Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the entirety of Yellowstone Season 4, so be warned!
After putting viewers through all manner of emotional havoc during the stretch between Seasons 3 and 4, Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan offered something of a respite with “Grass on the Streets and Weeds on the Rooftops” and its comparatively minor cliffhanger situations. (Even though one scene basically took place on an actual cliff.) With everything that went down in the finale and the episodes prior, fans still have a lot to think about ahead of Season 5, even if we, thankfully, won’t be driven bonkers with worry regarding any of the Duttons dying in the meantime.
While waiting to hear when Paramount Network’s ratings-crushing western drama will return for its fifth season, here are some of the biggest Yellowstone Season 4 questions I have after the finale. And no, “How is Cal’s self esteem?” is not one of them. Get over it, Cal.
Will John Actually Stay In The Running To Be Montana’s Next Governor?
Considering John’s campaign announcement was such a needle drop for Jamie’s intentions and assumptions in Episode 407, it’s kind of weird that Yellowstone kind of sidestepped that angle in subsequent episodes, beyond Jamie watching news coverage about it.
John clearly isn’t doing a whole lot of planning in that respect, and has spent more time killing criminals than wooing potential voters. But, maybe now that the Dutton family has achieved its ultimate revenge for the attacks that closed out Season 3, he’ll have more time to bring his not-exactly-grassroots campaign to life. That is, unless John and Beth adjust course to give Jamie a shot at the Governorship, if only because he’s back to being their puppet.
Will John And Beth Be On Better Terms, Or Is Their Bond Forever Cracked?
Following John and Beth’s hyper-awkward confrontation in Season 4’s penultimate episode, fans were worried that TV’s most hardcore father-daughter duo might be on opposite sides of an ever-expanding rift. The finale did attempt to fill that chasm with concrete (and possibly a body or two), but nobody ever forgets being the target of a parent’s unadulterated disappointment, and Beth’s actions were driven more by sheer loyalty than her usual embrace of sheer chaos.
I mean, she barely seemed to enjoy making Jamie her pawn once more, even if it’s essentially her life force at this point outside of wine and whiskey. So, will Season 5 feature John working to win back Beth’s favor, or will this be the status quo for the remainder of the series’ run?
How Hard Is Caroline Going To Fuck Over Beth And The Other Duttons?
Rarely has Yellowstone inspired the kind of manic glee that came about when Caroline Warner justifiably raked Beth over the coals for her duplicitous (and illegal) actions as a Market Equities employee. Jacki Weaver has brought the snap-snap-snap energy into each of her appearances in Season 4, but it sounds like she’s going to be around a lot more next season with her attempts to, per her rant, erect a public restroom in the middle of the Dutton family home. (To say nothing of raping the rest of the land.)
Obviously, fans have good reason to believe that the Duttons are going to win any kind of war that Caroline wages against them. But, considering how blatantly obviously Beth messed things up, in part to fuck over Bob Schwartz, it’s going to take a mighty big swing (or twelve) to knock Market Equities back a step in Season 5.
How Hard Is Beth Going To Fuck Over Jamie?
I like to think that each time Caroline Warner takes a swipe at Beth, Kelly Reilly’s character will then compound her rage into something she can use against Jamie. Even if that’s not exactly the case, it’s easy to imagine Beth finding increasingly hostile ways to make Jamie do the family’s bidding, whether it involves sweeping legal issues under the rug, “taking care” of unwanted threats, or even just mowing the grass when it gets too long. That said, Beth’s pic(s) of Jamie with Garrett’s body aren’t the most incriminating, so I do wonder whether he’s going to get fed up and rebel at some point.
How Will Jamie’s Family Life Implode After Garrett’s Murder?
I know I’m not the only viewer who felt that Christina’s arrival in Season 4 with Jamie’s son was a pretty calculated return, even beyond her very transparent goals to see the Attorney General’s career rise in spite of the Duttons, who barely claim him as family anymore. She probably would have fought for him to talk Beth into letting him go with Option 1 to keep things as legally agreeable as possible.
