Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Yellowstone series finale, "Life Is A Promise."Yellowstone wraps with a clear ending for Jamie, but it's so bad that it's insulting to Wes Bentley and the work he has put on the role for five seasons. Following a roller-coaster last few episodes, starting off with the death of John Dutton III, Taylor Sheridan delivers a super-sized send-off to the Duttons of Montana as they deal with the financial problem at the ranch while also deciding what's next after losing their patriarch. Kayce finally gets the freedom that he has long wanted with Monica and Tate, while Beth and Rip start over with Carter.
While John's biological kids get their respective happily-ever-after, Yellowstone has a bigger challenge when wrapping up Jamie's story. The adopted Dutton brother has become an increasingly divisive character over the years, especially as the show pits him against the fan-favorite Beth. It's no secret that Yellowstone had to make some changes in terms of where its final stretch would go, considering Kevin Costner's exit. That said, even before the actor's decision to not return for the final episodes of the Neo-Western hit, the showdown between the siblings was already set up, which ended with Jamie's death.
Jamie Was Barely Utilized In Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2
Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 Barely Featured Wes Bentley
Sheridan was building the tension between Beth and Jamie for years. Yellowstone season 1 didn't show just how much animosity the pair had against each other, but due to the subsequent events of the series, their respective grudges bubbled, setting up an all-out war on the heels of their father's death. Getting rid of John paved the way for the siblings to keep their threats. However, instead of staging multiple encounters, Beth and Jamie only have two proper scenes in Yellowstone season 5, part 2. That may be understandable, considering the circumstances, but it's still problematic for Bentley's character.
...Jamie only appears in a handful of scenes in
Yellowstone
season 5, part 2.
While the last few episodes of Yellowstone feature Beth heavily, as she deals with the problems at the ranch and the death of her dad, the show barely follows Jamie. There are some episodes where his story is at the forefront of the storytelling, particularly in "Three Fifty-Three," which ended with the assassination of Sarah. Beyond that, however, Jamie only appears in a handful of scenes in Yellowstone season 5, part 2. Admittedly, he is generally cast as the spineless villain. Still, he's an interesting and complex character that should have had more focus.
Yellowstone's return doesn't waste any time explaining John Dutton III's fate. Sad as it may be, the show didn't have a choice about the matter.
At the very least, Sheridan should have at least given him his due by awarding him better and longer scenes that would highlight Jamie's complexities and inner struggles. Bentley has played the role brilliantly, hence why opinions about him, whether positive or negative, are usually very strong. If anything, Yellowstone season 5, part 2 would have benefited from showing him more, as he deals with the fallout from John's death, Sarah's murder, and the collapse of his political career. Instead, he is treated as merely a supporting character, when he's tied to almost all big stories in the show's wrap-up.
Jamie's Death Was So Anti-Climactic
Yellowstone Had Better Deaths
While some specific details of how Yellowstone season 5, part 2 was going to progress changed after Costner's exit, one thing that was always expected was Jamie and Beth's feud finally boiling over. It was the one thing that the show couldn't end without wrapping up. Sheridan opted to save their confrontation at the very end of the finale, after John's small but emotional funeral. Somehow, it seemed like Beth waited for her dad to be buried before settling the score between her and Jamie.
Unfortunately, because the fight, as intense as it is, takes place in the final moments of the series, it's quite brief for something that the show has been teasing the public about for years. Beth has some badass moments during the entangle, including beating her brother with a crowbar multiple times. Jamie is able to fight her off, but in the end, Rip comes in to help his wife properly kill her brother with a fatal stab to the chest. Admittedly, it's difficult to imagine Yellowstone ending with Jamie not dying. However, the way it plays out is so anti-climactic.
Beth is always going to win the war against her brother, but Bentley is so underutilized in Yellowstone season 5, part 2 that it's almost insulting to the actor, who has openly talked about the difficulties of playing such a complicated role in the hit Neo-Western.
While Yellowstone follows Beth from the funeral to her mad dash to change and execute her plan, Jamie is only seen on his way home, unaware of her sister waiting for him. Beth is always going to win the war against her brother, but Bentley is so underutilized in Yellowstone season 5, part 2 that it's almost insulting to the actor, who has openly talked about the difficulties of playing such a complicated role in the hit Neo-Western. Even the way he is killed is boring, especially considering all the other ways that the show executed death in the past.
How Yellowstone Could Have Better Ended Jamie's Arc
Jamie's Send-Off Could Have Been More Interesting
Conversations about whether this is really the end of Yellowstone continue even after the finale. The confusion is rooted in various reports about Sheridan's potential plans to continue the series beyond its current ending. For what it's worth, Rip and Beth are almost confirmed to star in their spinoff, which "Life Is A Promise" effectively set-up. However, while it felt like the future was open for more storytelling opportunities for both Beth and Kayce, Jamie's fate always seemed like it was going to end once Yellowstone season 5, part 2 wrapped up.
Yellowstone is available to stream on Peacock.
Because of that, Sheridan should have gone all-out in terms of Bentley's final outing as the character. A more interesting way to wrap up his story while also satisfyingly staging Beth's win is to see Jamie grovel back to the Duttons for help as his political career crashes. This would have highlighted just how spineless he really is. In any case, he really didn't have anything to do with the murder of John. If anything, Sarah may have just taken advantage of his weakness to get what she wanted.
Although Paramount previously announced Yellowstone would be coming to an end with season 5, reports have claimed the show’s story will continue.
Going this route would have allowed Bentley to be more prominent in Yellowstone season 5, part 2 without taking much away from the already limited screen time for Beth and Kayce, considering that it would stage more interactions among the siblings. This also doesn't mean that Jamie would have survived the events of the show. Beth could have still come up with a plan to kill him but in a more creative and gruesome way rather than just a brawl in his home.
Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner and centers on his character John Dutton. Dutton and his family live on a cattle ranch just a few hours away from Yellowstone National Park. The series chronicles the family’s struggle to defend their home from an Indian reservation and land developers. As if their life wasn’t complicated enough, the Duttons also have medical issues, political aspirations, and family secrets stacked against them.
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