S01.E03: The War Has Come Home

[circumvent]

Air date: 1/1/23

 

[circumvent]

I hate Spencer. I hope he dies a miserable death. Killing all those animals! Asshole!

The stuff in Africa continues to be ridiculous. Hyenas eat their kill, they even eat their babies if another animal kills it. They don't kill for sport. That is what humans do. Spencer is also wrong that the animals in Africa don't run away after knowing what human beings are. They know how destructive humans are, they will not stick around. The lions and hyenas would not go after two people up a tree when there is a huge elephant on the ground. They eat whenever they can, they don't waste energy hunting when there is food available. 

The cinematography in this show is so beautiful, Taylor Sheridan should stick to that and forget about writing because that part is, at best, meh. Spencer and Alexandra exchange platitudes, then grab each other to kiss. More platitudes, more kissing. It is a never ending dialogue of nothing at all. Just pay attention to what they said. Nothing has real meaning.

Cut to Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, and the Spencer/Alex scenes look even worse. Ford and Mirren make it so easy, even with the bad writing and the - again - platitudes. It is not even chemistry, it is simply good acting. They have chemistry because they can act the characters. I hope we get more Harrison Ford in flashbacks.

Most ridiculous part (tough one with so much Africa in the episode): Spencer and Alexandra up on the tree, Spencer is shooting like a maniac, Alexandra screams, he shushes her. Seriously? Don't you think the gunshots are loud enough? 

I am also annoyed by 'women take her clothes off, men only their shirt'. Does Jack have sex wearing his pants? Breasts, butts, and partial front nude are for women only, men only show nipples? I am not interested in nudes and sex scenes but the objectification of women is old stuff, it should not be like this anymore.

Laughable (although maybe true to history): the very clean sheets and the white (supposedly) silk blouse in the parched African clearing. No dust, who is washing those sheets and keeping them so nice? Oh, the colonized African people. 

 

[Artsda]

Well wow that's an ending that could have been a season finale.  

[LoveLeigh]

5 hours ago, circumvent said:

I hate Spencer. I hope he dies a miserable death. Killing all those animals! Asshole!

The stuff in Africa continues to be ridiculous. Hyenas eat their kill, they even eat their babies if another animal kills it. They don't kill for sport. That is what humans do. Spencer is also wrong that the animals in Africa don't run away after knowing what human beings are. They know how destructive humans are, they will not stick around. The lions and hyenas would not go after two people up a tree when there is a huge elephant on the ground. They eat whenever they can, they don't waste energy hunting when there is food available. 

The cinematography in this show is so beautiful, Taylor Sheridan should stick to that and forget about writing because that part is, at best, meh. Spencer and Alexandra exchange platitudes, then grab each other to kiss. More platitudes, more kissing. It is a never ending dialogue of nothing at all. Just pay attention to what they said. Nothing has real meaning.

Cut to Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, and the Spencer/Alex scenes look even worse. Ford and Mirren make it so easy, even with the bad writing and the - again - platitudes. It is not even chemistry, it is simply good acting. They have chemistry because they can act the characters. I hope we get more Harrison Ford in flashbacks.

Most ridiculous part (tough one with so much Africa in the episode): Spencer and Alexandra up on the tree, Spencer is shooting like a maniac, Alexandra screams, he shushes her. Seriously? Don't you think the gunshots are loud enough? 

I am also annoyed by 'women take her clothes off, men only their shirt'. Does Jack have sex wearing his pants? Breasts, butts, and partial front nude are for women only, men only show nipples? I am not interested in nudes and sex scenes but the objectification of women is old stuff, it should not be like this anymore.

Laughable (although maybe true to history): the very clean sheets and the white (supposedly) silk blouse in the parched African clearing. No dust, who is washing those sheets and keeping them so nice? Oh, the colonized African people. 

 

I watch it as a fictional piece for entertainment, not as an historical documentary, so if they get it wrong I do not care. As far as Spencer and Alexandra's dialogue being nothing, I don't care about that either. Their romantic chemistry is phenomenal and I wouldn't expect them to have meaningful verbal interactions. Spencer shoots, Alexandra screams and it is all fiction... and I am loving every minute of it. 

