Yellowstone: “I Want to Be Him” Recap

In any show or movie, there are certainties that are either discovered early on or are taken as they come and fleshed out over time. When it comes to Yellowstone, there are certainties that have been there since the beginning, even if people couldn’t see them. One certainty is that the Dutton Ranch is slowly but surely coming apart at the seams, and no matter how much anyone attempts to keep the outside world from tearing it apart, things continue to happen that make it clear that one way or another, the sprawling beauty of the ranch isn’t meant to last. Since the first episode, it’s been kind of clear that the Dutton Ranch is considered stolen land and has been for quite some time as John Dutton’s enemies have been adamant about regaining what is considered either tribal land or usable tracts of land that will be better served as various other business ventures that will see the valley become a thriving city that will result in the ruination of the area and end of a legacy as far as John is concerned. 

Other certainties come in the form of the Dutton kids, who have become a bit irritating at times but have either redeemed or continued to degrade themselves. It’s tough to pick on Kayce since he’s been one of the most level-headed of the Dutton’s, considering that he simply wants his son and his wife to feel secure and safe. Monica is a bit of an annoyance, but at the same time, one can’t think that it’s entirely fair for her and Tate to have to suffer the depredations of others due to their relationship with John Dutton. The decision that Kayce finally makes to move them out of the ranch is a painful one no doubt, for everyone but Monica, who stands out as someone that is ready to tout her own chosen lifestyle but isn’t willing to look at others with the same level of tolerance she appears to want for her own culture. She is a decent person, but in her own way, she’s a bit of a bigot as well. 

There’s no doubt about Jamie at this point, as the guy is weak beyond belief and can be talked down by just about anyone so long as they have an apparently valid point. His own biological father, Garrett Randall, a man who didn’t raise him, is a poor role model to be following since he openly admits to striking at the Dutton’s by using a hired killer and additional mercenaries. But at the same time, John Dutton hasn’t really shown a lot of use for Jamie lately, other than to spurn and scorn him for the decisions that he’s made. Even the mother of Jamie’s child is the type to make ultimatums and force him onto a path of her choosing while making it appear that he’s the one that has to make the choice. The point is that Jamie is way too easy to manipulate, and as a result, he’s a rather weak-willed individual that only appears strong when he has every possible advantage in hand. 

Beth Dutton is a different case altogether since despite having a softer side, she’s pure iron on the outside and will gladly tear up anyone that gets in her way or threatens her family. The fact that she pulled a knife and threatened Summer when she found her in the main house is enough to make it clear that Beth isn’t the type to screw around. The fact that she’s working with Market Equities at the moment is a hard fact for Jamie to deal with, but it would appear that she’s going to be in a bit of a spot when it comes to saving her father’s legacy and doing the right thing for everyone involved. In the meantime, the beef between Lloyd and Walker appears to be squashed, at least for the moment after Lloyd buried a knife in Walker’s chest before they were forced into a pen to finally have it out. The fact that John made the decision to kick every woman out of the bunkhouse was a bit rough, especially since it means that Teeter has to leave, but one has to admit that a few problems did start to occur when the ladies moved in but didn’t really escalate until Laramie decided to pal around with Walker over Lloyd. It’s petty, but that is when things started to go south.  So far, it’s easy to state that there aren’t a lot of heroes in this story since everyone has, at one time or another, acted in a manner that has been anything but heroic, no matter that a few of those in the tale have done what they felt was needed. At this point, Tate and a few others are about the only people in this story that could be said to have shown any signs of heroism.