Spoilers for Yellowstone Season 3, Episode 3 entitled “An Acceptable Surrender” are discussed below.
Yellowstone’s latest episode featured one of the most dramatic endings of its run, mainly due to the life-and-death cliffhanger. (You can make it, Jimmy!) The moments leading up to the Jimmy calamity were not too shabby for drama either as John Dutton’s romantic relationship with the governor took a turn. Lynelle wants Jamie and Kayce to get promoted.
After hearing what Roarke’s forces have in store for the Duttons, Lynelle took action. Upon arriving at the rodeo, the governor angled for John to agree to Jamie becoming the Attorney General. What about the position of livestock commissioner? Lynelle indicated to John that she would pressure Kayce to take over the post. Has she not watched Yellowstone? Or is she new to Season 3?
Lynelle is not. Kayce (and Beth) already turned down the position, which is why John hesitantly gave it to Jamie in the Season 3 premiere. Yellowstone surprised me by already putting this switch-up in the cards. Jamie just settled into his position as livestock commissioner, covertly working through a scandal right as he started.
What would Jamie say to becoming Attorney General? It is tough to say. Remembering our Yellowstone history, this is the position that Jamie was so desperate for that he defied his father to keep running. Thus, leading him to betray John to the press with an apparently explosive interview.
Jamie was willing to kill to keep its contents a secret, and Yellowstone viewers are also in the dark as to what he revealed. For John, the combination of the Attorney General’s office and Jamie has to make for a bitter pill to swallow. It speaks to Lynelle’s romantic relationship with John that she seemed to persuade him to consider it.
John is only starting to build trust with Jamie again after his fury over Jamie’s betrayal. Lynelle is in the Duttons’ corner, but Beth does not like her (a recurring theme with Beth). So, it gives me pause about the governor. Maybe it is Beth being possessive of her dad, and not wanting him to move on.
However, I have always thought there may be something more to it. Lynelle uses her romantic entanglement to persuade John when others cannot make progress. This power move is solely a push by the governor (who is also John’s sort-of girlfriend) to help John with the Roarke/takeover situation. She thinks having Jamie in that position could be beneficial. Will it be as Yellowstone Season 3 unravels?
Will John actually agree to do it? That is the million-dollar question. I think John will agree for Jamie to be Attorney General, and Kayce will somehow be persuaded to take over as livestock commissioner. Kayce has a heart for his family and the ranch. Will getting this position lead to Jamie’s death? There are hints that Jamie is not long for Yellowstone.
Jamie being face-to-face with the Attorney General position again seems so full circle. Could John’s girlfriend have set Jamie on a fatal path? I am curious to hear what the fiery Beth will have to say about this plan. While she does not like Lynelle (or Jamie), Yellowstone has taught us that Beth knows Jamie has his uses.
Find out what happens with John’s sons when new episodes of Yellowstone air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount Network. Season 3 will be airing throughout this summer. If you want to see John’s romance with Lynelle develop, you can watch past seasons when they become available on NBCUniversal’s upcoming streamer, Peacock. It launches nationally on July 15.
