Yellowstone: Lloyd's Controversial Change In Attitude Is Deeper Than Fans Think

Justice is meted out a little bit differently when it comes to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. A place where men are branded for life to prove their loyalty to John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his enforcer, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), and where leaving the ranch can end up with a trip to the dreaded "train station," it's easy to see creator Taylor Sheridan's initial pitch of "The Godfather" set on a Montana Ranch in the show's plotting.

Still, some "Yellowstone" fans don't think that John's oldest and most loyal ranch hand, Lloyd Pierce (Forrie J. Smith), has gotten a fair shake for his years of loyalty to the family. Viewers will recall that in Season 4, Lloyd ended up in a bitter feud with a fellow ranch hand, Walker (Ryan Bingham), over the affections of Laramie (Hassie Harrison). However, one Redditor suggests that Lloyd's part of the conflict, which nearly ends with Lloyd killing Walker, is a bit deeper than this surface level. In fact, this user believes Lloyd's attitude is more a result of Walker's bending of the ranch's rules.

"All of a sudden, a new branded hand is hired in Walker, who publicly disobeys Rip, refuses to commit crimes, and eventually leaves the Ranch (not killed), which, according to the brand oath, shouldn't happen," u/saltyfarm3r wrote on the r/YellowstonePN subreddit. "On top of that, Walker gets to come back and retake a position at the ranch like nothing happened."

Considering Lloyd's generally calm and unflappable demeanor, even in the most dangerous of situations on "Yellowstone," it's easy to see where the Redditor is coming from. It does seem out of character for such a steady, loyal older man to suddenly get so out of sorts over a girl he had a short fling with, and points like these add a lot of needed context for Lloyd's acting out in Season 4.

The Redditor went on to point out that the "Yellowstone" character has been a loyal force on the ranch, in contrast to Walker's bucking of the rules. "He's worked his a** off, committed murders, taken care of the family, and followed the rules set in place." They also suggested that Lloyd sees the way Walker is being treated as a direct contradiction to everything the brand means.

"This is why Lloyd's demeanor is changing; he's starting to question his loyalty and all the things he did in order to please John and Rip," the user went on. "The woman feud is like a blip on the radar for Lloyd; he's reacting to the betrayal to the Brand. As it stands, Lloyd's entire belief system has been turned upside down."

The top-rated comment in the "Yellowstone" thread came from u/earlgreyowl, who echoed the sentiments of the OP. "I agree with you," they wrote. "And even though it's not just about Laramie, I think it's the fact that Walker pretty much has a GF living at the ranch with him when I assume that was never allowed when Lloyd was that age," the user pointed out. "So Walker is just there doing everything he wasn't allowed to, and now Lloyd's the one getting in trouble? I don't blame Lloyd."

When framed this way, these points help Lloyd's part in the "Yellowstone" feud to make a lot more sense, especially when you consider how far things go as the tensions rise between Lloyd and Walker. Furthermore, many fans also think that Lloyd deserved better when Rip inevitably punished the ranchhand for disobeying his commands to drop his grudge.

Meanwhile, u/ShowerMurky5151 pointed out how successful the writing of the feud was in general. "While at the same time, Walker has done nothing wrong. At least, not morally speaking," they observed. "The entire cause of his issues with anyone at the ranch was a refusal to commit crimes on behalf of the Yellowstone; he just wanted to work and earn a living." This, of course, helps to echo the long-running narrative hook of "Yellowstone" that no one is 100% a hero or a villain, but everyone falls somewhere in between.