Are you ready for another Yellowstone round table conversation?
Once again, we’ve got TV Fanatic senior staff writers Whitney Evans and Jack Ori joined by Yellowstone super fans Julie Castaneda and Jim Thomas.
They’re digging into everything Yellowstone Season 4 Episode 7, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts, too!
John is running for governor. What do you make of it?
Julie: This is a bad decision. John isn’t a politician. He doesn’t want to do it. Somebody is going to assassinate him! Probably paid for by Garrett!
Jim: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Jaime would be devastating for Montana, and while John is old school, his desire to preserve the Montana way of life is unwavering.
Jack: Beth made some good points about how John could stop the airport and other development plans for the land and save the ranch if he were in power. John may not have initially wanted to run, but the idea of that type of power appeals to him.
He’s all about saving the ranch by any means necessary. The only question is, as Julie points out, that Garrett will likely try to have John assassinated. But John is one of those people who seems to cheat death on a regular basis, so I’m not too worried about that.
Whitney: This has bad news written all over it, but does anyone want to see Jamie as governor? I agree with Jack. Beth made a lot of compelling arguments about why he should run, but it’s still going to be a brutal campaign.
I have a question though, didn’t some men earlier this season approach Kayce about running? Or did I hallucinate that? I can’t really see John or Kayce as Governor, but I think it would make more sense and be better in the long run if it was Kayce over John.
Was it a good idea to poke the bear that is Garrett with Jamie’s snub?
Julie: The war is on! And quite frankly, I don’t understand why John handled Jamie like this. Beth, I understand, but not John. They purposely set him up, knowing Jamie thought he was being announced by the governor.
Speaking of which, what’s her deal? Why would she be a part of that tactic? Anyway, poke the bear? I think they just woke an angry beast. Team Jamie’s came will be full of rage!!! Garrett will stop at nothing!
Jim: There is only one way to handle people like Garrett, and that is with a ride to the train station.
Jack: Garrett would do whatever he could to mess with John regardless. However, I think this was a bad idea because it’s going to push Jamie further onto Garrett’s side.
Whitney: That whole thing was so awkward! I agree with Julie. I’m not sure why John would agree to something like that. It was just petty for the sake of being petty. I also agree with Jack that it only serves to push Jamie closer to Garrett and an angry Garrett is not someone I like seeing.
Their feud is behind them. What’s next for Lloyd and Walker?
Julie: Hopefully, it is business as usual, and we can get back to the day-to-day ranching. But why is Laramie still in the bunkhouse? That girl was kicked to the curb! She doesn’t wear the brand!
Jim: Lloyd replacing Walker’s guitar was basically a formal apology; Walker playing a song for Lloyd was his way of accepting the apology and saying thank you. And even though Walker was injured, he gave Lloyd one hell of a fight, so I believe they earned each other’s respect. Lloyd’s nod to Laramie was his apology to her.
Jack: Jim said everything I was going to say here. I’ll just add that I’m glad that feud is behind them. I didn’t enjoy it.
Whitney: I’m glad this feud is over because it was really no fun seeing Lloyd walk around huffing and puffing all season. The whole scene with the guitar and Walker singing was beautiful. Those are the moments during Yellowstone that I absolutely love.
John acknowledged Rip as family by asking them to move into the lodge. How might that change the dynamic between Beth and Rip and John and Rip?
Julie: Three’s a crowd. I think Rip is going to feel uncomfortable being a kept man. He likes his independence. He enjoys taking care of himself. He loves taking care of Beth. Beth loves taking care of her dad. It’s a weird threesome.
Jim: While John may see it as having family under one roof, two alpha males and an alpha female under the same roof will definitely cause problems.
Jack: I don’t think Rip is going to like the weird dynamic between Beth and John. I think John and Rip are both going to interfere with how the other interacts with Beth, and Beth isn’t going to appreciate that one bit. And we all know how Beth acts when she’s not happy with how other people are behaving.
