Spoilers below for the latest episode of Yellowstone, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched Episode 10, “The Apocalypse of Change.”

As Yellowstone continues fleshing out what’s presumably its final chapter in the aftermath of John Dutton’s suspicious death, all signs point to Wes Bentley’s Jamie Dutton being raked across the coals, thrown into the iron maiden, racked, quartered, shish-kabobbed and buried in a shallow grave. Beth is 100% convinced he’s behind John’s death, and even Kayce’s taking steps toward contracting his brother’s murder. I think most would agree that the easy bet is on the Attorney General taking a brutal fall very soon.

However, such an assumption perhaps unfairly ignores the secret weapon that has helped Jamie survive within this family for along as he has. And it’s not exactly the kind of thing that Beth and Kayce can properly plan for.

Jamie’s Wildly Impulsive Decisions Are What’s Kept Him Out Of Trouble

If asked, I’m not sure how many of Jamie’s decisions and actions I could name that were surely conceived and crafted with intention. On the flip side, I can think of quite a few situations where Bentley’s character either reacted extremely rashly or spoke his mind without considering the consequences.

The first big impulsive decision that changed the scope of Jamie’s life (that we know of, at least) was the permission he granted doctors to sterilize Beth following her abortion. If not for that one, the Dutton siblings’ great divide might not have ever opened up in such a hate-spewing way. But that move wasn’t even made with his own self-preseveration in mind.

Beyond that, one key example to bring up is the way Jamie murdered the investigative reporter Sarah Nguyen in the middle of Season 2. In fact, one might even say it was too impulsive for him to start feeding Sarah truths about the Dutton family and the ranch so soon into their misguided relationship. Then, when she rejected his attempts to recant his statements — out of fear of being disbarred — he succumbed to the intense pressure and strangled her to death.

After Seeing Jamie’s Reaction To John’s Fate In Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2, I Can’t Stop Thinking About Wes Bentley’s Tragic Comments Regarding Their Relationship

In Seasons 3 and 4, Jamie reconnected with his biological father Garrett (Will Patton), who didn’t need to do a whole lot to convince Jamie to start buying into his anti-John purview. But then once that relationship blew up in his face and he was stuck between “paying for his past sins” and “expanding his cover-up skills,” Jamie chose the latter path and kills his own flesh and blood in the Season 4 finale, dumping the body at the metaphorical Train Station.