Damn, that Spencer is sexy. As far as who is washing those sheets, I suppose whoever is hired to get the stuff out of the costume department. Maybe they had one of those new washing machines? 

These shows are not made to make political statements. That is the purpose of documentary films which show historical atrocities against man and animals and in docs I expect factual accuracy. In order to move the story, they create obvious nonsense. I watch it with the same eyes that I watch Superman. I do not pick apart whether he could actually bend steel with his bare hands or even care that Lois is there only to flirt with Clark Kent. I do not watch TV to become angry... and if I do I stop watching. 

Edited January 1, 2023 by LoveLeigh

[circumvent]

1 hour ago, LoveLeigh said:

I watch it as a fictional piece for entertainment, not as an historical documentary, so if they get it wrong I do not care. As far as Spencer and Alexandra's dialogue being nothing, I don't care about that either. Their romantic chemistry is phenomenal and I wouldn't expect them to have meaningful verbal interactions. Spencer shoots, Alexandra screams and it is all fiction... and I am loving every minute of it. 

Damn, that Spencer is sexy. As far as who is washing those sheets, I suppose whoever is hired to get the stuff out of the costume department. Maybe they had one of those new washing machines? 

These shows are not made to make political statements. That is the purpose of documentary films which show historical atrocities against man and animals and in docs I expect factual accuracy. In order to move the story, they create obvious nonsense. I watch it with the same eyes that I watch Superman. I do not pick apart whether he could actually bend steel with his bare hands or even care that Lois is there only to flirt with Clark Kent. I do not watch TV to become angry... and if I do I stop watching. 

Well, people have different perspectives. There are ways of doing fiction and still be reasonable. The United States would definitely be a more educated place if people here were not so self-centered and ignorant of all things. Besides, the fact that some people don't care about the blunders and bullshit of the writing  doesn't mean that this big production failed abysmally by not having a minimum of research. If they are doing this on purpose and don't really care about the accuracy and facts, they are just a bunch of grifters, using American ignorance of the rest of the world to make money. That's not a political argument, it is a cultural one. Our culture is already decadent without big shots on TV making it even worse. I do care how Africa is portrayed. For the not caring, I can watch The Lion King.

I also do care about dialogues. TV shows are about the writing, about dialogues. Otherwise, maybe we should watch on mute, just for the "sexy" scenes (ew, no, not sexy, not sensual. Grabbing people awkwardly to kiss is well, awkward). If there is no meaning on what people say, why do we need good actors then? Are we in awe of Helen Mirren for her looks, or for her acting, which includes the talking? Her scenes with Harrison Ford are special because they make the conversation seem natural, not a list of platitudes. 

But like I said, perspectives. I will be looking forward to deconstruct this train wreck just to satisfy myself. 

[Thalia]

I thought this was the best episode yet.  I've liked the parts set in Africa, in large part because I like the actor playing Spencer.  But I'm looking forward to having the band back together to seeing the whole family in one place.   I am also looking forward to seeing Alexandra and Cara interact; I don't expect them to be antagonists, but I suspect they will not share the mother/daughter type of relationship that Cara has with Elizabeth.  

I was not expecting the ambush but it certainly escalates the story and provides more of what the Yellowstone universe seems to crave, a reason for even more violence.  

 

[Thalia]

5 minutes ago, Thalia said:

I thought this was the best episode yet.  I've liked the parts set in Africa, in large part because I like the actor playing Spencer.  But I'm looking forward to having the band back together to seeing the whole family in one place.   I am also looking forward to seeing Alexandra and Cara interact; I don't expect them to be antagonists, but I suspect they will not share the mother/daughter type of relationship that Cara has with Elizabeth.  

I was not expecting the ambush but it certainly escalates the story and provides more of what the Yellowstone universe seems to crave, a reason for even more violence.  

The one thing I find hard to believe is that they would really kill off Jacob.  OTOH, 

Spoiler

the previews they aired before the show aired showed Helen Mirren interacting with Timothy Dalton, and not Harrison Ford.  It would be an interesting twist if she carries on the fight without her husband.  And in just three episodes they've done a good job of establishing the strong bond and love between the two.  

