Dominance hierarchy states that there can only ever be one alpha in any pack. While that may hold true in the majority of circumstances, it certainly isn’t the case for the Paramount Network’s riveting new western drama — Yellowstone .
Since its debut, there’s been a fierce debate as to who is the top-dog on the Dutton Ranch: Rip or Kayce? In order to help balance out the argument, below is a list of every time Kayce was better than Rip (and every time that Ripe stole the show !).
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When Rip makes Jimmy a Branded Man.
Of all the great characteristics Rip possesses, none is more palpable than his loyalty to John Dutton and the Yellowstone Ranch. By giving Jimmy the brand, he showed the audience that he was willing to do anything that was asked of him, regardless of whether he believed in it or not.
Kayce’s “welcome home” reunion with Rip.
It’s abundantly clear to everyone at the Yellowstone Ranch that Rip Wheeler isn’t a man to be trifled with — everyone except Kayce, that is. Although he eventually winds up losing the first fistfight with Rip, the fact that he was willing to stand up to him sets the tone that Kayce fears no man.
When Rip forces Walker to take back the brand from Wade Morrow.
Wade Morrow was given the Yellowstone brand years ago by John Dutton himself. After he betrayed the Duttons and the Yellowstone to Roarke, John decided that Wade no longer deserved to wear it. Before Wade is hanged, Rip makes Walker slice off the brand as a show of his loyalty.
Kayce stands up to a bear.
All throughout Yellowstone, there has been a great emphasis placed on Kayce and his relationships/interactions with animals. Not many men would have the courage to stand up to an approaching Grizzly bear with nothing but their bare hands. Then again, Kayce isn’t like most men.
Kayce teaches Dan Jenkins why you never mess with the Duttons.
In the beginning, Kayce and Rip only intended to scare Dan Jenkins into abandoning his real-estate development deal. But when Kayce learns that it was Dan who was behind the attempted murder of his father, the plan quickly changes from one of intimidation to one of annihilation.
When Rip nearly beats Lloyd to death and breaks his hand.
Lloyd serves a dual role alongside John Dutton as being the father that Rip never had. After it becomes abundantly clear that Lloyd will never back down to Walker willingly in a fight, Rip is forced to take matters into his own hands — literally.
Kayce’s pact with the wolf.
Kayce’s relationship with the lone wolf that stalks the Dutton ranch has been brought up multiple times throughout the series. When he makes a silent oath to surrender the forest to the wolf, so long as the wolf leaves the cattle and ranch to him, it further reinforces the notion that Kayce is a peaceful man at heart — who only chooses violence out of necessity.
Rip saves Beth from the Beck brothers.
Watching Beth being beaten and nearly raped by the Becks brothers’ goons is one of the most disturbing moments in all of Yellowstone . If Rip hadn’t arrived when he did to dispatch the thugs, there’s no doubt that Beth would’ve been killed.
Kayce kills Teal while he’s on the toilet.
Kayce has no forgiveness in his heart when it comes to those who try and hurt his family. He made a promise to Monica that he would kill the man responsible for taking their son away from them, and he did so in the most undignified way imaginable.
When Rip fights Frank and stands up for Jimmy.
There’s one rule on the Dutton Ranch: no fighting. If you want to fight someone, you fight Rip — he’ll fight you all [expletive] day. This is a sentiment that Rip has echoed multiple times, but when he threatened to kill Frank for hitting Jimmy, that was undoubtedly his best moment.
Kayce lets Walker live.
You’ll never find a man in all of Montana who’s killed more people than Kayce — but he never murdered any of them in cold blood. Not one. When Rip tasks Kayce with taking Walker to the “train station,” Kayce instead lets him go free. This is the greatest difference between the two men. One is blindly loyal, while the other is loyal to a point.
When Rip kills Roarke with a Rattlesnake.
Unquestionably this was one of the most inventive ways Rip (or anyone else for that matter) has ever dispatched another human being. It may have been highly unrealistic but it did an excellent job of providing excitement and commentary on Rip’s deadly ingenuity.
When Kayce guns down his father’s would-be assassins all on his own.
Kayce’s military past is a seldom-discussed topic on Yellowstone. But in the wake of Tate’s kidnapping and his father’s attempted murder, Kayce slips right back into S.E.A.L. mode and we see firsthand just how deadly he can be.
The time that Rip lets Kayce best him in a fistfight in order to gain the respect of the ranch hands.
Part of why Rip let Kayce win the fight was because John not-so-subtly asked him to. But underneath it all, Rip understands his place on the Dutton Ranch, as well as Kayce’s. He was willing to surrender his pride (as well as his face) for the betterment of the Yellowstone.
When Rip and Kayce let the bull loose inside the bar.
After Jimmy is roughed up by a few wannabe cowboys while out at a bar, Kayce and Rip return later on and set a bull loose inside. As the assailants run out, they proceed to beat them within an inch of their lives with baseball bats. Before they leave, Kayce makes sure to tell the owner that if anything like this ever happens again — he’ll burn the bar to the ground.