In Yellowstone, Evelyn Dutton (Gretchen Mol) left a complicated legacy, and her death particularly

affected her daughter, Beth. The upcoming Yellowstone season 5, part 2 will conclude this chapter of the

Duttons’ lives, though Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western Yellowstone universe loves to revisit the past.

Prequel series like 1883 and 1923 show the trials and tribulations of previous Dutton generations, while the flagship show itself loves a good flashback. These glimpses into the past show how the present Duttons came to be who they are.

This context is particularly important in understanding Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), who is easily the most complex character in Yellowstone. She is whip-smart with an unrivaled business acumen, and her loyalty, particularly to her father John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) is unrivaled. However, Beth is a total loose cannon, prone to childlike, violent temper tantrums, and her erratic behavior has gotten her in trouble many times. Every aspect of Beth’s personality, from the finance shark to the doting daughter to the sadistic bully, is informed by her deceased mother, Evelyn Dutton.

Evelyn Died From A Horse Fall In Yellowstone
Beth Blames Herself For Her Mother’s Death

Evelyn Dutton’s death is shown in Yellowstone season 1, episode 3, “No Good Horses”. In a flashback to March 30, 1997, Evelyn has taken young Beth (Kylie Rogers) and Kayce (Rhy Alterman) riding, and is visibly annoyed at Beth’s skittishness atop her horse. A petrified Beth spooks her horse, which in turn startles Evelyn’s. Evelyn is thrown, and her horse falls on top of her, crushing her to death.

However, Evelyn doesn’t succumb immediately, and instead of sending Kayce, the more experienced rider, for help, she forces Beth to go because “She did this.” This is the last thing Beth ever hears her mother say, and it sticks with her for the rest of her life. This guilt is amplified on the anniversary of Evelyn’s death in which a present-day Beth chastises her father for sleeping with another woman and infamously bathes nude in a horse trough while swilling champagne in front of the Yellowstone’s employees. Beth became exactly who she is because of that fateful day.

Did Evelyn Hate Beth?
The Yellowstone Matriarch Wanted To Show Her Daughter Tough Love

The only other Yellowstone episode to feature Evelyn Dutton is season 1, episode 7, “A Monster Among Us”, in which viewers get further insight into the Dutton family matriarch’s complicated relationship with Beth. This flashback occurs on December 25, 1996, in which Evelyn shows a much softer side to her daughter. As the boys are eager to open their Christmas presents, Beth is distraught upon getting her first period. Evelyn kindly puts her in the bath and gives Beth a speech:

I am going to tell you something that my mother told me…and you’re not going to like it. Everything is different now. All those boys that you used to outrun and outwrestle…that’s all done. They’re going to look at you different and see you different. They are going to look at you as if you were less. You’re not though, you are stronger. I have to turn you into the man that most men will never be. I am sorry in advance for doing it because you’re going to hate it, sweetheart. But I look back and I know my mother was right. It was the best gift she ever gave me and now I have to give it to you.

Evelyn dies just three months later, which explains why she was so harsh with Beth that day; she perceived Beth’s fear as weakness, which went against her teachings. However, Evelyn’s tough-love parenting approach leaves Beth in a permanent state of arrested development when she loses her mother. Beth certainly learned how to be tough, but it came at a huge cost. This explains why she so often lashes out like an angry teenager — because the person whose approval she so desperately craves will never be there to give it.

Beth’s need for approval is also ever-present in her relationship with her father, though it shows up much differently. John always showed Beth kindness and compassion. He comforted her after her mother’s fall, a sharp contrast to Evelyn’s acidic treatment of her daughter in her final moments. As an adult, Beth behaves like a little girl around John, calling him “Daddy” and obeying his every word, even when she knows he’s wrong. At first glance, Beth seems like a woman of many contradictions, but after seeing her relationship with Evelyn, the Yellowstone character becomes a lot easier to understand.