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, Thalia said:

 

 

 

[LoveLeigh]

If they kill off Jacob I think it is because Harrison Ford did not want to commit to all the episodes in this season or what could be many seasons. I think they will concentrate on Spencer and Alex in due time when they return to the USA. I think they have incredible chemistry and a show going forward mostly about them would be great. 

By the way, the actress playing Alex is American. An American doing a British accent is quite rare, huh? She is a great actress, in interviews she comes across as a real "valley gal" wearing heavy eye makeup. 

[Haleth]

Well, John's dead so I guess it's up to Spencer to take over the ranch.  I still think Elsa was referring to Spencer, not John, and I'm handwaving what she meant by "grown" children.  (I mean, Jack is getting married (unless Elizabeth dies) but still seems so much like a child.)

Jacob will survive being shot up like Swiss cheese?  Surely the writers aren't killing him off?

Loved the Speak Easy scene and the scene with the new fangled appliances.  Cara gets it.  Of course the men didn't see any use for time saving home appliances.

The Africa scenes are exciting if not authentic.  I enjoy the chemistry the actors bring and look forward to seeing them interact with the rest of the cast.

 

[circumvent]

5 hours ago, Haleth said:

I'm handwaving what she meant by "grown" children.

Someone pointed out in another thread that an article says that Jack and what's her name will not have children, so maybe Spencer and Alex do have a child, then die, and Jack raises the kid. It is one possibility because if the say that Jack is not grown yet, than this show becomes some sort of comedy. 

[blackwing]

I forget where they said John has been.  This episode, all of a sudden, he's back with the rest of the cowboys and family.  I had been wondering why James Badge Dale wasn't getting his name in the credits.  During the credits, there are two instances where there are parts where there is no picture/actor, I had thought that they were reserving one of these spots for James Badge Dale for when he finally started appearing on the show.  But nope!  He showed up like he was never gone, and then was promptly killed off.  Chase Edmunds deserved better!

Elizabeth, Jack's fiance, was also shot in the stomach.  She got brought to the kitchen table along with Jake, but the episode ran out of time before addressing her fate.

I really do hope Jake survives.  I like seeing Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren act together, they seem very natural.  It must be a little strange as an actor to appear in a movie with someone as husband and wife 35 years ago ("The Mosquito Coast") and then reunite as a husband and wife decades later.  I hope we continue to see both of them.

Still disliking Isabel May and her horrid accent.  If she was giving these cryptic statements from beyond the grave, couldn't she have clued us in if Jake is going to die?  It's kind of a big deal.

Over in Africa, I noticed that when Alexandra said that her parents are going to hate Spencer, he said "mine are gonna love you".  I guess Jake and Cara are his adoptive parents?  Of if not formal adoption, he considers them to be his parents.

Alexandra annoyed me to no end with her constant screaming every time he fired the gun.  

And Is Brandon Sklenar the new mancrush object of Taylor Sheridan's affections?  Taylor Sheridan loooovvvees the actor who plays Jimmy so much, he contrived a scene in which Jimmy would reveal his bare butt to the TV audience.  What's up with Spencer's shirt?  Did Taylor Sheridan ask the costume designers to put in extra stitches to keep it splayed open unnaturally wide so as to constantly reveal his oh-so-manly chest?  Why not just make the actor walk around shirtless?  The shirt looks ridiculous.

 

 

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, circumvent said:

Someone pointed out in another thread that an article says that Jack and what's her name will not have children, so maybe Spencer and Alex do have a child, then die, and Jack raises the kid. It is one possibility because if the say that Jack is not grown yet, than this show becomes some sort of comedy. 

Yep, I agree.  It seems to me that unless there is conflicting information, Spencer has to be the one that ends up being Kevin Costner's grandfather, but the only way this is possible is if he dies.  More discussion in Speculation thread.

[Thalia]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

What's up with Spencer's shirt?  Did Taylor Sheridan ask the costume designers to put in extra stitches to keep it splayed open unnaturally wide so as to constantly reveal his oh-so-manly chest?  Why not just make the actor walk around shirtless?  The shirt looks ridiculous.

 

I don't know about Sheridan, but I have a girly crush on Sklenar Spencer.  That said, I agree the shirt is a bit much, particularly because it never.  moves.   Not only is it never buttoned, it the bare part never gets any wider.  Wardrobe has to be using two sided tape.  I'm looking forward to see how they dress him back on the ranch.

