IS KAYCE DUTTON FINALLY MOVING ON… OR WALKING INTO A TRAP?

For an entire year, Kayce has been a man frozen in grief, carrying the heavy weight of Monica’s loss. But Marshals Episode 7 just changed EVERYTHING.

Enter Dolly Weaver.

Just as Kayce takes a painful step toward moving forward, a spark ignites. But nothing is ever simple for a Dutton. With Dolly comes the powerful Weaver family—and when a romantic connection suddenly turns into a calculated business play for East Camp, Kayce finds himself at a major crossroads.

Is he finally giving himself permission to feel something other than heartbreak? Or is he opening his door to a dangerous new set of complications?

The April 12 episode of “Marshals” was basically one long therapy session for Kayce — and an effective one at that, forcing him to confront his residual anger towards his father and his developing guilt about Monica.

Let’s start with the daddy issues first, shall we? The Marshals’ latest assignment found them hunting down an ex-con believed to be targeting a federal judge and her family — a husband named Blake and a daughter named Fallon, because someone on the “Marshals” writing staff is clearly a “Dynasty” fan. And just like “Dynasty,” this episode delivered a twist: it was Blake, not his wife, who was being targeted. You see, Blake had been secretly working as an international arms dealer under the cover of his non-profit organization for years, causing both his wife and his daughter to wonder if they ever really knew him at all.

That’s when Kayce-fucius dropped this nugget of wisdom on Fallon: “No father is perfect. Once you realize he was just trying to protect you in his own messed up way, your anger will fade. I just hope that if you ever do decide to forgive him, he’s still around to hear it.” And just like that, it sounds like Kayce has made peace with the late, not-so-great John Dutton.

And that’s not the only time Kayce’s gem of a father was discussed this week. Earlier in the hour, Fallon asked Kayce if he ever thought about who killed John, since apparently “people on social media were obsessed with trying to figure out who did it.” He said he doesn’t really think about it, though “Yellowstone” viewers know the truth — Kayce is fully aware that John’s death was orchestrated by Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), but a Dutton knows when to keep their mouth shut.

Kayce weighs two very different offers from the Weavers

Now for the other demon Kayce tackled this week: his feelings of guilt about potentially pursuing a new relationship after Monica’s death. As of last week’s episode, it has officially been one year since her passing, but he hasn’t made himself available — much to the dismay of Dolly Weaver (Ellyn Jameson), who couldn’t be more obvious about wanting to get her lasso around him.

The episode began with Kayce finally making good on “maybe” promising to show Dolly around Montana. They rode some horses, they swapped complicated backstories, it was a lovely afternoon. But things got uncomfortable when Dolly’s father invited Kayce to dine on some elk he just shot. The dinner turned into a business proposal, with Weaver asking to buy Kayce’s ranch to make it part of his cattle operation.

The dinner table has always been a no-work zone for the Duttons, so Kayce awkwardly brought the meal to an early end. “We can both come out winners,” Weaver said on his way out. “Think it over.” Dolly apologized for her dad’s behavior, swearing that she had no idea he was going to ask that. “We were having fun until he ruined it, weren’t we?” she asked, attempting to salvage the evening. But it was beyond salvaging, as she learned when Kayce pulled away from her attempt at a goodnight kiss.

Kayce admitted to Andrea that he felt like he was cheating on Monica with Dolly (“As much as you and I focus on avenging our dead, I guess we can betray them too”), but she assured him that he’s got it all wrong. It’s not cheating, it’s just making room for someone new. She asked how John handled romance after his wife died, and Kayce rightfully explained that John’s anger and grief were all consuming, leaving no room for anything or anyone else. Andrea asked if Kayce thought that’s how Monica would want him to live, which he took into serious consideration.

It remains to be seen whether Kayce will open himself up to love again, but he did literally ride off into the sunset — OK, sunrise — with Dolly at the end of the episode, so we have a feeling it won’t be much longer.

Belle shares a secret (and a kiss!) with Cal

Kayce wasn’t the only Marshal who found himself navigating rocky relationship waters this week. Cal began the hour by visiting the hospital to discuss some ongoing pain — which is concerning in and of itself — and ended up spotting Belle’s husband Jared out with another woman. Not wanting to overstep any boundaries, Cal remained tight-lipped about what he saw, despite dropping some very obvious hints to Belle about fractured marriages throughout the episode.

Once their latest mission was completed, Belle and Cal celebrated with a co-workers night in at HQ, complete with a few drinks too many. (Technically isn’t one drink at work too many? This isn’t “Mad Men.”) With a little liquid courage, Cal finally told Belle what he saw, only for Belle to respond with an even more surprising revelation: she and Jared are in an open marriage.

“Not that I have to justify anything,” Belle said before immediately justifying it, “but people change. Years go by. My work undercover kept us apart. Things slipped away.” She and Jared are only staying married to maintain a sense of normalcy for their son, which Cal acknowledged must be an awfully lonely way to live. Then came the moment we’ve been waiting for since Episode 1 — a sloppy, drunk kiss that both Belle and Cal immediately regretted, so they blamed it on the a-a-a-alcohol and called it a night.

Miles makes a move on Maddie

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Miles also found himself pierced by Cupid’s arrow this week, setting the stage for some awkwardness at work down the line — you know, as if there wasn’t already enough tension at HQ between Belle and Cal.

During this week’s first trip to the Bullet ‘n Barrel, the gang pressed Miles for the tea on his dating life, which until this point has been nonexistent. He confided in them that there is someone he likes, but they’re from two different worlds; he has no experience with women outside of the reservation, and Kayce was no help, since Monica was the last girl he asked out way back in high school.

But post-mission Miles was an entirely different story. After a bit more gassing up from his teammates, Miles confidently declared that he was finally ready to make his move, walking over to… Maddie?! OK plot twist. She happily accepted his offer for a date, adding that she had hoped he was interested in her. That’s when things took a slight turn for ol’ Miles. After assuring Maddie that he’s a confident guy, she replied, “You must be, asking out your boss’ daughter.”

Maddie being Cal’s daughter isn’t new information to us, but by the look on Miles’ face, we’re thinking he wasn’t quite as familiar with their family tree.

OK, let’s talk: What did you think of this week’s “Marshals”? Are you ready to see Kayce start dating after losing Monica, and do you really trust that Dolly isn’t cozying up to Kayce on her family’s behalf? Are you rooting for Cal and Belle after seeing their obvious chemistry? And did Miles’ interest in Maddie take you by surprise? Drop a comment with your thoughts on the episode below.