Season 5, Episode 7, “The Dream Isn’t Me”

You know you’re on a special episode of Yellowstone When he starts hitting little Rip in the skull of some cowboy.

John’s past way of doing things continues to prove mismatched with the present as the future of John Dutton’s farm reaches an important turning point in “The Dream Is Not Me”. In this game-changing episode, not only does Beth speak out about how outdated (read: crappy) her father’s business model is, but John also bitterly acknowledges that she’s right. For all of Jon’s rant in Season 4, declaring himself as the rock to step up against, it turns out his pride does more to damage his family’s legacy than save it.

Here’s what happened this week

A shirtless Jimmy throws a concert at his place for manipulative Sarah, playing the world’s smallest violin for himself and his father to justify his latest plan to bring John down.

All Jimmy wants is some gratitude from the father, who plans to depose him. After all, it was John who wanted Jimmy to become a lawyer, while Jimmy dreamed of learning how to run a farm. Instead, John got Jimmy into Harvard, and Beth would probably write the admissions essay. Now, Jimmy wants respect and praise for becoming the business tool his father needed. (If your father’s approval is what you seek, perhaps you are not planning to sabotage and/or kill him?)

It’s too late to talk about why Jimmy is there the worst; No one will feel sympathy for this Ivy League enthusiast. Especially when Sarah tells him that her bosses are preparing to sue his father, which could bankrupt the state of Montana. Sarah argues that this is the reason for the dismissal, and Jimmy’s arrogant, one-eyed donkey takes the bait.

What’s really sad is that all of this is happening in parallel with John reluctantly, painfully aware of the error of his ways. Or at least the futility of stubbornly holding on to it. Halting airport construction to save Yellowstone seems like it would be his downfall, along with a possible virus among his livestock that could cost John the entire herd. Beth points out that the farm can’t afford the millions of dollars it would cost or the month it would take to move some of the cows to a new location where they could be pastured. Lacking cost-effective options—and mindful of Beth’s criticisms of how flawed John’s business acumen is—John realizes that perhaps he could use the title of governor to make up for his mistakes. But he better do it quickly, because Sarah is clearing Jimmy’s legal ball.

Player of the week

Jimmy’s secretary. We’re surprised too, but just like everyone else on this show – other than her boss – she sees right through Sarah’s long shenanigans. She knows Sarah is very bad news and nothing good can come of being associated with her. But Jimmy is too dumb and too high in his new life as the star of a ’90s erotic thriller to listen to. But hey, at least I tried.

Urgent questions for the next episode

1. What would the decidedly killer flashback factor be like in all of this?

Memories of the past Yellowstone They tend to fill up the runtime more than move the narrative forward in meaningful ways. The series has already used Rip’s past to determine why the man is loyal to Jon, but this time… it looks like something is different. Why show us such a formative kill in young Rip’s life if he and Jon don’t bite him in the ass so soon?

2. What will happen to Jimmy when Beth finds out about Operation: Papa John’s Impeachment?

Judging by the trailer for the next episode (which doesn’t air until January 1, by the way), it looks like Beth, or whoever also hates her brother, is well-deserved kicking Jimmy’s ass. Jimmy also seems to waste no time in initiating impeachment proceedings, which means John and Beth will have to take off the gloves and fight a war on two fronts: saving the farm and stopping Jimmy. In fact, it’s three fronts. Don’t forget Sarah. Because she and her evil employers won’t stop until there’s a new Dutton in the office to help them turn Yellowstone into tarmac.