‘Yellowstone’ Just Smacked Us with Another Major Death
Over the past two weeks, Yellowstone fans have suffered from an “apocalypse of change.” Don’t look at me! That’s what Taylor Sheridan called it. John Dutton is dead, and his fans have no idea how to process it. Some viewers stopped watching the series altogether. After all, what is Yellowstone without Kevin Costner? Other viewers broke out the corkboard and twine to put together conspiracies about John Dutton faking his own death. I don’t see Costner returning. But at the same time, I couldn’t tell you what happens next.
Neither can Yellowstone. There are only four episodes left before the series (likely) ends forever, and I still feel like Sheridan is taking his sweet time. There are enough Texas flashbacks and product placement for 6666 Ranch vodka to suggest that Yellowstone thought it had more time. I wouldn’t fault you for asking why Yellowstone didn’t just make one final episode—opposed to this strange back nine of lukewarm episodes—and call it a day.
Investigating John Doe-tton
Interestingly, this week’s episode backtracks to show the actual assassination squad working to stage John Dutton’s murder. Beth (Kelly Reilly) gasps as they fire the bullet. Though she’s driving back from Texas, she feels the impact psychosomatically. “Something’s wrong,” she tells Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) over the phone. At the same time, Kayce (Luke Grimes) wakes up from a nightmare. “It wasn’t a dream,” he says. If we’re entering the supernatural on Yellowstone, I’m here for it.
Back in the present, Kayce travels to the coroner’s office and orders a toxicology report. He watches over the doctor as she works, directing her to investigate the body as a potential homicide. They find abrasions on his toes, proving that he was dragged across the floor. The doctor also uncovers bruises on the back of his legs. “This does show signs that he was forcibly restrained,” she tells Kayce. He asks the right questions, and he receives the right answers. She changes the cause of death to “undetermined” so that Kayce can reopen the case. “I’m sorry I missed it,” she tells him. “You’re supposed to miss it,” Kayce responds.
Next he investigates the murder weapon. It’s a service pistol from the Livestock Office—meaning that security footage should show men breaking in to steal it. “We may never find out who did it, but we can find out who paid for it,” Kayce tells the detective. Then he drives to Jamie’s (Wes Bentley) office and throws his adopted brother onto his desk like he's a wrestler. Jamie pleads for his life. He couldn’t say anything in front of Beth last episode, but he says a lot once Kayce shows some force.
“Do you think I could do anything to our father?” Jamie asks. “How do I benefit from that? I’m out of the will, and there’s no way back in now.” Um … Jamie, you just said last week that the next step was to amend John’s will. “I was as shocked as you are,” he continues. “I don’t have family anymore. And yet, I still fight to protect that place.” Again, it’s a weird thing to say when everyone knows that he’s sleeping with the enemy. Kayce tells Jamie that he hopes he’s speaking the truth, “for your sake and mine.”
Governor Steve
Some guy named Steve is sworn in as Montana’s new governor. Not Steve Bullock, the real former governor of Montana. This Steve is a new character played by actor Gareth Williams. Steve’s first course of action as governor is to immediately hold a meeting with Jamie about the future of the Dutton ranch. This is somehow the most important task at hand for Montana’s executive branch, and I wouldn’t expect that to change just because John Dutton is dead. “My siblings will never sell,” Jamie says. “If we want it, we have to take it.”
Later in the episode, Steve holds his first assembly. He announces that he’s siding with Market Equities and undoing all the work that John did to protect the ranch from the evil corporation’s airport plans. He also recuses Jamie from any business involving his father. That means Jamie can’t touch his father’s will while the investigation remains ongoing. Even worse, Steve will take his place in meetings for the airport with Market Equities.
“We either sell [the land] or we lose it,” Beth tells Kayce after the announcement. “He left us with no other option.”
What Will the Duttons Do with the Ranch?
Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) arrives on the Dutton ranch. He complained about a pipeline poisoning his water supply in the mid-season premiere, but he was absent last episode. Now he might just be the Duttons’ saviour. “I’m available if you need help,” Thomas tells Beth. “There’s no way this place stays whole, but how much of it can stay as it was? Pristine. The way it was when my grandparents walked it.”
Do you have a plan? Is there some way that we can expand the reservation into Dutton territory? Is that something that would even interest Beth? “There is no preserving this place,” she says. “Just prolonging its collapse.” Who knows what will happen to the ranch? Tourists can’t even stay at the real Yellowstone Dutton Ranch anymore. So Beth promises to bury her father and the adversaries who destroyed his dream on the very same day.
Speaking of her adversaries, Jamie and Sarah (Dawn Olivieri) panic when the detective reopens the case. New governor Steve also orders Jamie to recuse himself from both the investigation and any business involving his father until the matter is settled. Jamie and Sarah bicker and slap each other before she leaves the house. Then assassins take her out. They pose as friendly neighbours asking for directions before they point a gun and shoot. Jamie hears the whole attack over the phone.
Now that the investigation is back open, it seems as if our paid mercenaries are covering their tracks. Sarah Atwood is dead—and by the hand of even more nameless hitmen. Maybe Sheridan jumbled up his shows and forgot this wasn’t Lioness. Hopefully we'll see Beth vs. Jamie by the end of all this madness.
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