Why Yellowstone Fans Feel Heartbroken For Jamie After Season 4 Episode 7

Contains spoilers for "Yellowstone" Season 4 Episode 7

If a good drama thrives on conflict with emotional stakes, Paramount Network's "Yellowstone" is by any measure a great drama. The neo-Western combines political drama with ruthless action and memorable characters portrayed by great actors, and includes a hefty helping of gorgeous landscapes of rural Montana for good measure.  

Operating a massive ranch that's constantly besieged by various antagonizing parties is never an easy feat, but even if they lived in a McMansion in Florida, the Dutton family would likely find a way to make everyone's lives difficult. The stern patriarch John (Kevin Costner) and his children Kayce (Luke Grimes), Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley) all have their baggage, so in hindsight, it was probably just a matter of time before one of them breaks fully bad. Judging by the events of "Yellowstone" Season 4 so far, it appears that the Dutton who finally turns against his family is Jamie, who has always been a bit of an outsider, and who found out in Season 3 that he's adopted. 

While it remains to be seen how villainous Jamie ultimately turns out to be, his ambition to become the Governor of Montana has the potential to put him in an incredibly powerful position, and he seems pretty likely to pull it off, too. So, why are some fans feeling sorry for Jamie after "Yellowstone" Season 4 Episode 7?

Jamie might be a bad apple, but according to fans on Reddit, John Dutton wins the "cold move of the week" award by completely and utterly stealing his adopted son's thunder at the end of the episode, and announcing that he'll run against Jamie in the governor race. 

"Honestly, my heart is broken for Jamie," one redditor wrote. "He wants John's approval so bad. He was so elated to see that John showed up to support him. Why would John expect Jamie to be loyal when he treats him like this? I agree that Jamie is weak but John treats him like s***."

Others agreed, and noted how Jamie is clearly over the moon to see his father and Beth show up for what he at that point thinks is a show of support to his bid for governorship. Instead, John — whose approval Jamie has clearly always yearned — crushes his dreams with the announcement of his own candidacy. Before this happens, John even rubs some salt in the wounds in advance by telling Jamie: "We wouldn't miss this for the world." Oof.