There’s only one thing we can count on when it comes to “Yellowstone’s” Jamie Dutton: He’ll always look out for himself.
That’s why, as we look ahead to “Yellowstone” Season 5, we’re not sure that the Duttons will ever fully be able to trust Jamie again. He’s run away and come back to them so many times before. And each time, his transgressions against the family get a little bit larger and larger as he begs for more forgiveness.
But there might not be any forgiveness left in John Dutton’s heart. Not after Jamie ran for governor and betrayed the ranch by leasing the land to Market Equities. And especially not after Beth learned a hard truth: That Jamie’s biological father ordered the attacks on them. And Jamie knew about it.
If Jamie had done the right thing and told the Duttons as soon as he knew, things might be different. But at that moment, halfway through “Yellowstone” Season 4, Jamie chose himself and his new family over the one that raised him. He let Garrett Randall talk him into keeping it a secret.
This only proved Beth’s point about her adopted brother. That, no matter what, Jamie’s self-interests will always outweigh anyone else’s wellbeing.
Jamie Dutton Always Takes the ‘Easy Way Out’ on ‘Yellowstone’
We’ve seen this as early as “Yellowstone” Season 1. Rather than give up on his dreams of becoming Attorney General, Jamie decides to run without his father’s blessing. This only blows up in his face when John supports another candidate. And when Jamie loses the ranch’s resources, he decides to wound his father where he thinks it’ll hurt the most.
Jamie talks to a New York Times reporter in Season 2 to drag John Dutton’s name through the mud. Just as the reporter is wrapping up the story, though, Jamie decides he wants to be accepted back into the family. And rather than taking responsibility for ruining his relationship with his father over the article, Jamie takes a drastic measure. He kills the reporter before she publishes.
You’d hope this would be the last time that Jamie Dutton uses murder to take the easy way out. But no, he does it AGAIN in “Yellowstone” Season 4. When Beth backs Jamie into a corner during the finale, she presents him with three options. Of those three options, two directly involve Jamie going to prison or dying. Instead, Jamie chooses option number three, which is to kill his own biological father.
Once again, rather than take responsibility for his actions, Jamie goes for the path of “least resistance” in his mind. He murders his father, only for Beth to get him on video with the body. Now, she “owns” Jamie and his position as Attorney General. But as soon as another easy way out presents itself, we just know that Jamie will take it.
