Paramount’s number one series, Yellowstone, will soon return for an exhilarating fifth season, and fans are waiting with bated breath to find out what’s next for our favorite dramatic family: the Duttons.
We first met the Dutton family in 2018 when Yellowstone premiered for the first time. No one could have seen the upcoming adventure we’d be thrust upon as Yellowstone became an entertainment/pop culture phenomenon. Taylor Sheridan knows how to write multifaceted characters, layered and as charming as they are vain, and he knows how to capture an audience.
For each moment that allows us to fall in love with the characters in Yellowstone, we love it even more when they’re all fired up. The passion in these characters means that no matter their emotion, it’s at a top level. So when we think about the fights in the series, be it physical or mental warfare, we can’t help but pick a side and root for them hard.
With just five days until the season five premiere, we’re highlighting five of our favorite fight scenes in Yellowstone history. We all watch the series for the romance, drama, and beautiful scenery (and people), but let’s face it — even the way they fight has become an art form. From the best to the most intense, here are our favorite Yellowstone fight scenes from the first four seasons.
The bull vs. the bar
One of the most iconic moments in Yellowstone history is when the ranch hands released a bull into a bar. Yep, you read that right — the Yellowstone crew brought a bull to a bar, and they weren’t going to sit down and have a drink with it.
After an altercation took place at a local hangout, the Dutton ranch hands were subject to quite a brawl. This didn’t sit well with Rip, who returned later with Kayce to get to the bottom of the situation and to bring a little heat with them. This is where the bull comes in; the animal is released into the bar to force the patrons outside, where they’re met by the Yellowstone cowboys and ranch hands.
Did we mention that they’re waiting for them with baseball bats? Well, they are, and they’re exacting revenge in the best way they know how, except for one of them. Walker still isn’t the kind of ranch hand Rip hopes for, and this is just another act in which we see how little he cares about the rules.
All in all, the scene is a fan favorite because of how outlandish it is, but on brand for the series. Taylor Sheridan can make even the most off-the-wall storylines make sense.
Rip vs. Kayce
Now, this altercation isn’t one we love, but it’s an intense fight and one worth mentioning on the list. Rip and Kayce get into a physical battle whenever John changes things at the ranch. Kayce comes home, and John feels it necessary to give him a bigger sense of responsibility, so he is handed the job that Rip’s been working.
There’s a reason for the madness, but Rip isn’t pleased with the decision. That being said, he never goes out of line with what John asks, but that doesn’t mean he will quietly go into this new direction. He and Kayce fight, and it’s not an easy watch because fans love both characters so much, but the fight has to happen. They’re both holding onto something much bigger than themselves, and something has to break.
The fight doesn’t last for too long, but it does create a new arena for the men to co-exist in — a spot for them to build a place where they can become friends.
Lloyd vs. Walker
We really hate this fight, and if we’re being honest, we’ve only watched it once. As fans of Yellowstone know, you don’t simply watch each episode once, but some scenes are so tough you can only tune in the first time.
The Lloyd and Walker fight is one of them because of what it leads to next, and that’s the fight between Rip and Lloyd, so let’s dive in.
Walker and Lloyd were both linked to a particular barrel racer named Laramie, and when she switched things up from Lloyd to Walker, neither man handled it with grace. Lloyd became jealous, an emotion we’re not used to seeing him wear, and Walker was more pompous than usual.
After they’d both pushed each other’s buttons one time too many, a fight broke out, and Lloyd was making decisions that were far beneath him. When things turned physical, Rip reminded Lloyd that you couldn’t fight at the ranch if you don’t come to fight him first. Even though it was Lloyd, our favorite ranch hand, Rip knew he had to keep the rules the same for everyone.
Rip knocked Lloyd out, again — not an easy watch, and we were subjected to the knowledge that things were going to be very different from that moment on. Of course, that fight wasn’t the only time things transpired heartbreakingly, but Lloyd finally made the right decision, and in being the bigger person, he bought Walker a new guitar.
