One Yellowstone scene convinced me Rip (Cole Hauser) is the most likable Dutton character despite not being born into the family. The ranch foreman appears in Yellowstone season 1, episode 1, and evolves into one of the most essential characters in the franchise by the Yellowstone season 5 finale. While John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) and Kelly Reilly’s Beth are outstanding characters in the franchise and comprise the other most likable Duttons in Yellowstone, Rip has qualities that make him even more amiable than his two closest contacts.
While a history of violence surrounds Rip’s pursuit to protect the ranch for John Dutton, the character evolves beyond a violence-centered existence as his sweetheart, Beth, returns to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to help her father protect it. Rip Wheeler’s best moments are arguably alongside John Dutton’s daughter, who has a mean streak but brings out the best of the ranch foreman. Yellowstone audiences also have an informed understanding of Rip’s place on the ranch due to flashbacks to his adolescence, which enhance the character’s likable qualities.
The Yellowstone Scene That Made Me Realize Rip Was The Show’s Most Likable Dutton
Rip Pleads With Beth To Attend The Gathering As His Wife Feels Rejected
Beth and Rip have dozens of fantastic scenes throughout Yellowstone’s five seasons, but one cements Rip as the most likable Dutton in my mind. In Yellowstone season 5, episode 5, “Watch ‘Em Ride Away,” Rip has an encounter with Beth that makes him virtually impossible not to like. As Rip fiddles with horse-riding gear in the barn, Beth asks why. Rip tells her he’s getting Carter (Finn Little) ready to ride up the mountain for the “spring gather,” where Rip and the other cowboys will camp as they round up cattle to receive the Yellowstone Ranch brand.
It endeared Rip to me that he could be so kind to Beth in the face of her scorn, whether she deserved the kindness or not.
When she finds out that her father is attending, Beth asks Rip, “Well, can you outfit me too?” Initially, Rip is surprised, reminding Beth that there are no tents or bedrolls and everyone will sleep on the ground. When Beth starts to feel rejected after Rip doesn’t meet her request, saying that she will fly to Vegas and get “a suite at the Wynn,” Rip humorously pleads for his wife to come. It endeared Rip to me that he could be so kind to Beth in the face of her scorn, whether she deserved the kindness or not.
Why Rip Deserves To Be Considered A Dutton, Despite Not Being One By Blood
Rip Is Legally And Honorarily A Dutton
Yellowstone season 5’s scene proves Hauser’s character has evolved into the most likable Dutton. Rip’s partnership with Beth brings out some of his best qualities. Another memorable scene for Rip that allowed me to appreciate him more deeply is when Beth informed Rip in Yellowstone season 2 that John was giving him a house, calling him a son, after Beth told her father she needed to treat the ranch foreman with more dignity. Beth reads Rip a letter in which John Dutton calls Rip his kin, proving the Dutton patriarch considered Rip one of his own.
Even if John didn’t consider Rip a son, a title the ranch foreman certainly has earned, Beth and Rip officiated the foreman’s place in the family in the Yellowstone season 4 finale. Beth kidnapped a priest to tie the knot between her and Rip, making for one of Beth’s best Yellowstone moments. The development meant that Rip was officially a Dutton despite his complicated legal history, which generally keeps him off the books. All that said, Rip deserves to be considered an official family member, as he is just as Dutton as the rest of the Yellowstone clan.