And they do, in a hurry.Įnter Market Equities, the new big-money shady operation to set their sights on the Dutton's land. Dan Jenkins ( Danny Huston), California investor and former Dutton rival turned reluctant ally, was killed in the Season 2 finale, leaving a power vacuum for new enemies to step into. The Duttons may have won the battle against the Beck Brothers without any major casualties, but not everyone got off so easily. Initially, Jamie ( Wes Bentley) takes over as the new Livestock Commissioner, but when he's promoted to interim Attorney General for the state, Kayce reluctantly agrees to take on the job and, to his surprise, discovers he genuinely likes it. However, those consequences turn out to be pretty minimal since the position easily stays in the Dutton family. With six dead and an obvious personal conflict given that it was his grandson's abduction, John has to step down as Livestock Commissioner lest Tate's rescue look like a "gross abuse of power" without consequences.
The quality time with his grandfather night only helps Tate recover from his trauma but gives Kayce and Monica time to reconnect and revive their estranged marriage.Īs for the politics, John bears the brunt of the fallout from the high-casualty confrontation that brought Tate home. Now that they're living on the ranch again Monica hopes that spending more time keeping busy with John ( Kevin Costner) will help him heal. At the beginning of Season 3, Kayce ( Luke Grimes) and Monica's ( Kelsey Asbille) son Tate ( Brecken Merrill) is suffering from nightmares after his kidnapping.