'Yellowstone' Season 3 Episode 8: Should John Dutton break that promise and let go of his land?
Spoilers for 'Yellowstone' Season 3 Episode 8 'I Killed a Man Today'
Tensions are running high. The stakes are high too. At this point in 'Yellowstone', there are major decisions to be made because if not now, then when?
All of a sudden, the Dutton family finds itself trapped with a limited number of options. Well, to be frank, on paper they only have one option — to sell the ranch and take the largest share of the money they can from Willa Hayes (Karen Pittman). That doesn't mean that they sold off the ranch, no. The ranch will continue to be in the Dutton family. It is only the land that Market Equities want and that is going to be worth half a billion dollars.
When Willa had told Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) about the offer, she knew he might take it. Not greed, but desire — not just the desire for the money but the desire for letting go of the constant chaos that comes with protecting the land and keeping it in the family.
In this episode, Jamie sends Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) that offer via Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), who asked it in writing. Following this, Beth reluctantly takes the offer to John Dutton (Kevin Costner). She doesn't want to do it. She doesn't want to put her father in a position where he has to consider an offer worth billions from the vultures that are at Market Equities. She wants every threat, every danger to pass her before it reaches John. She had spent the entire day tackling one and all. Unfortunately, this is a decision that she cannot take for herself.
She begins the conversation by telling John that everything she does, she does for him, including this. Beth shows him the offer from Market Equities — half a billion is a massive number to just let go. She then elaborates on how beneficial it would be for them to simply take the offer — with the ranch still intact — for if they don't, the Dutton family is only going to lose money on the land, all within a few years.
The state will go against them, they won't have a litigator for Jamie will be announced redundant and the property taxes will drill a hole in their collective pockets. And finally, when they will be forced to sell it, they'll barely make 15 cents on the dollar. So now, should they sell the land? There are little options and time is running out. It must speak for how dire the condition really is when Beth herself is succumbing to the pressure and seeing the benefit in letting go than holding on.
John reminds her of the promise he had made his father — the land won't ever be sold. It is the Duttons' and will remain theirs for generations to come. He won't break that promise for anything, no matter the price. He'd rather die trying than just give up in the face of some transplants who are throwing all the money at their feet.
He tells Beth that there should be another way that they can keep the land. Beth breaks down saying there isn't. But not for John, not for the one Dutton who always finds a way.
So now what? A cursory glance at this situation prompts that John should actually take the offer and move on. Half a billion dollars is not money that comes by easily. But that is not what 'Yellowstone' is about.
'Yellowstone' airs on Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT on Paramount Network.