Spoilers below for the first three episodes of Yellowstone Season 4, so be warned!
For all the foes and villains that have come and gone on Yellowstone across its three seasons and change, it’s hard to imagine co-creator Taylor Sheridan ever introducing any kind of rivalry that comes close to the chaotic authenticity of Beth and Jamie’s relationship. Everything exploded in Season 3 when viewers learned of Beth’s pregnancy, and Jamie’s decision-making regarding the abortion that came after. Season 4 immediately escalated things when she issued a direct threat on her brother’s life, right there in his government office and everything. Now, star Kelly Reilly has shared an update that possibly teases a major and highly anticipated reveal is coming soon, and it won’t be good for Jamie’s health.
Even though it doesn’t appear as if Wes Bentley’s Jamie is responsible for the attacks made on the Dutton family, Beth still has ample reasons to want to rain hell down upon him. And Kelly Reilly makes it seem pretty likely that such hell could be coming soon in the form of Rip mother-flipping Wheeler, even if she doesn’t say it in such terms. In an interview with TVLine, the actress was asked about the likelihood of Beth self-sabotaging her relationship with Cole Hauser’s character over perceived resentment over her biological inability to have children. Here’s how she answered:
Well, she has a secret, doesn’t she, that Rip doesn’t know about. He knows that she can’t have children, but he doesn’t know why.
That would be the first ground-shaking reveal, and it would no doubt turn Rip’s blood to molten lava even if all he knew about was teen Jamie’s terrible choice. But that’s not all, Yellowstone fans, as Kelly Reilly goes the extra mile and hints that she might also drop that second info-bomb on her future husband, lest he find out elsewhere. In her words:
Rip also doesn’t know she was pregnant with his child. So she’s thinking a day might come when he might find out or she will tell him. One would say she should tell him.
Again, none of this was specifically in reference to Jamie Dutton, but in whose Opposite Day reality would Rip hear the news about Beth’s past and not immediately want to rage out on something? I feel sorry for any nearby trashcans, buckets, tables and chairs when he hears the news. But after that initial anguish subsides? That’s when Rip’s strategic mind will kick into high gear, and when Jamie’s face will be all up in his mental crosshairs.
At least, that’s what I think will happen. Reilly goes on to say that Beth may not want to share such confessions with Rip over innate fears that he may choose to break things off. I seriously can’t see THAT being the outcome, since he has never appeared to be someone who would make such drastic and destructive decisions over the topic of child-rearing. That’s all under Beth’s purview.
So even if she wrongly feels responsible for what went down decades prior, Rip’s sense of blame is much more traditional, and if he learns that Jamie is the cause for her sister’s woes, I imagine someone will one day need to sweep up Jamie’s teeth and skull bones from his office floor. Of course, there’s also the notion that Rip may not want to hurt Jamie out of respect for John, since they’re as close as can be in Season 4.
Should Jamie wants someone to blame for any potential ass-whoopings coming to him in the future, he could probably point (broken) fingers at Finn Little’s Carter. The little heather sparked a sense of domestic compassion within Beth, and a sense of tough-love familiarity within Rip, and then immolated it with his immature instincts. Not that Carter is responsible for Jamie’s choices, or for the grizzly bear inside Rip, but still.
While waiting for the next Yellowstone episode, check out what Wes Bentley told CinemaBlend about Jamie’s chances of somehow making it up to Beth — in which he also makes it sound like a Rip-sized storm is brewing — and be sure to tune into Paramount Network every Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET.
