Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 4 Review: Horses in Heaven

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The mongoose to her viper comes shortly after as Beth is visited by her adopted-brother, Jamie (Wes Bentley), who, in a rare instance, shows a little strength towards Beth by mocking her situation and trying to tell her how the situation is going to play out. Beth, as always, gains control of the conversation, and of Jamie’s manhood. In a young season that seems as directionless as it does listless, this is the one major thread that Sheridan has laid down a few times already – the rivalry of Beth and Jamie seems as if it almost has to explode, and extremely soon.

Wes Bentley is an amazing actor, and one need not look any further than a local online Yellowstone fan group to see how divisive his character is. Some can’t stand how spineless and cowardly Jamie can be, and others sympathize with him. That’s a testament to the amazing writing of the character, but of course, speaks volumes to Bentley’s acting abilities that he can get so many to love him, and equally as many to hate him.

In what is certainly one of the most memorable scenes of this season, Jamie visits Beth after getting the charges against her all-but-dropped. Beth bullies her way into a ride, and once on the road, notices the car seat in the back. The two siblings then proceed to put on an absolute masterclass in compelling drama. Beth, clearly resentful of the fact Jamie has a son when she can never have children is so powerful and Reilly shows that while playing Beth is always heavy lifting, that she is a true colossus in her acting. Reilly, in a rare moment of Beth-vulnerability makes the pain that she has felt for more than two decades feel so real, that would have been enough to make the episode.

Yet after Reilly lays a haymaker of a right hook to your emotional temple, Bentley comes in with one of his best performances of the entire show. Jamie pleads with Beth that the biggest regret in his life was the day he brought her to that clinic and caused her sterilization, and what is so gripping about this scene is how quickly the two can go from stone-faced hate machines to simply two siblings who are expressing how much they’ve hurt one another. There was a similar scene in the first season where the two were driving and Beth hinted at the idea she might hurt herself, and just for a moment, Jamie put his hate aside and told her that if it meant she would be ok, she can channel all her hate towards him. It was a powerful and unforgettable scene and a defining moment in their relationship.

The climax of this latest argument was Beth perhaps finding the end to her listlessness by locking in on Jamie’s life, and vying to destroy every bit of happiness left in it, even if that meant she would somehow take Jamie Jr away from him. It has been long predicted that Jamie is eventually going to snap, and we saw a taste of that where for just a moment, it seemed as if he might run over Beth in a move of desperation.

Having this episode focus predominantly on Beth is of course, no accident. The subplot of Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Monica (Kelsey Asbille) having the ceremony for their lost infant son mirrors the same themes of loss and pain that Beth has been thinking about her entire life. It’s another saddening yet beautiful collection of scenes where Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) and Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) share a piece of First Nation’s wisdom and culture, and we get that great sense of community and family within the show when Rip (Cole Hauser) and the Yellowstone farmhands lend a hand to help.