Howdy Yellowstone fans, while we’re not sitting around waiting for a new episode of our favorite cowboy drama this week, we’re still embracing all things Dutton as the midseason hiatus drives on. Of course, there’s still the powerhouse of a series, 1923, in Taylor Sheridan’s growing universe to keep us occupied, and there’s a lot of news regarding the heart of the realm, the one that started it all. Yellowstone‘s Kelly Reilly is opening up about how Beth Dutton is growing this season as Wes Bentley is sharing what he thinks Jamie should be most afraid of right now: and we have to say, we agree.
Newcomer Summer Higgins, played by Piper Perabo, is also getting comfortable at the ranch. The actress shares what it’s like to be part of the Dutton family, especially when things are tumultuous for everyone involved. You know what to do from here: grab your Yellowstone-loving bestie and your drink of choice and let’s dive in.
Kelly Reilly on Beth Dutton’s growth this season
Kelly Reilly is the fiery, rugged, and badass Beth Dutton in the Yellowstone universe, and she brings a power and a force to the table that few other characters in entertainment could hold a torch to. She knows what she brings to the table and who deserves a seat next to her, and she’s never been afraid to tell someone to get lost. She’s a queen of one-liners, dishes out snark and sarcasm like she was born to do it, and can shut someone down in three seconds flat.
She is also so many other beautiful and vulnerable things, though we usually see that side of her reserved for her husband, Rip Wheeler. In season five, however, we’ve seen a bit softer of Beth in recent episodes — someone who is more willing to hear another opinion.
Giving a nod to the fight with Summer and how it gave them a place to reflect on their relationship, Reilly tells Indie Wire that respect is something huge for Beth, as she often greets everyone new as a threat.
“Beth is such a lone wolf. She’s not necessarily someone who I’ve seen allow herself to open up to other women in that way and it’s nice when she does. I like it. Also the interesting relationship with Summer [Piper Perabo], that’s sort of a blessing, after that fight. In a weird way now the territory is understood of where the power lies. When she’s outside the ranch, Summer can do what she wants, but when she’s at the ranch, and when she’s in her home, Beth perceives it as territory and, oddly enough, entering into some conversation where there seems to be some sort of respect. Respect won almost from Beth with the fact that Summer fought her. The thing is that Beth sees everyone as an enemy until they’ve proven themselves.”
In addition to embracing a level of respect where Summer is concerned, Reilly also notes that Beth isn’t always in control, contrary to popular belief — even within herself. Something is changing this season, and it’s new territory for her.
“She’s not always in control, especially this season. It’s coming out. It’s purged. So it feels like she’s definitely at her strongest, but she’s also at her most fragile, which is interesting. For the badass Beth that we know, there seems to be an inner turmoil that is rising, and that is the price of knowing that she knows this fight is futile. I think she sees the end.”
As of right now, things might feel bleak for the Duttons, but Beth has been made aware of a secret weapon she didn’t know existed. Now that she does, and now that she sees another option for the battle that must take place, there are new emotions on the rise: heartache, of course, but also a thirst for power — and we all know Beth loves a good drink.
Wes Bentley notes that this should scare Jamie Dutton more than anything
Wes Bentley breathes life into Jamie Dutton, and a polarizing character as he might be, some fans out there have picked him as the underdog they hope wins the battle. Others have decided that his time is up, and he needs a ticket to the train station — and fast.
That very idea is a nod to Bentley’s talent. He can make a group of people loathe his existence as Jamie while others root for him to come out on top. In a recent chat with USA Today, Bentley spoke about playing Jamie, what’s next for the series, and what his character’s greatest fear should come from.
“We’ve seen John shoot down many of Beth’s crazy ideas about what she wants to do with Jamie. So I think John’s silence is what we fear, or I should say what Jamie should fear. Because I think that was a yes. As for the future, Taylor keeps his cards close to his chest. So I’m waiting for what happens just like everyone else. I like that, experiencing the show through the scripts.”
Fans caught onto that notion as well. John quickly told Beth that her plans wouldn’t work in given situations, but did not immediately offer a stern “no” when Beth mentioned that Jamie’s time is up — that says a lot. Jamie has every right to fear that silence, mainly because Beth is still hellbent on keeping her promise to her father, protecting him from anyone or anything that would do him harm.
We sure wouldn’t want to be Jamie right now.
Piper Perabo talks about the growing relationship between the Duttons and Summer Higgins
Piper Perabo plays Summer Higgins in Yellowstone. While she wasn’t a character that fans initially found themselves rooting for, she has grown on audiences as she stays at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
Speaking to Variety, Perabo notes that she really had no one once she got out of prison, and that’s something she’s used as she continues her journey as Summer. She might not be painting nails and watching rom-coms with the women at the ranch, but she’s making bonds with those she’s surrounded by, and it’s becoming something more than just acting out of necessity.
“One thing I realized at the beginning of the season was when Summer gets out of prison, the only one there is John, and it’s not like John brings her to his house and she calls her folks or her friends. She doesn’t call anybody, she just starts living there on that ranch. And because of that, I went with this idea of the loneliness of Summer’s character. And so that really helped inform the scenes I have with Monica (Kelsey Asbille). Even why she kind of puts up with Beth as much as she does, Summer doesn’t really seem to have anybody else. John respects her, and so that gives her some standing, and she’s sort of friends with Gator (Gabriel Guilbeau). That’s about it. And so I think there’s a real desire for family that Summer can see. As fucked up as the Duttons are, everybody’s family is kind of fucked up, and families are still the rock of a lot of things, even if it’s your chosen family and not your family of origin. So I don’t think Summer wants to let go of what she’s found, because I’m not sure she has it anywhere else.”
Not having found it in anyone else spans back farther than just her recent history, and as we get more of Summer at the ranch, we certainly hope to find out more of her backstory. We really want to see what shaped her into becoming the woman she is now and how she can grow as she learns more about this way of life she stood so firmly against.
Yellowstone is currently on a midseason hiatus, but the action picks back up when the series begins airing again in the summer of 2023. Here’s to more Dutton drama and more romance on the ranch.
