Cole Hauser Describes The Balance Making Beth And Rip Into Yellowstone Season 5's Power Couple
Just like most members of its central Dutton family, "Yellowstone" is outwardly gruff with a surprisingly tender center. One major element of the show's surprisingly heartwarming core stems from watching the relationship between Dutton daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) and ranch foreman Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) develop over the course of each consecutive season. It's been an eventful set of years for both characters, and though their relationship has gone through more than a few rough patches in that time, audiences can usually rest assured that the duo will find their way back together in the end.
"Yellowstone" Season 4 breaks quite a bit of new ground in the romance between Beth and Rip, as the two finally say their vows and tie the knot. Of course, nothing is ever quite that simple with the Duttons, so this celebratory moment comes right around the same time that family patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner) becomes governor of Montana, Beth asserts herself as his chief-of-staff, and Rip is tasked with overseeing the family ranch on his own. "Yellowstone" Season 5 follows up on each of these intersecting developments between the characters, and Hauser noted that properly portraying the new dynamic between Rip and Beth was a key priority.
Beth and Rip are doing just fine in Season 5
A major shift in status quo and newfound personal responsibilities sound exactly like the sort of forces that would conveniently lead to some juicy conflict between a TV couple, but don't expect anything like that for Beth and Rip in "Yellowstone" Season 5. As Cole Hauser told CBR Presents, the pair is still going as strong as ever. "This year, they have a wonderful growth," the actor said. "There's some wonderful flashbacks to understand the past and what got them to where they are as this power couple."
Of course, it's not all roses for the newlyweds as they adapt to their new dynamic. Rip contends with his fresh status as an out-and-out Dutton relative, including the uncomfortable experience of living in the family home, while Beth battles her own personal demons. "The war feels internal this year for her," Kelly Reilly told Entertainment Weekly. "[She's] haunted by the past, afraid for the future and fighting with all she has for the present moment."
As if there somehow needed to be yet another reason why "Yellowstone" viewers love Rip and Beth, their refreshingly mature dynamic in "Yellowstone" Season 5 provides plenty justification. Rather than getting driven apart by this new set of hardships, the two provide support for each other when things get rough. "We're still under the same roof," Hauser told TV Line. "She comes and goes, same as I do. [So] I'm there for her, she's there for me."