He presented it to him at the bunkhouse, and Walker even sang a song for Lloyd. It might not be forgiveness fans think Walker is worthy of receiving, but knowing that Lloyd is ready to move on is everything fans hoped for; we’re always hoping for the best where he’s concerned.
The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch vs. the militia
One of the tensest fights in Yellowstone history is between the ranch hands and the militia who dared to kidnap Kayce Dutton’s son, Tate. Not only did they capture Tate, but he was also in agony when the Duttons finally got him home, and it’s clear that he experienced a lot during his short time with them.
Every moment he was gone felt like an eternity to his loved ones as they tried to make sense of a world without him. Giving up hope that they’d find him was out of the question, but they lived in the painful moments before his rescue.
When it was discovered that the militia had Tate, things went from 0 to 100 very quickly. They snuck up on the militia in the dead of night and swooped in on the unassuming group with guns blazing. Gunfire rang out, and lives were lost, but the family knew they had to bring their A-game to get him home safely. After Monica’s request was fulfilled (killing the men responsible for taking Tate), the boy was safe at home with his loved ones.
It’s a moment Yellowstone fans won’t soon forget and one of the most epic fights in the series’ history, especially when Rainwater’s men offered to help, too. For all of the fear and heartache, there were moments of bonding and closeness as they worked together to bring him home.
The iconic biker brawl
For several reasons, this is our favorite fight scene from the entire series, and many fans agree. When a group of bikers stumbles into the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, they’re politely asked to leave. It could have been as simple as that, ending there with everyone getting home safely.
Of course, that’s not how things unfolded because the bikers were snarky, and the ranch hands weren’t having a single second of it. When asking them (more than once) doesn’t work, it’s clear that they’re all keyed into very high emotions that boil over when Teeter and one of the women begin throwing punches. From there: it’s on.
Rip and Lloyd are driving by when this is happening, and in an attempt to stop the scuffle, Rip plows into the bikes on the side of the road. This ends the fight long enough for everyone to look up and see the other ranch hands exiting the truck. Of course, Rip wants his share of revenge too, and the fight picks back up again.
Eventually, the bikers leave, but everyone knows the fight isn’t over yet. What happens next is perfect Sheridan writing. When the bikers come back to burn John Dutton’s land, the man himself is waiting there for them — oh, and there are tools for digging.
John sits in that very spot as each of the bikers begins digging a hole that’s large enough to fit, well, their bodies. John is making them do the hard work so he can simply shoot them where they stand so that they’ll fall into their newly placed graves.
What happens next is what can only be described as a miracle. John makes the leader of the group vow never to step foot in Montana again, and he ends up letting them live. It’s a show of kindness from John, an act that will hopefully have him on the right side of Heaven when the moment comes.
The honorable mention: Wade Morrow and the not-so-valiant fight
This is an honorable mention because it’s a two-part fight, actually — it’s a lot more complicated than that. However, we’re focusing on two main pieces: the attack on Colby and Teeter and the big revenge play.
After two of our favorite Dutton ranch hands are viciously attacked as they swim together in the river, it’s discovered that Wade and his men are behind the attack. It takes little time for the ranch hands to determine that they want revenge, even as Rip tells them what a high price it will be to pay.
Of course, they want to move forward, and Rip takes them to the woods, where Wade is waiting for what will happen next. John lets Rip know that he wants something back from Wade, and viewers soon find out that it’s his brand. Yep, Wade is a branded man, and he’s also the man who made the rather stupid decision to go against the Duttons.
Walker is the ranch hand chosen to remove the brand from Wade, and it’s as painful as you could imagine. The rest of the group stands by as he cuts the mark from his skin, and it’s a reminder to everyone that messing with the Duttons gets you nowhere pleasant.
You can see all of these fights and then some in the first four seasons of Yellowstone, streaming now on Peacock. Don’t forget, the season five premiere takes place on Nov. 13, and you won’t want to miss a second of it.