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Marshals · Season 1 · Episode 13

Wolves at the Door (Season 1, Episode 13)

Premise: After gunmen ambush Thomas Rainwater on his way to Washington, Kayce shelters him at East Camp, where a mercenary crew attacks, while Andrea prepares to leave the unit.

Air date
Season/Episode
Season 1, Episode 13
Case
Mercenary attack on Rainwater
Starring
Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), Pete “Cal” Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos), Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means), Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill), Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), Mo (Mo Brings Plenty), Harry Gifford (Brett Cullen), Maddie Calvin (Morgan Lindholm)
Yellowstone ties
Kayce tells Weaver his family has held its land for almost 150 years, and when he sends the ranch hands home he expects Tate to stay with his Grandpa Long.
Music
Songs include Presley Haile’s “Dog in the Cold,” Channing Wilson’s “Running Down a Song,” Blackberry Smoke’s “Little Bit Crazy” and Liam St. John and Houndmouth’s “Devil in Disguise.”
Guest stars
Chris Mulkey as Tom Weaver, Ellyn Jameson as Dolly Weaver, Gary Nohealii as Nathan Irons, Eddie Aguirre as Jared, Kevin McNamara as Jeb
Director
Christopher Chulack
Writers
Spencer Hudnut

Summary

The Case

“Wolves at the Door” centers on an attempt on Thomas Rainwater’s life: gunmen fire on his vehicle as he heads to the airport for his Senate appearance against the rare earth mine. He takes refuge at East Camp under guard by tribal officer Cameron Standing Bear, and suspicion falls on Council Member Nathan Irons, who knew of the trip. While Cal, Belle and Andrea stake out a motel for the fugitive Rudy Carpenter, the attackers kill the officer and jam the ranch’s phones. Kayce rides out and reaches Cal, who abandons the stakeout and calls in Miles. At least ten gunmen storm the house; the marshals, Rainwater and Mo fight them off, and Kayce apologizes to Tate, who has had to kill one of the attackers.

The dead men turn out to be foreign special operations veterans led by a South African, Lance Blaine, paid through the same hidden channels that funded the Trailkeepers’ rally bombing. The slain officer had called Irons’s office, and the team finds Irons dead in his car of an apparent suicide. The next morning the coroner finds defensive wounds and no powder burns on Irons, pointing to murder, and Andrea notices camera footage of an East Camp ranch hand making a phone call soon after Rainwater arrived.

The Team

Earlier, Belle puts Cal on a cancer diet and books him with an oncologist in Salt Lake City, and Rainwater tells Miles that a suspended marshal can no longer help his cause. Kayce turns down Tom Weaver’s formal offer for East Camp, calling the ranch the one thing he can hold on to, and tells the team he will start an equine therapy center for veterans named after Garrett. Gifford then reveals that Andrea, who has told no one, leaves for the Washington office the next day.

After the attack, Cal returns Miles to desk duty, and the unit throws Andrea a farewell party. Miles dances with Maddie before leaving for Washington with Rainwater, and Maddie offers Cal a chance to talk, calling him Dad. At her son’s school fundraiser, Belle admits a $20,000 gambling debt to her husband, Jared, who refuses to help.

Andrea says goodbye before her flight. Rainwater’s testimony wins a 60-day halt to work on the mine while other sites are reviewed. Weaver invites Tate bass fishing in Texas, Dolly stays in Montana, and Belle tells Cal she will go with him to Salt Lake City.

Spoiler, the ending: Cal and the team force their way into the ranch hand’s home near Bozeman and find him dead. In the last scene an unidentified figure reports to a superior that the matter has been handled, leaving whoever is behind the attacks on Rainwater unidentified as the season ends.

Why it stands out

Themes

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