‘Yellowstone’ Season 2’s Biggest Threat Isn’t Who You Think
There’s no doubt that Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan knows his stuff; through two successful Yellowstone spinoffs and other highly-watched TV series, including Tulsa King and Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Sheridan knows how to weave compelling stories filled with action and suspense. Yellowstone Season 2 is packed with breathtaking drama and emotional highs and lows. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the Dutton family must fight to save their beloved Yellowstone Ranch. Knowing who the biggest threat is as the season progresses is difficult with so many enemies. There’s Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and his plans to expand the reservation and create a new casino, and Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) and his land development plans for the valley.
Season 2 sees a new threat emerge with the mafia-style business practices of the Beck brothers, Malcolm (Neal McDonough) and Teal (Terry Serpico), and the ever-present internal turmoil between the individual members of the Dutton family. Season 2 begins with Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) defying his father’s wishes by running for attorney general. In Season 1, Jamie’s ambitions were supported by his family, but feeling that the new role would not suit the needs of the ranch, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) tells Jamie to drop out of the race. Jamie becomes so angry with his father that he agrees to a scathing interview that will undoubtedly have significant consequences for his father and possibly destroy the entire family. Season 1 also saw Chief Rainwater and Dan Jenkins consider a joint venture that would allow a new casino to be built on tribal land without government oversight, and encroaching tourism would provide an effective way to drive the Dutton family off their land. With so much already in the works, adding the fearsome Beck brothers to Season 2 adds fuel to an already raging fire.
Rainwater and Jenkins Threaten the Survival of Yellowstone Dutton Ranch
Thomas Rainwater, casino magnate and chief of the Broken Rock Reservation, wants the Dutton land for a number of reasons. On the surface, he claims that he wants to return the land to his people, the indigenous tribes who have lived on the land for thousands of years. While that is certainly a factor in his motivation for reclaiming the land, Rainwater’s business ambitions tell a slightly different story. A successful casino owner, he saw the potential for a new casino on Dutton land. By expanding the reserve, he could build and operate a new casino without government oversight and make a huge profit for himself and the reserve. The problem was that he needed to buy more land, and that’s where Dan Jenkins came in.
With Dan Jenkins stuck in his development, he saw the potential in an alliance with Rainwater. They struck a deal to develop the land without government oversight by deeding the land to the reserve. Once the land became part of the reserve, Rainwater planned to finance the construction of the casino and infrastructure and give Jenkins a share of the profits. It seemed like a win-win, but with the deal voided after the merger, Rainwater had to keep its promise. However, with two influential businessmen teaming up to tear down Yellowstone Ranch, there’s plenty for The Duttons to worry about.
