Jamie Dutton Commits the Ultimate Sin in Season 4 of 'Yellowstone'

No character is more divisive than Jamie Dutton. Portrayed by Wes Bentley, the Yellowstone character has always suffered from a bit of imposter syndrome as one of the Duttons’ adoptees. He’s never quite fit into the Yellowstone family dynasty, and once he tries to forge his own path by meeting his biological father, things go south even more for Jamie.

By the end of Season 4, Jamie kills his biological father, Garrett Randall (Will Patton). As their relationship develops throughout the season and fans gear up for the rest of Season 5, we all need a reminder of why Jamie kills his dad. So why did Jamie kill his dad in Yellowstone?

Every television show has its plot holes, and Yellowstone is no different. At the end of Season 4, Jamie kills his biological father, and to many viewers, it doesn’t make much sense. Throughout the series, Jamie is seeking his independence, trying to make a name for himself outside of being a Dutton. So when he seeks out his biological father, many feel that it’s finally time for him to find his purpose.

Instead, however, he learns that Garrett has had it out for the Duttons for years. In fact, Garrett was actually responsible for the Season 3 (unsuccessful) hit on the Dutton family, ordering it from behind bars. Along with Jamie, we learn that Garrett ended up behind bars because of his murder conviction.

When Jamie was just a baby, Garrett came home to Jamie sucking on a crack pipe while Jamie’s mother, Phyllis, was having an affair. Instead of talking it out, Garrett beat Phyllis to death and was therefore arrested and convicted of her murder. After spending 30 years in prison in a cell with Terrell Riggins, who organized the hit on the Duttons, Jamie finally met his father.

But Garrett and John Dutton (Kevin Costner) have a long history of animosity. Garrett believed he was right to kill Phyllis because he was protecting Jamie, but John wouldn’t testify on Garrett’s behalf in court after adopting Jamie. So Garrett’s hatred grew to the point that he and Terrell conspired to kill the Duttons while trying to sway Jamie away from the family that raised him.

So Jamie took matters into his own hands and decided to murder his own biological father in cold blood. Throughout the years, Jamie let the Duttons down, most notably with his sister, Beth. When Beth needed an abortion, he took her to a clinic that also sterilized her, so she built up a hatred toward her adopted brother.

She catches Jamie red-handed after getting evidence of him burying his dad’s body. Instead of using Jamie’s action as a sign that he’s truly loyal to the Duttons, she decides to use his murderous ways as blackmail him. Now, instead of being able to prove his loyalty to the Duttons, they will always believe that he’s on their side through blackmail instead of love and chosen allegiance, which we expect to play a major role in Season 5, Part 2.