In a series full of murderers and manipulators, it can be hard to find one character that universally upsets everyone. John Dutton (Kevin Costner) has branded and beat his children all in the name of his cattle ranch, and yet he is not the most hated character in “Yellowstone.” That honor might go to Mia (Eden Brolin), Jimmy’s (Jefferson White) toxic barrel-racing ex. In a long list of offenses, Mia is guilty of pressuring Jimmy back into the rodeo after a devastating injury, which lands him back in the hospital. With no remorse whatsoever, Mia’s actions have caused many Redditors to hypothesize that she may not just be terrible but legitimately evil.
“IS MIA THE DEVIL?” exclaimed u/GhostInTh3Machine22 on the Yellowstone subreddit. “Ever since Mia got her hooks into Jimmy she literally was directly involved in just about every bad thing that happened to him,” they continued. “She basically manipulates him saying if he doesn’t rodeo she’s done with him which leads to him back in the hospital just short of being paralyzed. When you look at Mia as a whole she is just a [bad] person and possibly a succubus.” Even after Jimmy finds an incredible character arc and happiness with Emily (Katherine Kelly) at The 6666 Ranch, Mia makes it her business to tear him down. Given how she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, even White struggled to find an upside to the Mia situation.
Jefferson White has a very Jimmy response to Mia
The fanbase is ready to defend Jimmy’s honor vehemently due to his status as one of the most likable characters on “Yellowstone.” He is arguably the last person who deserves such an unhealthy relationship. And looking at the couple retrospectively, many fans on YouTube pinpointed how Jimmy traded up.
“Mia loved him for what he could’ve been who she made him to be but Emily loved him for who he was already for his dreams and goals supports him in anything but doesn’t mold him into a person she wants him to be,” posted @jennmcallister7428. Jimmy never seems to live up to Mia’s expectations, but she is still irrationally angry about his fiancee, insisting that Jimmy should have fought for her.
“Bit of relationship advice: Don’t make the people you love fight for you,” @foolslayer9416 noted. “People fight for the ones they love because they can, will, and want to. Not for an ultimatum on someone else’s behalf.” No one is likely to disagree with this sentiment, but Jefferson White still wanted to find the upside to Mia’s character when he spoke to CinemaBlend. When the outlet asked him about how he felt about fan outrage over the character, White tried to be as diplomatic as possible.
“You know, it’s interesting. I think it speaks to how good an actor Eden Brolin is, who plays Mia,” White said. Instead of dragging down Mia, White rolled out the niceties as only the actor who plays Jimmy could.