'Marshals' Episode 3 Recap: Why Did Someone Leave A Bullet At Kayce’s Doorstep?

The third episode of Marshals revisits the mining company conflict that was introduced in the season premiere, where we found out that the corporate giant had been dumping toxic waste into the rez river, causing terminal illness in the people living in these lands. Broken Rock President Thomas Rainwater raised his voice against the unlawful act that undermined the rights of the Native Americans, shortly after which someone tried to take him down. But even though Kayce and his new team eliminated the threat for the time being, they weren’t able to identify the real perpetrator behind the assassination attempt. Kayce knew that whoever it was, they wouldn’t back down so easily. They had been waiting for another opportunity to strike, and in episode 3, Rainwater just gave them one. Well, with a spoiler warning, let’s talk about it.

Rainwater Created a Ruckus

If you remember, in the very first scene of the episode, we saw two men planting explosives in the middle of the road. The episode didn’t revisit the scene again, but as it turned out, they were actually Rainwater’s men. The mining company was sending heavy machinery to kickstart their operations, which was why Rainwater put a large hole on the highway so that their trucks couldn’t reach the location. However, instead of turning around, the trucks and earthmovers decided to get to their destination using the access road, which passed through the Broken Back. So the moment they arrived on the rez, Rainwater and his team stopped these vehicles and charged them for trespassing. The truck driver told them he wouldn’t be able to turn the heavy trucks around and head back down a narrow road, to which Rainwater replied that they were his trucks now. Basically, this was his counterplan to stop the mining operation that Kayce pointed out in the very beginning of the episode. The third episode also reminded Yellowstone viewers that this isn’t the first time Rainwater has pulled off a stunt like that. Back in the day, when John Dutton was alive, Rainwater had seized his cattle for trespassing into the rez, which led to a falling out between the two, and Kayce was still haunted by those memories, because he lost a member of the family in that conflict.

Anyway, things got really heated when the ranchers showed up at the roadblock site. They urgently needed to reach the auction so they could sell their livestock, but there was no way to get there, because the highway was shut down and the access road was jammed. The ranchers accused Rainwater and the people of the rez of letting their fight with the corporation affect the locals’ livelihood. They wanted Rainwater to let the trucks go, but he couldn’t, because in that case, they would initiate their mining and start dumping their waste onto the rez again, and he wouldn’t be able to teach them a lesson. So, Rainwater refused to back down, which created a rift between the rez and the ranchers, and the Marshals were called to clear the locals from the scene before the situation escalated any further.

The Company Was Behind The Assassination Attempt

When Kayce and his team arrived at the location to clear the mob, someone fired shots at them. It was later revealed that it was the Clegg brothers, Carson and Wes, who had orchestrated the shooting. The Cleggs had some rock-blasting contracts with the mining company, and Rainwater was getting in their way of “progress,” which was why they devised a plan to get rid of him so the trucks could move along and they could get their paychecks as quickly as possible. For the first shooting, they even enrolled an angry rancher, Don Moore, who just wanted to reach the auction so he could put food on the table. When the Clegg brothers saw him with a gun, they told him that firing shots would scare people away, but unfortunately, their bullets hit two innocent girls present on the scene. The girls were immediately taken to the Indian Health Service, and by the end of the episode, they were discharged from the hospital.

While Kayce and Calvin arrested Don Moore at the crime scene, the Clegg brothers managed to escape, and once again rained bullets on Rainwater at a cafe where he was having a meeting with Kayce, who had come to convince Rainwater to stand down before anyone else got hurt. Coincidentally, an old Native American got wounded during this attack, which made Rainwater realize that innocent people were actually getting hurt in his battle against the Goliath, and therefore he decided to think Kayce’s suggestion over. Furthermore, the attack made it apparent that the mining company wanted Rainwater dead so there would be no more obstacles in their way to exploiting the land and its people. The funny thing is, the ranchers believed that Broken Rock was getting in their way and holding up development, and if they would just allow the outsiders to commercialize the lands, each one of them would be able to lead a comfortable life. Well, that’s the lie a corporation tells you to steal  your land and by the time you realize their ruse, it’s already too late. John Dutton learned this lesson the hard way, which was why he didn’t sell Yellowstone Ranch to those maniacs who wanted to build hotels and airports on his family’s pristine paradise. But it seems like the other ranchers are still in awe of this lie, and therefore despise Kayce for giving away his family’s legacy to the rez.

The Clegg Brothers Got Their Due

As soon as the Clegg brothers fired at Rainwater, Kayce followed them to their hunting ground and was about to make a move when Calvin ordered him to wait for the team. Once the Marshals arrived, they infiltrated the woods and arrested Wes. Carson, on the other hand, was shot down in the skirmish. Speaking of Don Moore, the ballistics report confirmed that he didn’t fire at the two young girls, so Calvin and his team decided to let him go. They basically decided to pin the entire blame on the Clegg brothers so that the surviving brother would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Calvin is Breaking Apart

It seems like the intense operations, daily shootings, and wounded people are taking their toll on Calvin’s mental health, and he has once again started popping pills to silence the voices in his head. However, I guess this time Kayce did notice him hiding his pills in his locker, and he’s likely going to confront his friend in the next episode. Kayce understands what Calvin’s going through, but succumbing to addiction isn’t a great way to deal with your demons, so either Kayce will ask Calvin to step down from his position and get some help, or he will make him promise that he will never touch those pills again no matter what happens. The third episode also briefly mentioned that Belle Skinner’s past life was slowly catching up to her. We know that before joining the Marshals, Belle worked for the ATF, and on one of her covert missions, she had assumed the identity of Isabelle Turek. While the show hasn’t revealed much information about her operation so far, it seemed she had a history with some of the folks in Montana, and now that she was back in these lands, she was crossing paths with the same lot again, and they still recognize her by her past identity. Belle is trying her best to keep those skeletons buried, but we know that sooner or later, her past is going to rear its head and her new friends will eventually help her to sort out the mess.

Someone Leaves A Bullet For Kayce

In episode 3’s ending, Rainwater visited Kayce and told him that he had ended the standoff between him and the mining company and returned their equipment. This means they are going to resume their operations soon enough. The thing is, Rainwater only took Kayce’s advice because he didn’t want innocent people to get hurt in the crossfire. However, he did feel a little dejected, because by letting the oppressors win again, he had disappointed his own people. But trust me, this fight was far from over, as Kayce had some good news for him. So, Kayce had figured out the link between the mine and Rainwater’s failed assassination attempts. In the first episode, the evil corporation had paid the Trail Keepers to take out Rainwater, and now in episode 3, the Clegg brothers attacked him because they had a stake in the company. I am not sure if this evidence will be enough to press charges against them, but hopefully Kayce won’t stop digging until he has brought the perpetrators to justice. But this isn’t going to be easy for him. In the final scene, Kayce found out that someone had left a bullet on his doorstep. It’s a clear warning that someone, likely associated with the mining company, has been keeping an eye on Kayce and his son, and if he won’t stop meddling in their affairs, then they won’t think twice before putting a bullet in him or the only family he has left, that is, his son. Well, this is where things get interesting, right?

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