Yellowstone Creator Reveals If Jamie Is the Series' Main Villain

By Nicole Drum

Sunday night's Season 5 Midseason finale of Yellowstone made some major moves, setting up a showdown that positions Dutton against Dutton as Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) made his move against his adoptive father, Montana Governor John Dutton (Kevin Costner) by calling for his impeachment. It's a move he made under the guise of protecting the people of Montana, but in reality, it's an attempt to salvage the deal made by antagonists Market Equities and get himself elected Governor in his own plan to "save" the Yellowstone ranch. It's certainly a stunning move, one that marks the biggest threat to the Dutton family yet but when it comes to the matter of whether Jamie is main villain of the series, series creator Taylor Sheridan is weighing in and it's not a yes or no answer.

Sheridan told the New York Times that, while Jamie Dutton's actions are definitely evil, there's some nuance to the character as Bentley portrays him.

"Is Jamie evil? In a lesser actor's hands the answer would be easy, but Wes has crafted a vulnerable, honest, and emotional character who allows the audience to understand the motivation behind his actions — even if there is no questioning the act itself," Sheridan said.

Directors on the Paramount Network series had similar comments, noting that Bentley's portrayal make you both hate him and feel for him simultaneously.

"It's remarkable, his ability to make you mad at Jamie, make you hate him and have him break your heart at the same time," Stephen Kay said. "He's one of one if you ask me.

He added, "That role is so hard, so deceptively tricky. We've been comparing it since Season 1 to Fredo in The Godfather. John Cazale is arguably one of the best actors of all time, so if you're building a show with a Fredo, you better hand the part to somebody who can play."

When will Yellowstone return with new episodes?

Fans will have a little bit of a wait for the remaining episodes of Season 5 of Yellowstone. On Sunday, Paramount Network released a teaser for the upcoming back half of Season 5, revealing that the series will return sometime this summer. A specific date was not given. Piper Perabo gave an update in a recent interview revealing that the series seemingly hasn't even begun production on the second half of the season, though she did tease that there is a "lot coming".

"There's a lot coming. Things are on the move," Perabo told TV Insider. "I can't wait to get back to the back half just because I want to know what happens. I personally only know what happens up to the midseason finale up to that last second, and I don't know what happens when we come back.... I think you can tell that things are going really south because [the seventh] episode doesn't end at the fair; it ends with him practicing that speech. And Taylor's very good — if you're paying attention, he's telling you where the trouble's coming from. I think the fact that he ends with that scene is, for those paying attention, he's showing you."

Is Yellowstone on Paramount+?

The four previous seasons of Yellowstone are available on Peacock, not Paramount+, thanks to a streaming deal that was made before Paramount+ was rebranded. Yellowstone spinoffs, however, are exclusive to Paramount+. As for Yellowstone Season 5, you'll need to turn to cable or cable alternatives to watch the new episodes.

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