One of the greatest mysteries that early “Yellowstone”
viewers will find themselves wondering about is why John (Kevin Costner)
and Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) always treat Jamie (Wes Bentley) like an outsider.
The reasoning for this is that he’s adopted, which makes it all the more cold and helps to explain why Jamie eventually turns to his biological father for support.
Enter, Garrett Randall (Will Patton). Despite being a murderer and an ex-con, Garrett becomes the only person whom Jamie feels he can really trust for a substantial stretch of “Yellowstone.” However, his deadly streak reemerges at the end of Season 3, when he arranges for the murders of John, Beth, and Kayce (Luke Grimes) in hopes of securing the ranch for Jamie’s future.
This inevitably leads Beth to blackmail Jamie into murdering his biological father, something he begrudgingly does despite the pain it causes him. Strangely, not only does Garrett seem to know what’s coming as he stares off into the horizon, but he appears almost to welcome it, something that adds a surprising bit of poignancy to the death of someone who tried to kill off so many central “Yellowstone” characters.
While Garrett Randall may be dead and gone, his influence is still felt in Jamie’s actions, particularly in Season 5 of “Yellowstone.” As fans may recall, Beth doubles down on her blackmail by filming Jamie disposing of Garrett’s body, just as a bit of extra insurance in case Jamie tries to go against her in the future.
However, since the place Jamie chooses to dump the body is the infamous “train station,” the same spot where John and Rip (Cole Hauser) have disposed of who knows how many individuals, Jamie finds his way out at last. Though Beth may be shocked when Jamie laughs in her face at the realization, Garrett would no doubt be proud of his son for standing up for himself at last.
Furthermore, the final episode of “Yellowstone” Season 5, Part 1 sees Jamie going one step further, as he seems to be potentially planning hits on Beth and John himself. This, more than anything, shows that though Garrett Randall may be gone in Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western series, his impact is still being felt.
