'Yellowstone' Fans Have a Wild Theory About Who Shot John Dutton in the Season 3 Finale
The season 3 finale of Yellowstone aired on Sunday, August 23.
"The World is Purple" ended with a major cliffhanger: John and Kayce were shot, and a bomb went off in Beth's office.
Now, fans are theorizing who was behind the attacks, and questioning if the Duttons made it out alive.
At the start of Yellowstone's third season, Josh Holloway teased that the season would end with a "crashing, wild finale." Kelsey Asbille, who plays Monica, echoed her co-star's remarks, describing it as "the most jaw-dropping." On Sunday, the finale episode aired — and it was just as the cast described.
"The World is Purple" built to an action-packed climax, centered on the Dutton's fight for their land. In recent episodes, John Dutton was offered $500 million to sell the ranch to Market Equities, or he could wait for the state to condemn the land, leaving him next-to-nothing in return. Beth and Kayce urged their father to accept the offer, but he turned it down, saying it would go against the promise he kept. During the finale, all parties — the Duttons, Market Equities, and Native Americans of the Broken Rock Reservation — met to discuss next steps, and it was clear that none of them were willing to give in. Jamie Dutton, who is the state's Attorney General, refused to stand behind his family, showing that he would do anything to turn the land over to the state.
The final scenes had fans comparing the show to Game of Thrones (if you watched, you'll know why): In a matter of minutes, Beth's assistant opened an unmarked box that caused a bomb to detonate, gunmen stormed Kayce's office, and John was shot while helping a mother and her young son on the side of the road. This left fans to question the fate of the Duttons (It seems like John will survive, but what about Beth and Kayce?), as well as who's behind these violent, possibly deadly attacks.
Although we'll have to wait until season 4 to get answers, here are some of the most sound fan theories about the finale's cliffhanger.
Theory #1: Jamie is responsible for everything.
It comes as no surprise that people would suspect that Jamie tried to get rid of his family, especially given his tension with Beth and complicated past with his dad. In a conversation with his birth father, Jamie admitted that he felt he should be the one to run the ranch, but his own family is getting in the way. "Yellowstone isn't a ranch, it's an empire. Empires, you take," Garrett Randall, his birth father, told him. A forlorn Jamie asked how he could do such a thing, Garrett responded: "You kill the king."
Shortly after the attacks, Rip, who was unaware of what happened, called Jamie to see if he'd heard anything from the other Duttons. "I don't think you should call me anymore," Jamie said before hanging up the phone.
All of this leads some Twitter users to believe that Jamie had knowledge about what happened — or worse, that he made it all possible.
Others argue that Jamie would never do anything to hurt Kayce, especially since the two still seem to be close.
Theory #2: It was a team effort between Jamie and Market Equities.
It's also possible that Jamie didn't go after all three of his family members. One Twitter user points out that John's shooting is likely linked to Jamie because he is, for lack of a better word, the king of Yellowstone. Beth and Kayce, however, were likely handled by Roarke Morris and Willa Hayes from Market Equities, so that they could take over the land without a fight. Plus, it makes sense that Willa would seek revenge after Beth accused her of "workplace misconduct."
Theory #3: Malcolm Beck came back for revenge.
It's not over until creator Taylor Sheridan says it's over. While one of the Beck brothers was killed during the season 2 finale, there's a chance that Malcolm Beck walked free. If that's the case, then one Twitter user says there's a chance that he returned to Dutton ranch.
Theory #4: The bikers from California returned.
Just a few episodes back, the ranch hands brawled with a group of trespassing bikers. John, ultimately, laid down the law and warned them to never return. Still, some Yellowstone fans seem to think that they came back to show John who's boss. There's confusion on whether the van that drove by and shot at John was from California, though.
Theory #5: It was an outside job, one way or another.
There are so many people who want want the Duttons have (their land), so it's plausible that many people could be to blame. Regardless, some fans are certain that Jamie wasn't involved. That would be the easy answer, don't you think?
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