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‘Yellowstone’ Season 4: Wes Bentley Declares John as ‘Enemy No. 1’ for Jamie

In Sunday’s episode of Yellowstone, we saw Jamie (Wes Bentley) start to reckon with the steep odds he’s facing in taking on his adoptive father in the race for Montana governor. Those odds mounted further when news broke of John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) actions during the hostage situation at the local diner.

In a new episode of “Behind the Story,” Yellowstone’s behind-the-scenes featurette series, Bentley described how Jamie’s view of and relationship with John shifted during the episode.

“This is yet another moment to remind him of embarrassments and inadequacies,” Bentley said of the moment when his adoptive father gets glowing press coverage for his valor against the militia members.

“It just feels like John has now turned into Enemy No. 1 for Jamie,” Bentley explained.

Jamie Struggles to Find His Own Moral Center on Yellowstone

When Jamie first learned that his biological father, Garrett Randall (Will Patton), had tried to kill his adoptive family, he was furious. He stormed back to the house they shared and confronted his biological father.

Yet somehow, in the face of Randall’s defiant, unrepentant speech, Jamie’s resolve melted. He wound up embracing his biological father, weeping, as Randall declared, “You’re god damned right I did.” And then Randall vowed to try again.

For John – who, as we saw in the trailer for the season finale, grew to love Jamie in spite of himself – it’s painful to see Randall out and about, and even more painful that Jamie is growing close to him. But John doesn’t yet realize how profoundly Jamie has betrayed him by embracing Randall even knowing what he did.

“His natural-born father, he’s a complicated person. He’s a threat,” Costner said of Randall. “For Jamie, there’s this chance to find his center, but it’s a person that’s of a low character.”

“It was good to see Will [Patton] come on the set,” Costner added. “He’s just a fantastic actor, and brings so much. He’s very dynamic in his own way, formidable, and detailed.”

Watch the featurette here:

Will Jamie Get a Spine?

Jamie never seems to be able to stand on his own two feet. Whether it’s living at the Dutton Ranch or sharing a house with his biological father, he apparently needs to find his center through some kind of father figure, not by striking out on his own, as Kayce (Luke Grimes) did.

But with Christina (Katherine Cunningham) demanding he distance himself from his biological father, Jamie will have to find his own voice if he wants to make a credible run for governor. Can he get a spine and stand up for what he feels is right? So far, he hasn’t been able to do that.

Still, as John gets closer to the truth, a showdown seems to be approaching. Jamie will have to choose between the family that raised him and the father who killed his mother eventually. Will things come to a head in the season finale? There’s only one way to find out. Tune in to the Paramount Network next Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.