects of Yellowstone‘s finale the fandom didn’t like, but Rip and Beth’s development, both as individuals and as a couple, is at the top of the list. The last season of the series turns them into a perfect, idyllic couple, as if the two of them aren’t damaged, self-sabotaging, hurting people. Additionally, viewers were outraged at the show portraying this couple as heroes with a happy ending. Rip and Beth have both caused lots of hurt, with Rip especially having killed a lot of people. However, the last season of Yellowstone follows Rip and Beth as an indestructible couple. This overlooks their past struggles, which could have led to much-needed character development. Beth and Rip never redeem themselves. Both continue to be violent people who don’t strive to be better. In fact, they both kill Jamie in revenge for John’s assassination. It doesn’t matter that Jamie deserved it, if only because he killed an innocent reporter. However, Beth and Rip brutally killed him without even trying to get him into jail first. Essentially, they both believe they are above the law and often lack empathy for those outside their bubble. It’s hard to believe these people would manage to find peace when they are so attuned to conflict. It seems that the main issue between Beth and Rip was Beth’s inability to get pregnant. She apparently believes this makes her less of a woman because she could never give Rip a family. However, this is not a trauma that Beth tackles. Beth ignores the issue at hand and is grateful that Rip is at peace with them not having children. However, this was a problem for Beth for more than two decades, driving her to sabotage the relationship time and time again. It would only make sense that her insecurities would get the best of her, leading her to pick fights, use others to drive Rip away, and eventually, escape. The trauma is still there, considering that Beth very much rejects the idea of turning into Carter’s mother because she believes children are blood-related, and the fact that she still has so much hatred for Jamie. This is not a person who has learned to find family in other children, forgiven the people who got her there, nor grown up in any sense. One day, she woke up and decided she wanted to be with Rip unconditionally. He accepted this, as if he had no scars from Beth’s instability and his own upbringing. The series ignored the characters’ background, which it had spent considerable effort developing, without making any changes or addressing conflicts that would support the outcome. Rip, as well, hasn’t healed from his own past. He believes Carter deserves tough love, discipline, and the minimum of affection and respect, which is precisely what he received as a kid. A man who has worked on himself and healed from trauma and abuse would treat Carter differently, giving him the opportunities he didn’t have. Repeating cycles of abuse means Rip is a ticking time bomb. It’s inconsistent for Rip to be so ignorant, violent, and to harbor such self-hatred, but he can be a loving and respectful husband.
Yellowstone’s Finale Made No Sense & Dutton Ranch Could Fix It
On top of Rip and Beth becoming all lovey-dovey and riding away into the sunset, several inconsistencies in Yellowstone‘s last season get on people’s nerves. The first and most important one is the fact that Rip and Beth got away with Jamie’s murder without even a police investigation. As Montana State Attorney General, Jamie was a high-profile political figure. Additionally, his father, the Governor, was recently found dead, and his girlfriend was assassinated in the street. The police don’t simply ignore so many suspicious events revolving around a known family. It’s hard to believe they would assume Jamie ran away and didn’t even search the house for blood or DNA or any sign of a bigger conflict. This makes Beth and Rip’s corny happy ending even worse because it feels gratuitous. Another aspect of the series that Taylor Sheridan overly simplified was the handling of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. People can’t simply sell land that has been in conflict for decades, which is under government and several macro companies’ scrutiny, and then move on. Such paperwork would take years at the least, and most likely, the people on the Reservation would eventually lose the land through government orders. Even John Dutton, a white man with means, was on the verge of losing it several times. The Dutton Ranch spin-off needs to dig deeper and give an ending that makes sense, taking into account the high stakes the series built during five seasons. The show makes it almost impossible to keep a ranch, create psychologically complex and twisted people, build plot after plot of bureaucratic shenanigans, mafia ordeals, and unending violent conflicts, and then solve it with a couple of signatures and a happy ever after. Hopefully, Dutton Ranch will address these issues, not create more unnecessary conflicts that make the show impossible to end satisfactorily, and finally give the audience a satisfying ending that takes into account all the storylines already built.
