Yellowstone season 2 episode 9 recap: the threat is real

Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Torry (Wolé Parks) conduct a stealth operation at the start of Yellowstone season 2 episode 9, which has them plant a bomb in the fuel tank of the Becks' plane. Back at the ranch, Kayce informs John (Kevin Costner) that they were successful and that there's no chance to back out anymore. But John has no plans to.

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Kayce asks his dad if it was always this kind of fight to protect this place, which John confirms. He tells him that a constant in life is that if you build something worth having, someone will try and take it away. Usually, the Duttons are the ones making the moves to protect it, but in this episode, we see just how far the Becks are willing to go to ruin them.

Read on for a full breakdown of Yellowstone season 2 episode 9, "Enemies by Monday."

Bad news

While Jimmy (Jefferson White) paid Ray the money he owed him, it unfortunately doesn't save his grandfather, who the cops find dead on his ranch. It's a result of a beating, but it's unclear if it was the first one Ray gave or if there was another one. When Jimmy is told about it he is justifiably upset, bashing away at a tree. Rip (Cole Hauser) offers to help him get some revenge, but in a way that won't see him put in jail. Rip convinces Kayce they should take care of it that night.

Jamie (Wes Bentley) also gets some big news. Christina (Katherine Cunningham) meets him to ask him if Sarah Nguyen's death was truly an "accident," but Jamie claims he doesn't know. When she wonders if she's in danger because she knows what Sarah knew, Jamie says no. Christina then asks Jamie if he thinks he is a good man? Jamie admits he is trying to be. But she says he needs to try harder if he wants to be a part of their child's life. Yep, she's pregnant, and she gives him an ultimatum — work for John or work for his own family.

Beth gets honest with Monica

Monica (Kelsey Asbille) goes shopping in town, but she is harassed by the shop owner (Allison Dunbar) who wants her out of the store and then claims she is stealing. She calls the police while Monica calls Beth (Kelly Reilly).

The police can't find anything, but the shop owner is insistent, demanding they search Monica, whom they don't give the benefit of the doubt. Monica is patted down, but when they don't find anything again, the shop owner refuses to admit she's wrong, which leads to the cops forcing Monica to remove her clothes.

Beth arrives and finds Monica covering herself in the dressing room. She snaps a picture for evidence and calls it what it is, harassment. Her boasting gets the cops to back off, but then Beth goes after the shop owner, whom she knew from high school. Beth taunts her verbally, destroys things in the store and forces her to start undressing, but eventually, Monica stops her and gets the shop owner to apologize for judging her based on her skin.

Beth and Monica grab a drink (well, Beth does). She tells Monica she has a kind soul, which the world will hate her for. She tells Monica that John became the man he is today only after her mother died. The same thing will happen to Kayce when Monica leaves, which Beth is confident she will do because she is too good for the Duttons. But she hopes when Monica does leave she takes Kayce with her, because he is too good for their family too.

Ranch "work"

Dan (Danny Huston) comes to talk to John at the ranch. He tells John that all he wanted to do was give people a glimpse at the beauty of this land, feeling he had that right. But John explains people only have the right to take things for themselves or stop others from taking it. Dan may be losing his desire to fight though, as he asks John to buy him out. John would if he could, but he doesn't have the money. He won't let him sell it either, wanting to deal with the devil he knows in Dan. So Dan acknowledges that once the Becks are taken care of, they're back to their usual positions as enemies.

That night, Kayce is getting ready to help Jimmy. Monica asks if he is happy doing this extra work and he admits he is not. She suggests they need to find a different place to work and live so they can protect themselves, something Kayce says they'll talk about tomorrow.

In the bunkhouse, Rip and Jimmy get ready, but Ryan (Ian Bohen) wants to join them. Rip tells him that will mean wearing the brand, which Ryan is good with. But as Ryan fully commits, Cowboy (Steven Williams), who makes his first appearance in several episodes, decides to head out, and recommends that Colby (Denim Richards) do so too.

They arrive at Ray's trailer and start drilling holes in the floor to run hoses through as everyone inside sleeps. Connected to gas tanks, the hoses pump gas into the trailer so the stove's pilot will ignite an explosion. Before that, Jimmy goes into the trailer, beats Ray (Lane Garrison) up, telling him he doesn't get to sleep through it and grabs his rodeo belt buckle. Just in the nick of time too, as he gets out just before the place goes up in flames.

The Becks hit hard

John and Tate (Brecken Merrill) are eating together, but before Tate can have dessert he has to feed his horse, which he goes to do alone. After feeding the horse, Tate forgets to lock the pen, but he also hears something that gives him a concerned look.

John waits for Tate at the house. When he doesn't come back he goes to look for him. John finds Tate’s horse loose but can't find Tate anywhere. He checks with Monica but she doesn't know where he is either. The whole ranch starts searching for Tate. It continues into the morning, when John spots tracks in the valley that no one on the ranch did. Kayce follows them and finds one of Tate's boots where the tracks stop. Monica collapses and screams knowing that their son has been taken.

Yellowstone season 2 episodes are streaming on Peacock in the US and Paramount Plus in the UK.