For five seasons, fans yearned for Rip and Beth’s relationship. They were the couple on Yellowstone, and that’s thanks to Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser’s chemistry as well as their characters' complex past and nuanced present. Now, these two iconic characters will be back on our screens in the Rip and Beth spinoff, Dutton Ranch. So, let’s take a look at the pivotal moments from the flagship series that make up this iconic romance.
Beth And Rip's First Kiss
Long before Rip and Beth got together as adults, they fell for each other as teenagers. That history is slowly revealed throughout the show’s five seasons, with Season 2 delivering the pair's first kiss. At the time, neither character had locked lips with anyone else before, and they shared a tender initial smooch.
Beth And Rip Had Sex As Teens, And Jamie Took Her To Get An Abortion
At the heart of Jamie and Beth’s feud is Jamie's irreversible decision that made it so his sister can’t have kids.
Article continues belowAfter having sex with Rip when they were teens, Beth got pregnant and wanted to get an abortion. Kelly Reilly’s character went to her brother to ask for help, and Jamie consented to a surgery that would make her infertile. However, he didn’t lay any of that out to his sibling until after the procedure was over, which is why Beth hates Jamie so much.
In terms of Rip and Beth’s relationship and this development, it’s important to note that Cole Hauser’s character still does not know why his partner can’t have kids, and that he actually played a part in that situation.
Rip Gets The Brand Because He Killed Rowdy Over Rude Comments About Beth
For a long time, we knew Rip wore the Y, but we didn’t find out why he was branded until a Season 5 flashback. When he was a teen, Hauser’s character got into a tiff with another ranch hand, Rowdy, because he spoke ill of Beth. This led to the death of Rowdy, and Rip ended up telling John the truth about why all this went down. Then, to fix the problem, the Dutton patriarch branded his most trusted hand, committing him to the ranch forever.
After Turning Down Rip's Music Festival Idea, Beth Goes On A 'Morbid' First Date With Him
In Season 1, Episode 1, after an intimate moment, Rip asked Beth if she wanted to go to a music festival. She immediately turned that down. However, in Episode 2, they did have that date, and it’s “morbid,” as Beth says, because they were sitting in Rip’s truck, drinking and watching wolves eat a dead animal.
Throughout the rest of Season 1, there’s 100% affection and chemistry between the two; however, their relationship is not even close to being serious.
Beth Has A Romantic Moment With Walker (And Later Apologizes For It)
Lack of communication led to Rip and Beth getting into a fight, and Beth ended up having a conversation with Walker about how they’re both stuck on the ranch. She then made out with the singer, not because there were any real feelings, but because she needed a distraction.
That happened in Season 1, then in Season 2, Rip saw Beth crying while Walker sang her a song. She then apologized to Rip, and he forgave her, saying she never needed to apologize to him.
Beth Asks Rip to Take Her On A Date, And She Tells Him Not To Say 'I Love You.' He Ends Up Telling Her Later That Episode
Finally, Rip and Beth became a serious couple, and they shared a romantic moment on the roof that helped solidify it when he almost told her he loves her.
Beth asked Rip to take her on a date, and they had a candid conversation about how Rip had honored his late mother and brother. After that, when he almost said the L-word, Beth stopped him, saying:
Tell me when it saves me.
Well, later in that episode, the words saved her after Rip rescued her from a bunch of men who tried to assassinate her and her family.
Rip Made Beth Breakfast
We don’t see Beth get emotional often, but she did with Rip during that moving breakfast scene in Yellowstone’s third season. In the moment, Rip made Beth breakfast, and while simple, it also highlighted his unconditional love for her and her ability to be her unguarded, candid self with him.
Beth Accidently Says She Wants To Be Rip's Wife
When Rip asked Beth what he should call her, she said “wife.” However, she took it back quickly, confessing that she was nervous she wasn’t enough for him because she couldn’t have kids (however, she did not say why she couldn’t).
Rip sweetly reassured her, saying that was perfectly fine, and that she’s “all” he needs. They might not have been engaged or married here, but they did confirm to each other that they are endgame.
Beth Asks John For Permission To Marry Rip, And Then She Proposes To Her Partner
Knowing that Rip would never ask John for permission to marry his daughter, Beth took matters into her own hands, as she always does. So, she asked her own father if she could marry the longtime ranch hand whom the Dutton patriarch had always treated kind of like a son.
Then, Beth proposed to her partner after a long day. Rip didn’t exactly pick up on the proposal immediately until she said she didn’t think he was a “diamonds and gold kind of girl.” Eventually, she straight-up told him that she wanted him forever and that he had to outlive her so she wouldn't have to live a day without him, which led to the official popping of the question and the most romantic kiss.
Carter Comes Into Rip And Beth's Lives
As we’ve established, Beth and Rip can’t have biological children. However, in Season 4, they ended up taking in Carter after his father died. Like Rip, the boy had nowhere to go, and so the Yellowstone took him. Now, he’s kind of like the couple’s kid, and they’re both reluctantly committed to taking care of him.
Rip And Beth Get Married
It wouldn’t be Rip and Beth’s wedding if it wasn’t chaotic. In Rip’s words, it was “ass-backward,” as Beth decided to throw the impromptu ceremony because she thought she might be headed to jail. So, with a priest, John, Lloyd and Carter present, the couple got married on the Dutton’s lawn, and it was the most on-brand and romantic wedding for this ever-unconventional couple.
Beth Apologizes To Rip For Kissing Another Man When They Were Teenagers
As Rip and Beth adjusted to married life, Kelly Reilly’s character apologized to her husband for her past, and she issued a “blanket” apology after being haunted by a dream about kissing other boys when she was a teen. She felt like she’d lost so much time with her partner because of how she acted as a kid. However, Rip reassured her that it’s all in the past and he’s “happy” with her and life.
Rip Takes Beth To The 'Perfect' Meadow
When Rip and Beth took a trip out to a meadow toward the mid-point of Season 5, he told her that he found the place for them to get married, since it had no tragic memories behind it. They took a moment to lie in the meadow and bask in the “perfect” place during this perfect moment.
Rip Moves To Texas With The Cows, But Beth Quickly Travels To Visit Him
At the end of Season 5A, it was decided that Rip would take some of the bunkhouse down to Texas to work the cows, seeing as the Montana ranch was not safe for the livestock. However, Beth can’t live without Rip for long. So, Kelly Reilly’s character went to Texas to be with her hubby while he worked with their animals.
While he didn’t approve of her surprise visit at first, it was very clear that he ultimately came around to it and loved seeing his wife.
Following The Death Of Jamie And The Sale Of The Ranch, Rip, Beth And Carter Move To Dillon, Montana
At the very end of Yellowstone, Kayce made a deal with Rainwater to sell the ranch, and everyone was able to move on. Beth avenged John by killing Jamie, Kayce was free of his family’s obligations, and both of them were finally in a place where they could restart.
In Beth and Rip’s case, they made a big move literally and figuratively as they picked up their things and purchased a new home and land in Dillon, Montana. Carter moved with them, and now they’re building a new life together.
Beth, Rip And Carter Move To Texas, Thus Beginning The Dutton Ranch Chapter
Now, we get to see that new life in Dutton Ranch. However, they won’t be in Dillon this time. The new show that will focus solely on Rip and Beth will see the couple move from Montana to Texas. Based on trailers, it looks like they’ll face new adversaries and powerful families. So, it will be interesting to see how their relationship is tested.
With all that said, Dutton Ranch premieres for those with a Paramount+ subscription on Friday, May 15, and it will air weekly after that. So, make sure you tune in so you can see how this epic romance continues.
