There’s no surplus of cowards in Yellowstone‘s inner circle, but there’s clearly a traitor in Season 4. Now, episode titles and spinoffs may offer us a clue as to who it is.
With the reveal of Season 4’s episode titles, it feels likely that Episode 8 is going to feature a bombshell. Titled “No Kindness for the Coward,” the entry will surely reveal a traitor amongst Yellowstone‘s midst. But who?
In the main trailer for Season 4, we see someone (most likely Rip Wheeler, or even an ‘Imposter Rip’ is possible) beating Lloyd Pierce within an inch of his life on the Dutton Ranch. This has led to heavy speculation that Lloyd – one of the most senior persons on Yellowstone – could potentially be a traitor. Yet there is absolutely zero backstory to support this train of thought from the first 3 seasons. Entire episodes have been crafted around Lloyd’s loyalty and courage. Imagining him as a traitor or coward (or both) is no easy fit. So who, then?
In many of those episodes, Lloyd is responsible for keeping Jimmy Hurdstrom straight. Alongside Rip, he is the reason the young man can call himself a cowboy instead of a jailed criminal. Season 3’s gripping finale coupled with Season 4 trailers has led audiences to believe, however, that Jimmy may be on his way out after another fatal/near-fatal rodeo accident.
Yet this is most likely not the case. As fans know, Jefferson White has been cast as a series lead in Taylor Sheridan’s Texas-based Yellowstone spinoff, 6666. Both his Jimmy and Ryan Bingham’s Walker are set to front the show in what is reportedly a modern-day Texas parallel to Montana-based Yellowstone.
‘Yellowstone’: The Sins of Jimmy’s Past
Let’s not forget, either, that Jimmy is a branded man, and he’s prone to making mistakes. Big ones. Over and over. With this in mind, it feels highly likely that Jimmy is set to betray the Duttons through cowardice, whether purposefully or not, and wind up excommunicated from the Dutton ranch. Finding himself sent to work on the Four-Sixes in Texas could be a compromise. Instead of sending him to the “Train Station,” that is.
The Duttons have shown they do not suffer traitors. But there is much love for Jimmy in John Dutton, who’s paid the former criminals medical bills to ensure he stays out of trouble and working on the Yellowstone. Jimmy, however, didn’t honor his word. He got right back up on the horse – and look where it got him.
Judging by his past behavior, it feels all but certain that Jimmy is set to survive the events of Season 3’s finale, and betray the family that took him in. How it all plays out, however, remains to be seen.
We’ll find out come Yellowstone‘s return for Season 4 with November 7’s two-episode premiere. Episode 8, “No Kindness for the Coward,” will air in December of 2021.