I struck through Sklenar himself as the object of my crush because while I think he's dreamy, I saw a picture of him at an after party for the show and the same number of buttons are open and the same amount of skin is exposed.  Dude, it isn't 1978. 

Oh God --- coming soon Yellowstone:  1978.  A young John III and his pappy attempt to keep Robert Stigwood from opening a disco on the reservation in order to keep platforms, glitter, and the Bee Gees from despoiling Montana's Natural Beauty.  

[Thumper]

We all thought the dialogue between Spencer and Alex(andra) was cheesy.  It reminded me of something out of a bad romance novel.

I love Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford together, though.  They are so good.

[pfk505]

45 minutes ago, Thumper said:

We all thought the dialogue between Spencer and Alex(andra) was cheesy.  It reminded me of something out of a bad romance novel.

"Three times - day's not over yet."

🤮

[blackwing]

Just realised that I think we didn't see Teonna at all.  I'm not particularly complaining, since I find her storyline shoehorned into the Dutton story and so far we haven't seen any connection at all, but it's just an odd writing choice to focus so much on her in the first two episodes and then completely ignore her in this one.

[TipseyGirl]

I'm enjoying this much like I did 1883. Also much like 1883, everyone looks like they stink to high heaven.

I guess I'm not romantic or whatever - but I laughed every time Spencer and Alex said something cheesy and then grabbed each other and kissed. It just looked so ridiculous.

Edited January 3, 2023 by TipseyGirl

[RedDelicious]

On 1/1/2023 at 10:10 AM, circumvent said:

I am also annoyed by 'women take her clothes off, men only their shirt'. Does Jack have sex wearing his pants? Breasts, butts, and partial front nude are for women only, men only show nipples? I am not interested in nudes and sex scenes but the objectification of women is old stuff, it should not be like this anymore.

That's what annoyed me about Teeter and Colby in the creek before they were beaten up. Why did Jen Landon have to be shown naked and there was no male nudity? Why does Beth have to be shown naked in the stock tank but we don't see Rip's bare ass? Not that I really want to see Rip's bare ass, I just don't want to see gratuitous female nudity if they're not also doing the same with the guys. 

[Affogato]

I really liked Helen Mirrin blowing that guy away. Suddenly you can see why she took the part. It must be a lot of fun to play cowboys and sheepherders. For me, not sure I want to go through the whole range war thing, and I will be genuinely pissed if Harrison Ford is dead. Seems likely, though. Was the law really that  backwards in Montana at that time? 

I think a lot of the fun of 1883 was looking up a lot of the historical background, and I think Sheridan should tighten up on that. I don't know much about Spencer's great white hunter job, but I wish I felt it was based on something real. 

I think Harrison is cuter than Spencer and Jack looks like the kind of guy they get to play superman too much of the time. Clean cut, good jaw. His wife definitely got shot in the baby maker. How likely is she to survive that? 

[Affogato]

3 hours ago, TipseyGirl said:

I'm enjoying this much like I did 1883. Also much like 1883, everyone looks like they stink to high heaven.

I guess I'm not romantic or whatever - but I laughed every time Spencer and Alex said something cheesy and then grabbed each other and kissed. It just looked so ridiculous.

We saw the school girls bathe. 

[Affogato]

9 hours ago, blackwing said:

Just realised that I think we didn't see Teonna at all.  I'm not particularly complaining, since I find her storyline shoehorned into the Dutton story and so far we haven't seen any connection at all, but it's just an odd writing choice to focus so much on her in the first two episodes and then completely ignore her in this one.

I’m guessing she goes to help the duttons after the injuries. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Why did Jacob send the men with guns up ahead, which left those on the wagons vulnerable?  He was questioned about it before they left town, but he said no, go ahead. Why didn’t anyone expect exactly what happened to happen?  
 

I was annoyed by this seemingly odd desire to portray the wildlife as mean or menacing towards humans in an unnatural way. 
 

My favorite line was about the crazy idea of women shaving their lady parts!  

[circumvent]

8 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Why did Jacob send the men with guns up ahead, which left those on the wagons vulnerable?

