The following contains spoilers for Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 4 "Horses in Heaven," which aired Sunday, Nov. 27 on Paramount Network.
In jail for aggravated assault after starting a bar fight in the previous episode, Beth Dutton bonds with a woman wronged by the police officer who arrested her. Jamie Dutton comes to visit Beth but tells her she has no options and can only hope that the woman she beat doesn't press charges. While reminding him that she knows what Jamie did to his own father, Beth orders him to prevent the other woman from pressing formal charges and keeping her in jail.
John Dutton puts off yet another government meeting, refusing to join the educators' luncheon. He claims it's because no actual educators will be there since it's held in the middle of a school day, but it seems like he's fishing for an excuse to skip the meeting. He walks past a policy meeting being held without him and insists on joining that, belittling the people for playing politics the way they're used to instead of just walking into his office. John gets angry about their plans to invest in solar energy and fires everyone.
In an emergency meeting with US Fish & Wildlife, John learns that they suspect his cowboys of murdering wolves based on the data from their electronic collars. John calls Rip Wheeler on speakerphone and Rip insists there were no wolves on the Yellowstone ranch, but the agents don't buy it. They warn John that the agencies who paid for the collars are going to suspect exactly what they do -- that John's cowboys shot the wolves. After that dire warning, John gets a call from Jamie to learn about Beth's predicament. He calls former Governor, now Senator, Lynelle Perry for help.
Jamie meets with the woman that Beth beat up in the bar and convinces her not to press charges in a severe case of victim blaming. The sheriff blithely comments on how he'll have less paperwork now. Meanwhile, Monica finally gets the funeral she wants for her son. As her family digs into the Yellowstone's soil, Rip and the ranch hands run across them. When they decide to bury the horse that Carter injured and Rip killed alongside the boy, the cowboys lend a hand.
At lunch with Lynelle, John complains about the job and the landmines he and his family have stepped on. Lynelle tells him that he has the authority to pardon someone if it comes to that. She also encourages him to get an environmental advisor because dealing with wolves and bison nearly destroyed her career, and tells him that it can't just be one of his cowboy buddies. John sulks, clearly in over his head in his new political role.
Beth is released from jail after being charged with disorderly conduct. Despite what Jamie did for her, she's mad and she demands a ride home from him. It's the first time in a while that Beth has seemed not in control, especially in her relationship with her brother. Once in his car, Beth notices the baby seat and finally learns that Jamie has a secret son. She breaks down over the fact that her brother, who took her to the clinic to have her uterus removed, would have a kid. She beats Jamie up while he's driving and walks away when he finally pulls over, threatening that she's going to take the child away from him. Jamie gets back in the car and floors it at Beth, who steps out of the way in time.
Beth accepts a ride from a stranger after reflecting on the unfair way that jails set up released prisoners for failure -- an oddly compassionate note from a family not known for such expressions, especially from a woman who actually did have the means to land back on her feet. John returns to the Yellowstone and witnesses the funeral ceremony for Monica and Kayce's son. He joins Beth, who watches from a distance as Monica offers up the hair she cut off. While the ceremony continues, John lectures Beth on impulse control. Beth tries to leave, saying that the family doesn't want them there, but John says that they need to know the Duttons care enough to stay. Beth tells her dad to burn her when she's dead and skip the funeral, then exits anyway.
Chief Rainwater approaches John after the ceremony, telling him to comfort Monica, Kayce and Tate. He also tells John that the two need to talk about canceling the airport and how unhappy people are on the reservation. John agrees to meet on the reservation to talk about what happened, then goes to console Monica. He reveals to her that he had a brother who died shortly after being born, but that even though his life was short, it was perfect. All he knew of life was his mother's love -- just like her child. Through tears, Monica thanks him. John then thanks Kayce for naming the child after him and hands back Kayce's Livestock Commissioner badge. John tells him to keep getting a paycheck but that he'll find someone to replace his son.
John and Rip sit down on the porch to talk. John promises he'll be back at the ranch for branding next week, but it seems clear that John had forgotten about it and that Rip is surprised it could slip his mind. Rip also comes clean about the ranch hands shooting the wolves. The cowboys go help out a branding effort on a nearby ranch -- the first true cowboying scene of the episode, complete with plenty of lassoing. At the afterparty of food and bonfires and games for the kids, Rip and the neighbor have an ironic conversation about how glad they are that the world hasn't found out about the beauty of their land and how sad they are about the world they're leaving the next generation.
Returning guest Piper Perabo makes a reappearance when environmentalist Summer Higgins is released from prison. John's there to meet her; it turns out he's the one who got her released by putting Lynelle's pardoning advice into action. Summer insists that their relationship won't be sexual but agrees to stay with John at the ranch and seemingly serve as his environmental advisor.
Jamie meets with Market Equities' Sarah for dinner. Over wine, she talks about wanting to find a way to work together but comes off as vaguely threatening. The two abandon dinner and go to the bar for liquor, and their discussion quickly turns personal. When they leave to find a private place to be irresponsible, it turns out Beth's been watching the pair the whole time. While they have sex in a shower upstairs, Beth snoops through Sarah's purse and photographs her ID. Later, Beth tries to find out about her online and learns that "Sarah" isn't her real name. While she's searching, she also finds Summer in the house... half-naked and clearly not following through on keeping her relationship with John strictly business.
Yellowstone continues with new episodes Sundays at 8:00 p.m. on Paramount Network.