'Yellowstone' Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Romance is in the air but summer is over for John Dutton
Spoilers for 'Yellowstone' Season 3 Episode 4 'Going back to Cali'
It's another day on the Dutton Ranch, another day complete with threats and omens to the Yellowstone ranch.
Most of the Dutton family is still up at the camp when John Dutton (Kevin Costner) gets a visit from Governor Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz-Grillo). Can we take a minute to point out the chemistry between John and Lynelle? They almost got together last season but memories of Evelyn Dutton (Gretchen Mol) are still fresh in his heart. And he didn't seem to have fully recovered from the heartbreak. But now, it looks like they have rekindled their passions. When the stakes are high, what have you got to lose anyway?
Episode 4 runs high on love and passion. At the camp, Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille Chow) and Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) are also making the most of the leisures of the camp. Kayce's small family has been through a lot over the previous season and this time is crucial for them to recuperate. Perhaps that is why although skeptical at first, Kayce gets on board to be the livestock commissioner — he has more power and authority protecting the Dutton land and his family.
No Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) this episode but we know he has a big role in the upcoming narrative. With Governor Perry relying on him to become the Attorney General, she hopes to divert the biggest blows coming to Yellowstone. But the onus is once again on Jamie. Will the tides be in his favor this time around? Or will he, like the last season, go on a limb and worsen the situation?
Elsewhere, for those worried about the fan-favorite Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White), 'Yellowstone' didn't kill him off. He had gravely injured himself in the rodeo the last episode, making fans nervous for his life. Instead, he gets a warning from John — no more rodeo. Bad news often comes accompanied by the good. 'Yellowstone' Episode 4 gets him laid on the hospital bed and also a visit from Mia (Eden Brolin). We told you, romance is in the air in this episode.
But it not enough to survive this life. 'Going back to Cali' highlights how John Dutton can never really step away from his land, his home. The fight sequence from the end of the episode proves this. Summer is over for him and it is back to lodge and back to business. Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) is gearing up to fight Market Equities over their plans to take over the casino. He might, once again, join hands with John to do so for their enemy is the same. We wonder who Angela Blue Thunder (Q'orianka Kilcher), a Native American and Rainwater's political opponent, really is and whether she is a friend of a foe.
You could argue that 'Yellowstone' is moving at a slow pace, but the Taylor Sheridan hit is only staying true to its character. So far, we are seeing all the key characters taking their place on their chessboard. The war will begin soon and if we're going by the ominous predictions of these characters, it won't be anything like Season 2.
'Yellowstone' airs on Mondays at 9 pm ET/ PT on Paramount Network.