Taylor Sheridan’s scripts are known for using a particular code to hide character deaths in Yellowstone, but the finale’s death of Jamie Dutton was treated a little differently.
Keeping spoilers from ruining Yellowstone’s monumental events was no easy task, with a variety of methods used to keep spoilers off the internet. One keyword used in the script was “arrived,” used to keep the demise of John Dutton, Colby, and Sarah a secret.
A new interview with Yellowstone EP Christina Voros revealed the finale’s death of Jamie Dutton was treated a little differently, with the final moment utilizing a different code for extra security.
Jamie Dutton didn’t arrive, he played games
In the interview with THR, Voros explained that the script didn’t have the now-famous keyword, ‘arrived,’ in part because the keyword became infamous. “Weirdly, Jamie Dutton’s death became ‘Beth and Jamie play Scrabble,'” she said. ” “I think it had to do with putting pieces together, that might have been the origin of it.”
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Voros noted that the pivot in practice might have stemmed from how widely publicized the use of ‘arrives’ became. “By that time in the season, some folks might have caught onto the ‘arrival’ code word,” explaining “We wanted to add a layer of confusion around it because so many people had ‘arrived’ at that point.”
For the pivotal final scene, cementing Jamie’s fate, the team wanted to be certain that no one caught on. “We didn’t want people to put it together, so that final fight sequence was, ‘Beth and Jamie play Scrabble.'” While Jamie’s death was predicted by the series’ most astute fans (and Beth), it was still important to keep his fate from being easily spoiled.
Check out fan reactions to Jamie’s fate, a peek into the pivotal scene’s production, or our analysis of his character’s handling.