Does Jamie Dutton die in Yellowstone?

❘ Published: 2023-10-25T12:05:48

Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton in Yellowstone

Paramount+

With tensions rising between the Dutton family in Yellowstone, some fans are wondering: does Jamie die in the series?

Taylor Sheridan’s hit Paramount series Yellowstone is officially coming to an end, with Season 5 Part 2 set to close the show for good. Right now, fans are waiting patiently for the final chapter to start filming.

Until then, there are plenty of spinoffs to be excited about, as well as the anticipated Lawmen: Bass Reeves – though not technically a spinoff, the series fits into the existing Sheridan-verse.

What’s more, Yellowstone started airing from the beginning over on CBS thanks to a new deal, leaving fans new and old poring over the details of the show’s narrative and its flawed characters – including Jamie Dutton. Warning: Yellowstone spoilers ahead!

Does Jamie Dutton die in Yellowstone?

No, Jamie Dutton hasn’t died in Yellowstone and he’s still alive by the end of Season 5 Part 1 – but that’s not to say he’ll definitely have a happy ending in Part 2.

Jamie’s (Wes Bentley) journey at the Dutton ranch hasn’t been straightforward. When the series starts, he is introduced as a lawyer and one of the trusted members of the Dutton family who deals with the legal aspects of the ranch’s operations.

But there’s ongoing tension between Jamie and his family. He often feels like the black sheep and has a strained relationship with his father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner).

Jamie’s decisions, especially those related to the ranch, often lead to disagreements with John, as well as his siblings. One significant rift happens when Jamie gives an interview that paints the ranch and family in a negative light.

When Jamie runs for Montana’s Attorney General in Season 3, all of the family tensions start to make sense when he finds out he was adopted by John and Evelyn Dutton (Gretchen Mol) when he was just three months old.

It’s also uncovered that his biological father murdered his birth mother. This revelation shakes Jamie to his core and makes him question his identity and place within the Duttons.

Jamie has a particularly complicated relationship with his sister, Beth (Kelly Reilly), their tension stemming from a traumatic event. When they were younger, Jamie took Beth to a clinic for an abortion, but he also had her sterilized without her knowledge or consent, believing it was for her own good. This act, which Beth later discovers, leads to deep-seated resentment and hatred towards Jamie.

But the resentment goes both ways. You see, in Season 4, Jamie’s birth dad – notorious criminal Garrett Randall (Will Patton) – tries to worm his way back into his son’s life. Randall wants revenge on the Duttons and tries to convince Jamie not to let them manipulate him.

Things come to a head in the Season 4 finale. As the pair have a conversation, Jamie stands up and shoots his father in the head, killing him. We later find out that Beth backed him into a corner. As he’s getting rid of the body, she shows up and takes a picture, meaning she’s got him by the balls.

Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton and Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton in Yellowstone

In Season 5 Part 1, the two sides are going to war. Jamie’s trying to have John Dutton impeached as the governor of Montana, and it’s safe to say Beth’s not happy about it. When she confronts him about the evidence she has that he killed his biological father, Jamie tells her that the family has been taking bodies to the “train station” for years – and that includes her husband Rip Wheeler, who Jamie doesn’t have the best relationship with.

“There are centuries worth of our family’s secrets at the bottom of that canyon,” Jamie explains to Beth, later adding: “Ask your husband where the train station is and how many times he’s been there.”

Beth confirms the secret with John, before suggesting that the train station – aka, the Dutton family’s dumping ground for enemies they’ve killed – is “the place for Jamie.” What’s more, Beth is yet to tell Rip about the sterilization, news which would further put a target on Jamie’s head.

While some fans believe Jamie might meet his death in Season 5 Part 2, others think it will be Beth. In the same episode, knowing that Beth’s out for blood, Jamie asks his girlfriend Sarah (Dawn Olivieri) to help him put out a hit on his sister and make it look like an accident.

Although not even Bentley knows how his story will end, one thing’s for certain: it ain’t going to be a happy ever after. As the actor told TVLine earlier this year: “It’s sort of like that quote George [R.R.] Martin gave about Game of Thrones: ‘If you think this has a happy ending, you’re not paying attention.’”

Check out our other Yellowstone coverage below: