Spoilers below for the latest episode of Yellowstone, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched Episode 10, “The Apocalypse of Change.”
As Yellowstone continues fleshing out what’s presumably its final chapter in the aftermath of John Dutton’s suspicious death, all signs point to Wes Bentley’s Jamie Dutton being raked across the coals, thrown into the iron maiden, racked, quartered, shish-kabobbed and buried in a shallow grave. Beth is 100% convinced he’s behind John’s death, and even Kayce’s taking steps toward contracting his brother’s murder. I think most would agree that the easy bet is on the Attorney General taking a brutal fall very soon.
However, such an assumption perhaps unfairly ignores the secret weapon that has helped Jamie survive within this family for along as he has. And it’s not exactly the kind of thing that Beth and Kayce can properly plan for.
Jamie's Wildly Impulsive Decisions Are What's Kept Him Out Of Trouble
If asked, I'm not sure how many of Jamie's decisions and actions I could name that were surely conceived and crafted with intention. On the flip side, I can think of quite a few situations where Bentley's character either reacted extremely rashly or spoke his mind without considering the consequences.
The first big impulsive decision that changed the scope of Jamie’s life (that we know of, at least) was the permission he granted doctors to sterilize Beth following her abortion. If not for that one, the Dutton siblings’ great divide might not have ever opened up in such a hate-spewing way. But that move wasn’t even made with his own self-preseveration in mind.
Beyond that, one key example to bring up is the way Jamie murdered the investigative reporter Sarah Nguyen in the middle of Season 2. In fact, one might even say it was too impulsive for him to start feeding Sarah truths about the Dutton family and the ranch so soon into their misguided relationship. Then, when she rejected his attempts to recant his statements — out of fear of being disbarred — he succumbed to the intense pressure and strangled her to death.
In Seasons 3 and 4, Jamie reconnected with his biological father Garrett (Will Patton), who didn’t need to do a whole lot to convince Jamie to start buying into his anti-John purview. But then once that relationship blew up in his face and he was stuck between “paying for his past sins” and “expanding his cover-up skills,” Jamie chose the latter path and kills his own flesh and blood in the Season 4 finale, dumping the body at the metaphorical Train Station.
Then we come to his most recent move-set, which completely changed the Dutton family’s path forward. Namely, Jamie impulsively jumped into a sexual and professional relationship with one of Yellowstone’s most untrustworthy characters, Sarah Atwell, and made the mistake of waxing hopeful about John being taken out of the picture. Of course, Sarah took him at his word, and set it all up so that John’s death appeared to be a suicide. And now we’re at a point where Beth has made her umpteenth threat on his life after slapping him around, and it’s seemingly his move.
Will Jamie's Impulsive Actions Lead To Beth, Rip, Or Kayce's Deaths?
I can't imagine having Jamie's blind courage in trying to fill John's vacant set as Governor of Montana, knowing that there is absolutely evidence out there in the world that he's killed multiple people. But that likely just means he'll continue doing whatever is necessary — intelligent or otherwise — in order to secure his spot in the government.
In previews for upcoming episodes, it appears as if Kayce and Jamie get into a physical brawl at some point, with the former tossing his brother across a desk in anger. Is it possible that, in a fit of rage, Jamie will fight back in such a way where he goes too far and seriously injures or kills Kayce?
Elsewhere, Jamie can be seen emotionally distraught on a phone call with 911, although it's entirely unclear how sincere his reaction is, despite looking authentic. It's possible he hurt one of his siblings in a non-lethal way, and genuinely wants them to receive medical help, although that doesn't line up for someone who wants to keep his government gig.
More likely, that phone call is in relation to Beth beating Sarah Atwood within an inch of her life, with Jamie either witnessing it or discovering Sarah's crumpled body after the fact. I really hope it has nothing to do with Jamie's son, though, since that would be a little too unforgivable even for someone like Beth.
How will the resolution of Jamie and Beth's feud reverberate across upcoming Yellowstone shows? Will there be a Season 6 of the mothership show, or will Beth not live long enough to make it? Will any of this get referenced in The Madison spinoff? I'll just place this giant rattlesnake from Teeter's tent on your chest while you think about it.
