Why did Jamie tell Beth about the “Train Station?”
Few can deny that television show Yellowstone, with its tangled webs of familial alliances, power struggles, and dark secrets, has brought back the Western genre with a vengeance. At the center of this masterpiece is the infamous Dutton family, and their stranglehold on the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. In the season 5 mid-season finale, a revelation reverberates through the Dutton lineage, threatening to shatter the foundations of their power: the existence of their secret burial ground, the "train station," now known to the family's rogue son, Jamie.
The "train station" serves as the physical embodiment of the Dutton family's sins. An unmarked mass grave tucked away at a canyon on the Wyoming border, this is where the Duttons bury their adversaries. As a trope, secret burial grounds have long been a recurring theme in crime dramas, their use signifying the anti-hero's moral conflict and symbolizing the heavy weight of their actions.
But in Yellowstone, this trope takes on a different shade. Given the series' Western setting, it recalls the imagery of frontier justice, of outlaws and vigilantes taking law into their own hands in a world where law enforcement was either absent or inefficient. The "train station," therefore, isn't just a crime scene; it's a monument to the Dutton family's rugged determination to protect their legacy at all costs, a testament to the harsh and unapologetic law of the Old West.
This unveiling of the "train station" harkens back to another iconic Western, Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. In the 1992 film, Eastwood's character William Munny is a retired gunslinger turned farmer, haunted by the violent acts of his past. Like the Duttons, Munny has a past steeped in brutality and a ruthless disregard for law in pursuit of what he perceives as justice. His redemption arc, however, lies in his acknowledgment of his past sins and an attempt to change his ways.
The Duttons, particularly patriarch John, seem to be caught in a similar moral quagmire. The revelation that their hidden burial ground is now known to Jamie - a son on the brink of becoming an enemy - forces the family, and the viewers, to confront the ghosts of their past. This new reality not only threatens their stronghold but also puts them at a crossroads between acceptance of their past actions or a continued descent into moral ambiguity.
However, where Unforgiven shows Munny's redemption, Yellowstone poses a critical question: Can the Duttons seek redemption, or is their fate already sealed by the bodies buried at the "train station"?
The series masterfully amplifies the complexity of this predicament through Beth's reaction. Far from being horrified, Beth seems to acknowledge the "train station" as a necessary evil in their fight for survival. Her response contrasts sharply with the classic trope of the 'innocent daughter' usually seen in such crime dramas. Instead, she embraces it, and even suggests a permanent solution to the Jamie problem - his elimination.
In the world of Yellowstone, the lines between heroes and villains blur, like the dusty horizons of the wild, wild West. The "train station" is more than a secret burial ground; it's a living, breathing testament to the survival of the fittest - an essential, albeit grim, part of the Dutton legacy. As the series progresses, viewers will undoubtedly be kept on edge, wondering if this trope of frontier justice will ultimately be the Duttons' saving grace or their downfall.