I’m also curious as to how this move will affect Beth and Rip’s relationship with Carter, such as it is. I’m sure John will put his two cents in about that.
Whitney: That is a lot of personality under one roof. I thought it was a sweet gesture for John to want them all living together, but I’m not sure living at the lodge is something Rip ever wanted for himself. And if he’s only doing it because he thinks that will make Beth happy, then that’s not going to end well for anyone.
What was your favorite scene, and why?
Julie: If I’m being honest, my favorite scene was the opening scene. I’m a big fan of the 6666 Ranch. I own horses that come from that bloodline. I just love watching the cowboys move cattle out on the open range. It’s my church.
I like the scene in the Bunkhouse when Lloyd replaced Walker’s guitar with a better one. It was a class move by the “better man,” and it sealed the deal for the entire band of cowboys. Lloyd is back in his position as a leader, and the Cowboys respect him.
Jim: Tate telling Kayce that he owes him one. And it was nice to see Avery again and at least Kayce was smart enough to tell her straight up he loved Monica.
Jack: Wow, so many scenes here I enjoyed that it was hard to choose just one. I loved Beth and Carter’s scene. I felt like Beth was giving Carter the tough love he needed without going overboard, and I especially appreciated her encouraging him to decide what he wants to be and go after it.
I also liked Kayce telling Avery that he was married and that her crush on him couldn’t be love since he wasn’t available. I thought he let her down as gently and kindly as possible.
Finally, I enjoyed Beth confronting Summer about her performative protest. I know too many people like Summer who think that these types of protests accomplish something other than repelling people from their cause. Beth said everything I was thinking.
Whitney: I already touched on this, but I absolutely loved the bunkhouse scene. A song playing over the bunkhouse back the way it should be, as a unit, was such a wonderful scene.
What do you hope will happen before the season is over?
Julie: I’m hoping for answers. For closure. I said this last week; there are so many open-ended storylines just hanging out there. Things I’m hoping haven’t just been forgotten about. I don’t mind being held in suspense, but I gotta say, this season is all over the place. It doesn’t feel like suspense at all.
It feels like the writers forgot what they wrote last episode. Nothing is fitting together. I want to see the season wrapped up nice and neat, tied with a ribbon and a bow, for Christmas. I want drama, suspense, murder (of the bad guys). I want honor, valor, loyalty, and integrity to win out over greed, lust, and the raping of the land.
Jim: Is it too much to hope that Taylor Sheridan will get his head out of his ass? I live on a ranch less than 100 miles from the 4 6’s, and while breeding is a fact of life on a ranch, was it really necessary to show Jimmy grabbing a horse cock so they could collect his semen?
In my lifetime, I have seen thousands of western movies, and TV shows and that scene had to be a first. Hopefully, it will be the last. I personally found it offensive to show that on a TV show. Did that scene add anything to the show? And does anyone believe that girl is going to ask Jimmy out on a date after jacking off horses all day?
To me, this just shows how far off the rails this season has become. And, of course, Taylor had to make an appearance in the arena cutting cows. For a man that co-created one of the best shows on TV, Taylor seems to be trying to screw this season up for reasons only known to him.
Jack: As Julie said above, some closure would be nice. The only storyline that seems to have managed to play out to a conclusion so far is Lloyd and Walker’s feud! I especially hope that we end Monica’s jealousy of Avery, which is totally unnecessary and adds nothing.
Also, what happened to Monica and Kayce’s concerns about Tate’s mental state? That vanished into thin air when they moved out of John’s home, and I’d like that thread picked up again.
Whitney: I agree with Julie about the season being all over the place, and I would love for the final batch of episodes to be more focused. What happened to finding out who was after the Dutton’s last season?
I feel like I keep waiting for something to happen this season, but nothing ever does. But there is still time for that to turn around. Typically things do ramp up towards the end of the season, so I am hopeful for that.
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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.