But, now that Jamie has ended his biological father’s life and dumped the body, thus cementing his state as the family’s whipping boy, does it seem likely even for a second that Christina will stick around to witness that unenviable downward spiral? I suspect that Jamie better get all the quality time he can with his li’l dude, because that relationship might not be allowed to grow much longer.
Will Kayce And Monica Figure Out Their Relationship Obstacles?
I am not at all sure what to make of this storyline, which calls back to Kayce’s wolf connection that began forming in Season 3. It appears as if Kayce’s psychological gut instinct is that his and Monica’s relationship is headed for a doomsday, and she seems to understand that this was a potential outcome. (I mean, the season did start with her telling him that she hated him, so it’s not completely out of left field, I guess.)
His visions in the finale involved a ghastly version of his brother Lee, a sexual connection with Avery and a kill-or-be-killed military endeavor, so it’s safe to say that Kayce's mental struggles extend out and have affected more than just his marital relationship. As much as he’d like to keep all of those wounds buried, his tribe-endorsed journey proved that he needs to take a more direct approach in healing himself. And assuming that doesn’t take several decades, there’s a good chance Monica will still be there to embrace him when he's centered anew.
What Will Beth And Rip Be Like Now That They’re Married?
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say they’re going to be just as ruggedly adorable, just as sexy and swagger-licious, just as fiery and contemptuous as they’ve ever been. Just now with the knowledge that they were unofficially wed by an understanding priest that Beth abducted at gunpoint. I guess I’m technically still worried about whatever emotional devastation is coming regarding their inability to bear children together, but hopefully that’s still years away.
Could Jimmy And Emily Make Cameos?
Season 4 finally, officially, closed the barn doors on Jefferson White’s star status on Yellowstone, as he and co-star Kathryn Kelly will be heading up the cast of the 6666 spinoff set to explore happenings at the Texas-set ranch.
But, does that mean we won’t get to see Jimmy and Emily at all anymore on the mothership series in the future? Or could they possibly make a return here and there, similar to how Taylor Sheridan’s Travis pops up now and again to show his rodeo skills off? It’s looking like the Four Sixes series is going to debut before Season 5 arrives, so fans may need to wait for timelines to match up before such crossover fun can happen.
Is Mia Going Away For Good Now?
Related to the above distinction of Jimmy no longer being a Yellowstone character, per se, I have to wonder if Eden Brolin’s Mia is going to stick around the bunkhouse to keep Laramie company (when the latter isn’t angling to bone Walker). Part of me wants her to get so frustrated with the ranch that she goes away for good, while another part of me begrudgingly wants her to fully redeem herself for her part in Jimmy’s past woes. Even if that just mainly involves embarrassing Ryan at cards on a weekly basis.
Is Anybody Ever Going To Find Roarke’s Body, Or Any Of The Ones In Wyoming?
Considering how often Yellowstone characters put forth the effort to drive across state lines to dump the results of their murderous handiwork, it read as strangely bizarre for Rip to take Roarke out so publicly via snake, and without doing anything with the body. Sure, it looked like an accident and all, but did anyone ever actually find his body?
Also, is there ever going to be a point when someone finds all the bodies that the Yellowstone crew have been putting to pasture in Wyoming? That might make for a suspenseful arc in the final season, after an entire canyon fills up with bullet-ridden corpses. I can’t imagine Taylor Sheridan would give this justice-fueled drama the metaphorical Train Station plot device without being inspired, at least a little, to hold someone accountable for all those deaths.
Can Jamie Hire New Assistants That Actually Warn Him When Beth Is There?
This perhaps isn’t the most important question going into Season 5, but it’s 100% as relevant as anything else. On the flip side, I guess if Yellowstone could convincingly show viewers that Jamie has lots of mystery meetings each day that go resoundingly well for him, I could understand why he isn’t instantly dismayed anytime he’s told someone is waiting in his office, without that person being identified. It’s basically always Beth! Stop hiding the truth, assistants!
Yellowstone is all done with Season 4 for now, with Season 5 reportedly set to go into production in May. Fans can always catch repeats on Paramount Network, with the first three seasons available to stream on Peacock. Meanwhile, 1883 is going strong on Paramount+, with Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Isabel May laying out the Dutton’s trek across America.
