If you think that Roarke’s handling of John Dutton on Yellowstone has not been great, then you are not alone. Josh Holloway thinks Roarke is underestimating John too. Throughout Yellowstone’s third season, Roarke has been working overtime to take the Duttons’ land. He has yet to come face-to-face with John in Season 3, though.
Yellowstone viewers saw a tease of Roarke meeting and clashing with John Dutton in the midseason trailer. The scene has yet to play out, which should mean the “jaw-dropping” Season 3 finale contains it. So, what is Roarke’s assessment of John? Speaking with CinemaBlend, Josh Holloway told me:
I think Roarke way underestimates John Dutton. He just sees John Dutton as another kind of relic. Somebody trying to hold onto something that they are not going to be capable to hold onto, that they are not going to be able to afford, and that their pride is gonna make them lose everything, and he says as much to Beth. So, I think he’s just another deal.
If you paid attention to the teasers heading into Season 3, then you've known for a while that Roarke would be a major player this season on Yellowstone. This is the guy that bragged about the Duttons’ days as the largest landowners in the valley almost coming to an end. Well, not if Beth and her father have anything to say about it.
Josh Holloway broke down how Roarke and his company do business, believing they pretty much have the Dutton situation sorted. They have undoubtedly made massive strides. Roarke’s right-hand associate, Willa Hayes, informed Beth that she is out of a job and that Market Equities now has controlling ownership of Beth’s former employer. Next up is facing John Dutton. Speaking about Roarke’s company, Holloway told me:
They do deals all over the world and I’m sure Roarke thinks he’s dealt with way tougher characters than this guy. So, he’s being a bit too cocky in underestimating ole’ John Dutton, I think. But he looks at him like that. Just another deal, staunch ole’ relic, got to step on him. But he’s trying to, at least, make him a fair deal at first. Appeal to them a little bit, but then yeah. He likes Beth. I think that’s why he’s really gonna make them the best deal he can 'cause he likes her. But if they ain’t gonna take it, he’s gonna squash em’. He’s gonna squash John Dutton, so there you go.
If only it was that simple for Roarke. The Duttons seem destined to prevail. Yellowstone is named after their ranch, so I would at least anticipate them succeeding to some degree. Of course, the show has taken some shocking directions this season. In the end, you never know. One thing you can be more sure of is what Roarke thinks of John’s eldest living son.
Roarke and Jamie met earlier on Yellowstone when Willa shared Market Equities’ offer for the Duttons’ land. The proposal was incredibly lucrative. They offered the Duttons a whopping $500 million (yes, half a billion) for the property. Since then, Jamie has fallen out of favor with his father over the Beth situation. He has always been the family’s wild card, and Roarke knows it. Holloway told me:
Well, he [Roarke] recognizes right away, like I said, that’s what he does. He’s a deal-maker. He recognizes right away the way in, and Jamie is the chink. He doesn’t see him as a weak link, he just sees him as the chink in their armor, and the only one that might listen to some reason, and some logic. But he sees him also because, you know, Jamie works in the government and Roarke deals with city governments and dealing with building cities, so he knows who to go to. He’ll go to one person for this, but when he’s actually going to get it done, he knows who to look for and so Jamie is his obvious way in. That’s his way in, and so he’s going for it right away.
Jamie did eventually take Roarke and Willa’s offer to Kayce to present to Beth, who ultimately took it to John. The Dutton patriarch was unmoved by all the zeroes that comprised the price tag for the property. John is staying true to his promise to his father as revealed last season, and nothing is going to make him budge.
Could Jamie be Roarke’s way in after all is said and done? Wes Bentley has teased that the recent revelation regarding Jamie’s adoption could lead to something “awful.” Jamie had not appeared particularly vengeful on Yellowstone lately. He is just trying to get to know his biological father amid John’s claims about Garrett Randall.
John thinks he has loved Jamie equally to his other children. Time will tell if his treatment of Jamie ends up giving Roarke the edge he needs to overpower the Duttons somehow. Even though, at this point, Roarke seems to be running away with the scoreboard. Never count the Duttons out on Yellowstone!
Find out what happens between Roarke and John Dutton when the Season 3 finale of Yellowstone airs this Sunday, August 23, at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount Network. This fall’s premieres will be around to help you wait for Season 4. You can refresh your memory on John Dutton’s past power moves during Yellowstone’s first two seasons on NBCUniversal’s new streamer, Peacock. Do you think the Duttons can defeat Roarke? Vote below.
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