Yellowstone may be bloody and violent, but it also has its fair share of romance, just like the love story of Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) and Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly). Admit it. They’ve made your heart flutter even just once.
But unlike others, Rip and Beth didn’t start from giddy puppy love. Well, what do we expect, right? It’s Yellowstone. Instead, they bonded over the heavy weights of past trauma – the anger and the grief – that they’re trying to heal from. And from there, their troubled souls connected deeply and soon found that the home and safe place they needed was each other.
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And now, to celebrate Rip and Beth’s story, let’s take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the day they met down to all their milestones.
“Daddy’s New Pet”
S02E05: “Touching Your Enemy” | Flashback
Teenage Rip and Beth (played by Kyle Red Silverstein and Kylie Rogers) started their relationship with a lot of hostility. At the time, Beth Dutton was grieving for her mother, Evelyn (Gretchen Mol), while Rip Wheeler was being bullied by an older man in the bunkhouse (Luce Rains). Beth also didn’t like the idea of her father taking in a new kid and called Rip her ‘daddy’s new pet‘ and Rip was pissed to be picked on by Beth any more than the old man. But it was clear with the sly smile she gave him that she got dressed up that morning for him.
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And then that night, as the two bonded over their hurt, the anger built up inside about the loss of their loved ones, and the guilt for playing a role in their deaths, they kissed. It was awkward, but there was definitely a spark between the two.
“This takes the cake.”
S01E02: “Kill the Messenger”
The pair was out on their first date, sipping whiskey out of the bottle while watching wolves enjoy their carcass dinner. Beth confessed that she did some morbid s-t on a first date, but this one really took the cake. She then leaned in for a kiss, only to break out of the car to run and scream at the wolves.
“I’m the one thing you can’t ‘outwrestle here.”
S01E03: “No Good Horses”
Every relationship goes through challenges, and with two people who are still healing from trauma, they’re bound to face even greater ones.
It was Beth’s mother’s death anniversary, and she wasn’t taking it well at all. First, she picked a fight with her brother Jamie (Wes Bentley). And then, when she saw her father’s girlfriend, Governor Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz), leave the main house – she just lost it. She went and soaked naked in the outdoor trough drinking a bottle of champagne. Rip showed up and told her to get into the house. But Beth wasn’t having anyone tell her what to do, not even Rip. He remained unfazed by her, saying that he was one thing she couldn’t outwrestle. She walked out, still naked, and told him that everyone would suffer that day, including him.
“I’m here. You’re safe. I love you.”
S02E07: “Resurrection Day”
This was the most intimate and vulnerable that they got with each other. Beth asked Rip to take her on a date, noting how he wore the same three pairs of jeans and jackets for over a decade. Rip then reluctantly opened up that he spent his money on headstones for his mother and little brother. She leaned on him and sensed that he was dropping the three words. She didn’t let him, and instead, they kissed.
Later, Beth was assaulted by two men in her office. Rip came in and killed them. Then as he held Beth, who was still shaken from what had happened, he finally said the words.
“You’re all I need.”
S03E04: “Going Back to Cali”
At this point, the two have been sharing a bed and waking up to each other like routine. And in one conversation, when Rip asked Beth what he should call her, she blurted out, “Wife.” They were both surprised at this, especially Beth, as she told him that being with her would be the end of him. To which Rip smiled and simply replied that he was born on a dead road. That the world didn’t need a new generation of Rip Wheelers. And that she was all he ever needed.
“The only thing I ask is that you outlive me so that I never have to live another day without you.”
S03E07: “The Beating”
Tradition be damned. And the perfect moment was not something Beth was willing to wait upon. And so, Beth sought out what she wanted, and that was Rip. She proposed to him with a simple black engagement ring, figuring he wasn’t a diamonds and gold kind. But on the condition that he outlives her so that she never has to live another day without him.
Rip didn’t quite get it, but Beth spelled it out for him saying and assured him that her father had already given her his blessing. And in an attempt to say yes, Rip replied, “I would’ve liked some diamonds, actually.”
“F– yes, I do.”
S04E10: “Grass on the Streets and Weeds on the Rooftops”
And finally, after a whole season, Rip and Beth were finally tying the knot. It was actually both a surprise for the fans and Rip himself. He woke up that day not knowing he was going to get hitched.
And in true Beth Dutton fashion, she kidnapped a priest at gunpoint and went to the ranch for an impromptu ceremony. John tried to persuade her to wait for a proper wedding, but Beth was unpredictable and impatient. She didn’t care about the wedding, just the marriage. And Rip was happy to ride the wave. He fetched Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) to be his best man. And despite John’s strong protests, he walked Beth, who was wearing a slinky gold dress, down the aisle.
Rip vowed to cherish Beth through everything until he dies and then somehow longer. To which Beth simply said, “F– yes, I do.”
While Rip and Beth are now married, it’s not guaranteed that it would be a smooth-sailing one. Especially now that Yellowstone is going through so much chaos. But we hope that the couple remains strong in their love for each other. We would hate for them to break up!
