One of the biggest draws of Paramount’s number one series, Yellowstone, is the romantic relationship between Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler. Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser play lovers, friends, and confidants with so much passion and authenticity that you almost forget that Rip and Beth are just characters in a series.
It almost feels like we’re getting some sneak peek into the life of this larger-than-life couple who provide one another with a safe place to land after a hard day, comfort after a tough time, and steadfast love despite any challenges they might face. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows, it’s usually far from it, but they’ve created magic that exists between them so passionately that it keeps them warm.
The most recent episode of Yellowstone shines a light on that very idea. Beth joins Rip on the big spring gathering, where they’ll gather cattle and bring them back to the ranch for branding. It can be a grueling experience, but she wants to be part of the action. As they all start the trip, her father is trying to share a sweet moment with his daughter and son-in-law, but Beth’s not having it. She tells them that stopping to smell the roses isn’t on her to-do list for the day.
Once John Dutton rides away, Rip tells Beth she’s got one hell of a mean streak, and she responds by telling him it’s a woman’s job to give a man perspective. Plus, she doesn’t think the view from up there is too beautiful anyway; it’s too much for her. She wants something simple, a meadow with a lake or a stream, somewhere no one else knows.
“I don’t like to share the things I find beautiful, know what I mean?” Rip tells her that he does; whenever he looks at Beth, he understands.
A bit later, we see our favorite couple again, and this time, Rip has brought Beth somewhere special; it’s a spot he found for the two of them, somewhere they’ve created no memories yet. She giggles as Rip says this is originally the place he wanted them to be married, but fans know that she rushed the wedding at the end of season four as she thought she was headed to prison.
Rip smiles, looking at her knowingly. He understands Beth and her antics; he’s known them for as long as he can remember, respecting and loving her through them. He then pulls out a special treat for the two of them to share; a flask. Beth is so grateful by the moment that she’s got tears in her eyes as she looks around, ready to make a memory neither of them will forget.
Life hasn’t been incredibly kind to either of them, but they find a way to make sense of the madness, and we’re all just along for the ride. Here’s to Rip and Beth, their love story of epic proportions, and the stolen moments of vulnerability they share.