The reasoning was the he suspected an ambush and that the horsemen would be the ones to fight it, clearing up the way for the wagon. He underestimate the smartness of the rivals - typical Dutton - and overestimated his ability to contain whatever left over fighters he and his family could encounter.

Also, absurd decision to give action to the plot - shooting and heroics. Helen Mirren scene was well played though. Satisfying to see the old woman in an atypical duel with a man, and she wins.

I keep asking myself - are we, the viewers, supposed to like any of the characters? Because like with every Taylor Sheridan thing I have ever watched (not many that I know of), I dislike or hate every single one of them (main characters at least). I liked diseased John. Maybe because he only had a line or two. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, that’s a weird strategy to expect the enemy to only come towards from you in one direction. If they don’t, you’re a sitting duck.   Also, when they hung those guys earlier, they ride off without ensuring they’re dead.  A lot on contrivance that seems lame, imo.  
 

As far as the characters….I guess my issue is why they do things.  Like with Spenser who goes out into the bush with his lover and no assistants….of course the evil animals attack them.  His approach to wild animals seems primitive and makes him look ignorant.  I do like his lover though her infatuation with Spencer is rather predictable.
 

I hope I get to see why Sheridan’s productions are so wildly popular.  I’ll give this series one more episode.  It was lively and I adore Mirren and Harrison.  I did watch all of 1883, but none of Yellowstone.  

Edited January 8, 2023 by SunnyBeBe

[benteen]

I hope this isn't the last we see of Harrison Ford either. With this show being two years, I thought he would die before Season 2 but I would be surprised if it's this early. Hopefully that won't be the case although he was filming another show for Apple TV that debuts this month and has talked about how he's doing more projects now at 80 than he's done prior. Agreed that he and Mirren have great chemistry and Mirren is killing it, no pun intended. Taylor Sheridan can't write female characters for anything but that doesn't hold back Mirren. Plop her down in any genre and she delivers.

The ending was very exciting and I agree that aline could have been a season finale. It made up for Spencer's LOOOOONG and boring waste of a time subplot in Africa that grinded the episode to a halt. With an 8 episode season it should have wrapped up by now but sadly it hasn't. It seems to exist only because Sheridan can get whatever he wants now and decided to shoot in Africa for the hell of it. Are we going to have more scenes of Alex screaming hysterically to look for to?

I enjoyed the scenes with the Duttons in Bozeman with the Old West meeting the Roaring Twenties.

Edited January 8, 2023 by benteen

[CountryGirl]

The scenes with Harrison and Helen make the series worth the watch. I hope his Jacob survives. 

[Affogato]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:01 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

Yeah, that’s a weird strategy to expect the enemy to only come towards from you in one direction. If they don’t, you’re a sitting duck.   Also, when they hung those guys earlier, they ride off without ensuring they’re dead.  A lot on contrivance that seems lame, imo.  
 

As far as the characters….I guess my issue is why they do things.  Like with Spenser who goes out into the bush with his lover and no assistants….of course the evil animals attack them.  His approach to wild animals seems primitive and makes him look ignorant.  I do like his lover though her infatuation with Spencer is rather predictable.
 

I hope I get to see why Sheridan’s productions are so wildly popular.  I’ll give this series one more episode.  It was lively and I adore Mirren and Harrison.  I did watch all of 1883, but none of Yellowstone.  

I think Spencer is 'broken' by his experiences, and takes reckless risks. He isn't going to put a gun to his head, but he puts himself in situation where a leopard will get him and end it all. I'm not getting this from the acting or the actor, but from the situations he has put himself in. Alex seems a lot like Elsa?

I also watched 1883 and not Yellowstone.

[Affogato]

On 1/8/2023 at 6:19 AM, circumvent said:

The reasoning was the he suspected an ambush and that the horsemen would be the ones to fight it, clearing up the way for the wagon. He underestimate the smartness of the rivals - typical Dutton - and overestimated his ability to contain whatever left over fighters he and his family could encounter.

Also, absurd decision to give action to the plot - shooting and heroics. Helen Mirren scene was well played though. Satisfying to see the old woman in an atypical duel with a man, and she wins.

