*Warning: Spoilers ahead*
After a far-too-long hiatus, Yellowstone finally returned last night with the second half of season five. The premiere episode featured all the expected elements, including leather chaps, herds of livestock and Beth’s nicotine addiction. However, I never expected to develop a soft spot for this widely despised character.
Before I dive into specifics, let’s recap what happens. In a somewhat expected twist, the premiere episode begins with a tragic death. Of course, that person is unsurprisingly John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who is found on the bathroom floor with a gunshot wound to the head.
The first several minutes of the installment are pretty dang emotional, especially when Beth (Kelly Reilly) calls Rip (Cole Hauser) and tells him the news. Still, I must say that I saw it coming. Costner’s early departure from the series was no secret, and series creator Taylor Sheridan had to address his absence in some way—death being the easiest to continue other story lines.
While the police are ruling John’s death a suicide, everyone knows that’s not the case. In the beginning, it’s clear that Jamie (Wes Bentley) is somehow involved. But at the end of the episode, viewers learn the heartbreaking truth. He discussed the possibility of killing his father with his girlfriend, Sarah (Dawn Olivieri), and they never spoke of it again. She took it upon herself to arrange the hit for him, and Jamie’s reaction to this news is quite telling.
This is where things get interesting. I expected to hate Jamie, just like I have in every other season. And while I despised him throughout the first half of the episode, I had a change of heart when he realizes what he’s done. His emotion is raw and deep, and it shows a side of Jamie that I haven’t seen since season one: one that cares for his father.
Knowing Jamie, he’ll probably do something in the next episode that will give me every reason to dislike him again. But for now, I’m going to relish in this unexpected sympathy for Jamie.
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