Spoilers for Season 3, Episode 7 of Yellowstone entitled “The Beating” are discussed below.
Yellowstone’s big reveal was a life-changer for Jamie. Or at least, a newly enlightened perspective for his life as Jamie Dutton. In the seventh episode of Season 3, Jamie learned that he is adopted, and not a biological relative to the family. Cut to Jamie’s portrayer, Wes Bentley, who has shared that the revelation could lead to something “awful.”
Jamie confronted his father shortly after learning the truth on Yellowstone, to which John defiantly asserted he was just as a supportive father to Jamie as he has been Beth, Kayce, and the late Lee. As of this writing, a poll conducted on CinemaBlend revealed that 58% of readers do not think John has treated Jamie equally. Could Jamie’s boiling resentment spill over in an “awful” way?
Wes Bentley reflected on the scene wherein Jamie learns the startling truth, which was made all the more explosive by the reveal of what became of Jamie’s biological parents. Jamie’s biological father murdered Jamie’s mother when he was a 3-month-old baby. On how all of this impacts Jamie, Bentley told Yellowstone’s Behind the Story:
I can't even describe all of the things that came up in doing the scene where he finds out who he is. It was like a strange combination of 'ah-hah!' and 'oh no' and 'oh my god.' That's who I am. And this realization is gonna bring out something, I think possibly awful because we've already seen the potential in Jamie's temper and anger.
Oh, Jamie! Wes Bentley is right on the mark with this assessment, in my opinion. Jamie seemed to wrestle with what his father said regarding his affection for him. Deep down, I think John knows the truth. In private, John essentially copped to not loving Jamie the same to Beth earlier on Yellowstone.
John is just trying to soothe Jamie’s wrath, which is comprised of years of resentment and righteous confusion. While the Dutton patriarch is unaware of it, Jamie felt a difference. Viewers have seen that disparity play out time and again, and so has Rip. Hence, Yellowstone’s reveal regarding his compassion for Jamie.
Thanks to Jamie’s accomplishments (and John’s love connection), Jamie is now the Attorney General. He is in a position to make John’s life (and his longevity on the ranch) a slice of heaven or hell. As much anger as Jamie has towards John, I think Yellowstone has shown that he ultimately wants his acceptance.
Jamie betrayed John with that interview that he killed to intercept, which tracks with Wes Bentley referencing Jamie’s anger and his capacity to do awful things in the throes of it. The interview Jamie gave was born out of his rage against John in Yellowstone’s first season, and his desperation to cover it up by killing the reporter followed suit.
Yellowstone has put Jamie in a precarious place, and one rash move could send an avalanche of dominos falling down. The revelation of his biological origin story comes on the heels of what Jamie did to Beth getting exposed. John (and the audience) now know that Jamie agreed to Beth unknowingly getting sterilized as part of an abortion she got at 15.
The teaser for the remainder of Yellowstone Season 3 has given rise to numerous theories about what Jamie will do next. Based on what John said at one point, I speculated that Jamie might sell off some of the Duttons’ land behind his back. I am not clear on if that is legally possible, though.
That would be an awful thing for Jamie to do to get back at his dad. Wes Bentley is giving Yellowstone fans something to chew on as they wait for the next episode. Could Jamie get angry enough at his father to hurt him permanently with the buyout? This viewer is not entirely sure at this point.
Jamie loves his dad more than his dad loves him, in my opinion, which fuels my concern that Season 3 could be Jamie’s last. If Jamie crosses John, I think all bets would be off. John is arguably not over the Beth/Jamie reveal.
Find out how if Jamie does an awful thing after when new episodes of Yellowstone air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount Network. After Season 3 finishes airing, this fall’s premieres will arrive to keep fans busy well-ahead of Season 4. To check out what Wes Bentley is referring to with Jamie’s past anger, you can check out his previous actions by binge-watching the first two seasons on NBCUniversal’s new streamer, Peacock.
