“You are not a cowboy. You are somebody, somebody told to come here so we can make a cowboy or of ya,” old Ross (Barry Corbin) reminded Jimmy (Jefferson White) when he arrived at the 6666 Ranch in the fourth season of Yellowstone. Now, the Four Sixes did indeed turn Jimmy into a cowboy by the end of the fourth season. The only concern for many fans is just how long Jimmy had spent at the 6666 Ranch before returning as a cowboy.
Considering how raw Jimmy was when he went to Texas, it would be miraculous for the 6666 Ranch to turn him into a real cowboy in a week. It may still be possible since the Four Sixes is famed as the original home of cowboys, but then, that would mean that the events in most of the fourth season of Yellowstone happen in just a week, which is interesting, so let’s make some sense of it.
Why did Jimmy go to the 6666 Ranch?
John Dutton ordered Jimmy to train at the 6666 Ranch in Texas and become a real cowboy. John was trying to keep his promise to Jimmy’s grandfather, whom he promised to keep Jimmy safe when he took him in at the Yellowstone. However, Jimmy turned to rodeo and suffered a broken neck and back in an accident.
John Dutton was, therefore, trying to save Jimmy’s life by sending him to Texas, although the separation from his then-girlfriend, Mia, and the other cowboys in the bunkhouse was hard on him. After getting John Dutton’s reassurance, Jimmy agrees to drive to the Four Sixes with Travis Wheatly.
John’s faith in Jimmy eventually pays off as Jimmy reflects deeply on what he wants to be when he watches Travis and the other pro horsemen perform and decides to take his cowboy training seriously. His desire only increases when he meets Ross and the retired rodeoing legend Buster Welch, who is described as a god in Texas.
Jimmy struggles to adjust to life at the ranch because he can’t even get directions right. When the 6666 Ranch cowboys come for Jimmy, he struggles to get his horse under control, loses his hat while riding, and lags behind at breakfast. He clearly has a lot of growing to do when he starts life at the 6666 ranch.
How long Jimmy stays at the 6666 Ranch
When Jimmy asked John Dutton how long he would have to stay at the 6666 Ranch, John Dutton told him that he would stay there until he was ready. According to John Dutton, it didn’t matter whether it took months or years.
The fourth season doesn’t show much of Jimmy at 6666, but the few scenes that cover him show that he took cowboying seriously and has transformed from the clumsy and confused boy into a promising cowboy when he meets his new girlfriend, Emily. The two fall in love quickly, but it is also unclear how long it takes before they are engaged.
While the show doesn’t give exact timelines, Jefferson White said in his podcast with fellow Yellowstone actors that Jimmy has stayed a week at the 6666 Ranch by the time he makes out with his new girlfriend. During the scene, Jimmy tells his girlfriend that he will return to the Yellowstone in a week, putting Jimmy’s entire stay the the 6666 ranch at just two weeks.
That time sounds a little short, considering the level of transformation the character undergoes in that period. When Jimmy tells Emily that his contract is up, he doesn’t clarify how long that contract was. However, he has learned much more about being a cowboy than he did at the Yellowstone Ranch.
While it is hard to judge the exact period by the scenes that cover Jimmy, the events at the Dutton Ranch paint the picture that at least a couple of months pass before Jimmy’s return. Kayce and his family, for example, go from Tate’s emotional struggles to moving into a sweat lodge, where they stay for what looks like a long time. They then move to a new home, which feels like months later because it is now snowing.
Jefferson White’s statement could still be right because John Dutton spent at least three months in the hospital in August. Snow could fall as early as September in Montana, which would be just a few weeks after Jimmy left for Texas because he was released from hospital around the same time as John Dutton. It is interesting how so much happens in Yellowstone within such a short period.
Why did Jimmy choose to stay at the 6666 Ranch?
“I am not a fighter, but I might make a cowboy yet,” Jimmy tells Lloyd Pierce after he decides to go back to Texas. Jimmy wanted to live a life of his own choosing for once, which is exactly what he got at the 6666 Ranch. With the promise of learning more about horses and having Emily at his side, Jimmy saw life in Texas to be more suitable to his dream of becoming a professional horseman like Travis.
In his conversation with Mia, he admitted that he was in love with Emily. Emily had chosen to follow Jimmy back to the Yellowstone, which meant she was willing to uproot her entire life for him. While he loved Mia, he didn’t see a future with her like he did with Emily, so she chose Texas.
John Dutton appreciated Jimmy’s development and agreed to write off his entire debt to him. As far as John was concerned, Jimmy’s biggest debt was to himself, and his transformation was payment enough. This freed Jimmy to choose the life he really wanted, and that is why he chose to go back to the 6666 Ranch and live his dream.
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