I keep asking myself - are we, the viewers, supposed to like any of the characters? Because like with every Taylor Sheridan thing I have ever watched (not many that I know of), I dislike or hate every single one of them (main characters at least). I liked diseased John. Maybe because he only had a line or two. 

I wonder if he assumed that they would be decent enough to not involve the women and wagons in the fighting as long as they stayed out of it?

[SunnyBeBe]

50 minutes ago, Affogato said:

I wonder if he assumed that they would be decent enough to not involve the women and wagons in the fighting as long as they stayed out of it?

Idk….hindsight and all that I suppose, but they must get to the major hardship and so this is what they do.  Hmmmm….

[mythoughtis]

I feel  like Sheridan is writing characters the way he thought about them when he was 12 years old.  There’s a lack of reality in how the men and women are portrayed.  

[Coptop77]

This Africa storyline is like a man writing a harlequin romance novel, so cheesy. The scaredy girl falling all over him, shooting all the animals. And casting these stick thin women for female characters with very tough lives is ridiculous. From Lightning with the yellow hair to now the women in this show, somebody has a type. 

[millennium]

I like the Spencer character.   An expatriate disillusioned by the war, he could have come walking out of a Hemingway novel.  Alexandra, on the other hand, is insufferable.

Bron is a real bastard in this show.   Great ending despite having been lifted from Heaven's Gate.

[chediavolo]

On 1/1/2023 at 10:10 AM, circumvent said:

I hate Spencer. I hope he dies a miserable death. Killing all those animals! Asshole!

The stuff in Africa continues to be ridiculous. Hyenas eat their kill, they even eat their babies if another animal kills it. They don't kill for sport. That is what humans do. Spencer is also wrong that the animals in Africa don't run away after knowing what human beings are. They know how destructive humans are, they will not stick around. The lions and hyenas would not go after two people up a tree when there is a huge elephant on the ground. They eat whenever they can, they don't waste energy hunting when there is food available. 

The cinematography in this show is so beautiful, Taylor Sheridan should stick to that and forget about writing because that part is, at best, meh. Spencer and Alexandra exchange platitudes, then grab each other to kiss. More platitudes, more kissing. It is a never ending dialogue of nothing at all. Just pay attention to what they said. Nothing has real meaning.

Cut to Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, and the Spencer/Alex scenes look even worse. Ford and Mirren make it so easy, even with the bad writing and the - again - platitudes. It is not even chemistry, it is simply good acting. They have chemistry because they can act the characters. I hope we get more Harrison Ford in flashbacks.

Most ridiculous part (tough one with so much Africa in the episode): Spencer and Alexandra up on the tree, Spencer is shooting like a maniac, Alexandra screams, he shushes her. Seriously? Don't you think the gunshots are loud enough? 

I am also annoyed by 'women take her clothes off, men only their shirt'. Does Jack have sex wearing his pants? Breasts, butts, and partial front nude are for women only, men only show nipples? I am not interested in nudes and sex scenes but the objectification of women is old stuff, it should not be like this anymore.

Laughable (although maybe true to history): the very clean sheets and the white (supposedly) silk blouse in the parched African clearing. No dust, who is washing those sheets and keeping them so nice? Oh, the colonized African people. 

 

I just started watching this shit show & 100% agree. I am SICKENED by the glorifying “macho-ness” of the animal killings. And are they justifying it because they were “man killers”? BS. Hunting beautiful wild animals was & still is a f-king horrendous display of false bravery . I hate this show so far .  This Taylor Sheridan had serious issues. 

[pezgirl7]

On 1/24/2024 at 4:43 AM, chediavolo said:

I just started watching this shit show & 100% agree. I am SICKENED by the glorifying “macho-ness” of the animal killings. 

One could argue that the glorying of it is appropriate to the time period. One thing that bothers me about a lot of recently-made period tv shows/movies is that they try to give the characters modern ideals, instead of staying true to the time period. Although I suppose they could have had at least one character voice their concern, because I'm sure there were a few people back then who were against hunting. Spencer doesn't really seem to enjoy killing the animals, but seems to do it as a twisted way to stave off his PTSD. The show could have delved into that more, but instead they romanticized it and used it as a way for him and Alex to hook up.