In Sunday’s Yellowstone, Jamie celebrated John’s death by making plans to hand over the ranch to

Market Equities and, for good measure, having sex with Sarah on the desk of the attorney general’s office.

But even as he leaned into the idea that the kingdom was his, Beth and Kayce took steps that all but

ensured that he’d soon lose his head as well as the metaphorical crown atop it. Read on, and we’ll go over everything that happened in “The Apocalypse of Change.”

‘WE KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO PUT A STEAK ON THE PLATE AROUND HERE’ | The episode began with more flashbacks to prior to John’s (cough) suicide. First, Rip and the Texas contingent discovered that they had made camp on a snake den. Which wasn’t all bad, Gator was quick to point out. They were “pretty good if ya fry ’em!” Shortly, Beth showed up on the scene. How on earth had she found Rip? She’d snuck an AirTag into his wallet, she explained, so that in case some cowgirl turned his head, she could kill the other woman and castrate him. “I can’t help it,” she added. “I’m a romantic.”

Though Rip balked at the idea of spending the night with his wife in an air-conditioned hotel room — sorry, suite! — he relented when Beth promised to fly out all of the hands’ significant others the following weekend. Oh, and a hooker for Jake. Later, Beth was stunned to learn not only that this was Rip’s first time being out of Montana with her, it was his first time being out of Montana, period. “Imagine all the things that we could do,” she sighed, “if we weren’t shackled to that ranch.” That evening, dancing with Rip at the speakeasy beneath the hotel, Four Sixes brand vodka and a scarcity of tourists appeared to give Beth an idea about the Yellowstone’s future.

‘I HOPE YOU DONATED YOUR BODY TO SCIENCE, SO DOCTORS CAN STUDY HOW BIG A BITCH YOU ARE’ | Back at the ranch in the present, Rip admitted to Lloyd that he didn’t know whether Kayce would be taking over. So, as sad as it was, it might not be such a bad idea to see who was hiring hands. Having idolized John, Carter was especially hard hit by his passing. But in a rare moment of tenderness, Rip assured him that he still had a home at the Yellowstone. In the main house, Beth was chagrinned to be reminded that Summer was still there. Well, she could go, Beth said, adding that John had lied that his girlfriend was under house arrest to keep her with him. They exchanged a few last insults, and that was that.

At Kayce and Monica’s new house — which came together so fast, they’d have a bright future as contractors — he checked in with Tate, in particular about his hopes for the future. When the boy asked if running the ranch was Kayce’s job now, he replied, “Only if it’s your job next.” Since that was what had gotten his grandpa killed, Tate preferred the idea of just sticking to his and his parents’ little parcel of land. As for John, Kayce advised Tate, “You can remember the way he lived or you can remember the way he died. Your heart can’t do both.” Rather than spend the rest of his days mad at John, Tate elected to miss him instead.

‘KINGS DON’T WALLOW, KINGS FEAST ON THE BOUNTY OF THEIR CONQUESTS’ | In Helena, Jamie was paid a visit by Beth, who slapped him repeatedly, challenging him to look her in the eye. After giving him one last chance, she gave up. “Next time is the last time. Seeing me will be the last thing you ever do alive,” she vowed. “I swear to God, Jamie, I will be the last thing on this planet your rotten f—king eyes will ever see… and I will be smiling.” On her way out, Beth ran into Market Equities’ Ellis and Sarah, who baited the human tornado into assaulting her.

Off those confrontations, Beth phoned Kayce to inform him that Jamie couldn’t even deny that he’d been responsible for their father’s death. “He just stared at the f—king floor.” However, “that f—king viper who lays in his bed every night” had been able to look Beth in the eye — gleefully, even. As Jamie eagerly anticipated running for governor with Market Equities’ support, Kayce called an old military buddy seeking information on shady groups that might be equipped to carry out an assassination on someone as high-profile as John. Jamie’s days, it seemed, were numbered; he just hadn’t quite grasped that fact yet.