Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 8 Review: A Knife and No Coin

It feels like the Dutton Family is at the point of no return on Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 8, “A Knife and No Coin.”

The episode begins with another flashback of young Rip, with John helping him dispose of the cowboy he killed at the infamous “train station” — a place that becomes even more important toward the end of the episode. 

This is also when John puts it together that Rip and Beth are involved. It would all be sweet and endearing if it wasn’t so damn dark. John is willing to help Rip, but with that comes a permanent mark of loyalty — a branding.

It’s one of the more twisted elements of this series, though it’s one that many of the cowboys take with pride. That brand means they have a home for life, and John Dutton does have a pretty compelling explanation for why the ritual is to take place.

While I think Yellowstone pushes a limit of relying on flashbacks a little too often, this one feels necessary to the story for a few reasons.

First, it further explains the loyalty Rip has to John, and right now, that includes his duty of moving cattle down to Texas and being away for an unknown length of time. Beth does have plans to join him, but I worry those plans aren’t going to work out, what with Jamie doing Jamie-type things once again.

He actually goes through with calling for an impeachment trial, and he’s convincing enough to get the votes he needs. Considering what Beth has on him, it seems like a pretty stupid move, until you realize he’s a few steps ahead of her.

It turns out Beth has no idea about the “train station” and that Jamie picked that exact spot to dump a body for a reason. The photos Beth has on Jamie would do more than hurt Jamie — they’d reveal years of enemies that had been dumped off at that same spot.

So Beth never really had much on him after all.

Beth then has that all confirmed by her father, but rather than be entirely horrified, she shifts her thinking — maybe the train station is the place for Jamie too. John doesn’t outright agree, but he doesn’t disagree either…

Jamie knows all too well that this is what’s coming, though. When Sarah asks what he thinks his sister will do next, he says he thinks she’ll try to have him killed. But rather than go on the defense, he wants to go on offense and put a hit out on the Dutton family first. 

It’s going to be an all-out war, all while Rip and several of the other cowboys are in a different part of the country. 

Of course, what’s interesting about this is that it’s a war with the same goal in mind. You have to admit that both sides are making compelling arguments for how best to save the ranch.

Add to that, the episode spends a self-indulgent amount of time showing the beauty of everything that they do. That is part of the fun of watching this show, though, isn’t it?

And while Jamie is focused on getting John impeached, John makes a surprising move to support Rainwater. 

He doesn’t want a pipeline either, and Rainwater seems both shocked and moved by John’s show of support. It’s just too bad that support is thwarted by headlines of a move to have him impeached. 

Elsewhere on the episode, we get some much-needed levity as we check in on a very happy Jimmy at 6666. It’s good to see him again, and it’s even better to see him doing so well, not just with his job but with his relationship as well.

He’s a character we couldn’t help but root for from the beginning, and seeing him again really makes it clear that’s an element that’s been missing this season. His good-natured attitude and the way he’s gone from an underdog to such a talented cowboy is satisfying and endearing to see.

I assume — hope, anyway — that we’ll be seeing more of him when the season returns. And I imagine we’ll be needing that levity since things are about to take an even darker turn.

This episode is the midseason finale, which means we have to wait a bit to see what happens next. Yellowstone will return this summer on Paramount Network.

What did you think of this episode of Yellowstone? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Yellowstone returns this summer to Paramount Network.

In the meantime, watch the next installment of the Dutton family origin story, 1923, on Paramount+. Free Trial available!

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