The biggest show on cable television Yellowstone promised high action in its season four finale but fell short of expectations set by how well the series has been in the past. The land battle over one of the largest ranches in Montana and the excentric family who runs it has captivated viewers of all demographics that can’t get enough. Each installation of the show has done a good job of closing down chapters in its previous finales but has left enough meat on the bone for the next season. This issue with season four is it seems its whole purpose was a setup for season five which may be the conclusion to the blockbuster show. If you aren’t caught up stop reading here, spoilers ahead!
The previous episode had left us on a cliffhanger with Kayce Dutton in the wilderness on a vision quest with Chief Rainwater and his right hand Mo. We find him out in the cold seeing evil visions of his brother outside the flower ring of protection left by the native elders. Once the dark visions subsided a young woman shows him that he will face two paths in his life and he wakes up to the chief returning. When he tells Monica what he saw he described it as “the end of us.” Casey’s character arc is uneventful and it seems like there was a lot to be had with him this year especially taking over the position of Livestock Commissioner.
No one’s story hits a sweeter ending than everyone’s favorite underdog Jimmy who finally becomes the cowboy he longed to be and meets the love of his life. He leaves for Texas but is this the last we will see of him?
The main storyline of season four was Jaimee and his newly discovered adoptive father John Dutton squaring off for Governor’s race in the public eye. Internally Jaimee is dealing with the reality of being an adopted son and siding with his birth father who is the main conspirator behind the attempt on the Dutton family in season 3. Jaimee’s loyalty battle has been one of the central themes of the show at large.
Beth, being the complicated character she is, gets a taste of humility from her father after ruining John’s love interest and goes on a rampage to find out the truth about the attempt on their lives. While playing both sides at her new job she gets fired and accused of corporate espionage. While in parting her boss Caroline Warner delivers an ominous warning to Beth. In the wake of this fallout, she finds out more about Jaimee and the shooting. Beth uses this leverage and forces Jaimee to kill his birth father. It is implied that Jaimee will have to answer to John in the next season due to a photo of him disposing of the body.
This plotline felt like it was supposed to be the main point to the series arch as a whole but it seems that Will Patton’s character Garret Randall was a side mission to the full story. The same is said about Jaimee who was the show’s driving force through the season but doesn’t show up in the finale till the 55th minute. At the end of the day, this season was a tease for what’s to come and what has been. Our final frame of the show was our main protagonist John Dutton literally riding into the sunset on his steed. The image strangely felt like a series finale instead of a season finale, the symbolism felt like the end of an important chapter of a book. I am very interested in seeing where the show’s creator Taylor Sheridan takes us for Season five!
