Why does Beth Dutton hate her brother Jamie so much on the hit show, Yellowstone? That is one of the big questions that has loomed over the series ever since Season 1. Things have arguably grown even more acidic between the siblings in Season 2, with Beth’s constant barrage of insults recently culminating in her harshly telling Jamie to kill himself.
What led to this toxic rift, and why on earth is Beth so continually cruel to her brother? Kelly Reilly, who portrays the barbed Beth, weighed in on the Yellowstone scene where Beth refused to let up on Jamie. On the character's feelings towards her brother, Reilly said this on the show's "Behind the Story" featurette:
Kind of understand what's important to Beth, which is loyalty and selflessness, and they are two things that Jamie doesn't hold within himself. He's incapable of it, in her mind. That particular scene when he is full of his own demons of what he's done, he sees himself and she says, 'You now see yourself the way I've always seen you.'
Something big must have led Beth to think that Jamie is such a selfish and disloyal member of the family. She seemed to have felt that way long before Yellowstone’s current season. He did give that damaging interview in Season 1, but that came after a falling out with his father. Up until that point, his sense of loyalty seemed pretty consistent.
What drives Beth to make all of these vitriolic comments, then? The rage pre-dates him killing the reporter this season, so that is not the reason. Is there a cause behind the siblings’ long-standing tension that Yellowstone viewers have yet to be made privy too?
Here's an interesting take from star Wes Bentley about the sibling rivalry:
There's obviously something big for Beth that Jamie did that I'm not fully certain Jamie's aware of. . . I get the feeling that what Beth feels like happened Jamie might not even have any idea that whatever happened had this kind of impact.
Sounds like Jamie unwittingly stumbled into something controversial. On that note, what could Jamie have done without having the ability to fully realize that what he was doing was something terrible for Beth? This viewer is having a tough time coming up with a lot of possibilities.
READ: Yellowstone Stars Shed Mysterious Light On Beth And Jamie's Past
For another thing, why doesn't Jamie ever just ask her why she hates him? Does this, in and of itself, hint that a part of him already knows something about the answer? Maybe, he did something that he thinks it would be impossible for her to know about. Hence, his inability to link his actions to Beth’s hate for him. As long as he stays quiet, he might think he's not risking any reveals.
I’m intensely curious to find out whatever that big secret is, and am glad to know that Yellowstone viewers may eventually learn the answer. Kelly Reilly discussed Beth telling Jamie to kill himself in last week’s episode, saying:
Does she mean it? I don't know. It's brutal. When I read it, I-- I-- I really had a hard time with that line. . . To say that to someone, there must have been some...deep, deep betrayal. How hot Beth can go and how mean she can be... There's something to it, there's a tension in there. It's gonna be interesting for all of us when we do find out whatever happened between them.
I am so ready to find out what it is. Does their father John (Kevin Costner) know about it? That could be critical, depending on the answer. John told Beth to go easier on Jamie, and she responded saying he does not love Jamie. Of all his children, she indicated he only loved her and Kayce, and John did not deny it.
Beth has had some soft moments with Jamie in the past, which means there is not all hate there. She even said some nice things about Jamie when she convinced him to come back home. What causes her to revert back to hating him most of the time, though, is a mystery.
Beth seems to get the most upset when either her father or Rip is mistreated. For instance, she was not shy about sharing her displeasure with John over his game-changing move with the ranch earlier this season. John explained his thinking behind his decision, and Beth seemed to calm down.
Given that Rip does not seem to have an issue with Jamie and her father does, maybe Jamie did something to John himself? It seems plausible, and it would explain why John did not tell Beth to lay off Jamie sooner.
Speaking of John, here is a clip from tonight’s episode of Yellowstone. Season 2, Episode 8 entitled “Behind Us Only Grey.” In it, John holds a crucial meeting with his rivals to discuss their Malcolm Beck problem. Check it out:
Exciting! The final three episodes of Yellowstone are coming, and an intense trailer teased what is on its way. After last week’s brutal installment saw Malcolm Beck become Dutton enemy #1, the family is gearing up to take him out. How Jamie and Beth’s troubled relationship will come into play is another story.
2019 Fall TV Premiere Schedule: Dates For New And Returning Shows
Tune in to see if viewers ever learn why Beth hates Jamie so much when new episodes of Yellowstone Season 2 air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on the Paramount Network.
