Season 1 - 3 Discussion

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Definitely my favorite episode in the series.  So much of it was devoted to cowboys being cowboys.  Not too much about the absurd machinations.

TPTB answered two of my criticisms.  One, the reporter is finally going to publish.  Yet and still, the timing is way off as this would have been done weeks ago.  Two, a student complained about spending so much effort on a current iteration of tribal ritual.  What about Columbus, indeed.  

I really liked the opening sequence of the young Rip and Beth.  It all seemed congruent.  The crack of dawn convo between them as adults did not make a lot of sense.  The shared anguish of the burdens of guilt really did resonate, though.  None of it was overwrought, imo.

The scene with the new AG was useless, other than to demonstrate her current loyalty.

Maybe I was hallucinating, but I could almost swear JD cited/referenced Rainwater when he first assessed blame for the alfalfa.  

I guess the burn went off without incident.  Hard to believe we didn't get any cinegraphic visuals of it.  

Fredo (Jamie) may off himself after this session with Dad.  If he doesn't, perhaps Beth would do him that favor.

Jenkins continues to beclown himself.

[Mr. Miner]

When Jamie was being a dipshit in the meeting and kept messing with his phone. I wanted Beth to walk in at that moment and kick the shit out of him, and I don't like Beth. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

So Rip and Beth were kindred spirits from the beginning. M'kay.

Did the cowboys disdain young Rip because he was an orphan or because he became an orphan by killing his family?

I'd never heard of the Indian Relay. This episode was actually educational. 🤔

So who was that guy training Jenkins to use a gun? Have we seen him before? Whatever, he did a crummy job. A bit of a badass though. I'm thinking he and Beth need to meet.

Lol, everybody drawing down on everybody like a rectangular firing squad. Such manly. Much macho.

I know less than zero about horses. But that thing they were doing pulling the horses up short seemed to me like it'd be dangerous for the horses' legs. Does the sand help mitigate potential problems?

Poor Jimmy got scammed by those ringers. His situation just keeps going from bad to worse. (And do Texas cowboys and Montana cowboys actually hang out together? Doesn't seem like there'd be room for all the ego, even outdoors. 🙄 )

[Dowel Jones]

44 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I know less than zero about horses. But that thing they were doing pulling the horses up short seemed to me like it'd be dangerous for the horses' legs. Does the sand help mitigate potential problems?

In this case, it would, but in rodeo events, like calf roping or team roping, they do much the same thing on hard pack.

[Ohwell]

3 hours ago, Mr. Minor said:

When Jamie was being a dipshit in the meeting and kept messing with his phone. I wanted Beth to walk in at that moment and kick the shit out of him, and I don't like Beth. 

See, that's the last thing I want to see.  I'm tired of the physical fighting between these two, they're not kids anymore.  Also, what if it was Beth messing with her phone?  Would it have been ok for Jamie to kick the shit out of her?

[Mr. Miner]

18 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Would it have been ok for Jamie to kick the shit out of her?

I don't care, I doubt that he could anyway.

[Hannah94]

2 minutes ago, Mr. Minor said:

I don't care, I doubt that he could anyway.

omg, off topic, but you are from my trashy reality tv page on primetimer! I never see a crossover from those dumpster fires to Yellowstone (other than myself), lol. 

[Mr. Miner]

lol! I'm expanding my horizons.

[Ohwell]

28 minutes ago, Mr. Minor said:

I don't care, I doubt that he could anyway.

Maybe not, but a bullet between the eyes would do it.

[mledawn]

This episode was the best of the season - I'm not sure what that says, but there you have it. The actor who plays young Rip does a good job, I can see the relation. Young Beth is as grating as now-Beth, so I suppose she's also doing a good job.

I laughed at the Sheriff sitting down in front of the tv with his uniform shirt still on, complete with metal star. I think we'd know who he was without that on, wouldn't we? 

I am taken out of things a bit every time I see Taylor Sheridan on screen in this show, which probably isn't fair - but that competition almost seemed created just so he could ride a horse on tv. I guess that's your privilege as the director/creator/writer. (Yes, I know it moved the plot along for Jimmy, who continues to be a dumbass).

[lonestar]

Quote

I think she has so much hate for her brother because he was mother's favorite. Last season when she laid on the ground dying she spoke lovingly to him while speaking hatefully to her daughter.

That was Kayce. Jamie and Lee were older than Beth and Kayce.  On another episode, they even talked about Kayce being the mother's favorite.

[I-Kare]

What the ever living hell did I just watch? 

Someone tell me if I'm wrong here, but it seemed like John told Jaime he should kill himself? 

Jaime kills someone to protect his family after being goaded by both is father and god-awful-excuse-for-a-human sister, then while he's traumatized by this act of desperation his Dad's response is it'd been better if you killed yourself? (again, maybe I misread that scene? Hopefully?)

I really loved S1, but S2 is like some giant shark jump. 

At this point my only hope is that Jaime goes completely batshit, drugs Beth and John, then sets the whole damn house on fire while they sleep. 

[rocketinu]

Jaime said he had no choice and John said he had a choice and he could have jumped in the river.

The girl ranch hand left or did they kill her too? No explanation there.

At least no Beth tonight. Thank heaven for small favors. 

That makes two children that have murdered someone. 

[mxc90]

Malcolm Beck still didn't listen to Rip and adjust his tie.

It's ridiculous how John can walk around in broad daylight and attack Jenkins with no consequences. He could have been civil, walk in and have a conversation. I guess they needed to find anyway to make John look real tough.

Jamie is now officially a Dutton. What a piece of shit! I hope the article still makes it to the papers.

Real nice for John to tell his son suicide is an option.

Why didn't Lloyd point Jimmy in this direction instead of having him lose more money to that family last week?

Why didn't we get to see Avery leave?

Whatever happened to Steven William's character?

There you go Monica! And of course, thinking of Kayce had to put an endd to it. She needed closure!

No Beth this week! Yay!

If Walker is gone, it's such a waste of his character being on the show.

3 hours ago, I-Kare said:

At this point my only hope is that Jaime goes completely batshit, drugs Beth and John, then sets the whole damn house on fire while they sleep. 

I hope that speech at the end about life is a foreshadow of some of the Duttons being killed soon! Terrible family!

[Dowel Jones]

I think the writers couldn't think up a good storyline for Avery, or the actress had other commitments, so they just wrote her off the ranch.  At least she didn't get dropped off at "the train station."

Speaking of that, just how big is this ranch that the hands have no idea of the surrounding geography?  Train stations require train tracks.  Have they ever seen any?  They've been to town, come on.  It's just a pet peeve of mine.  At least Walker was well aware of his fate and was prepared to fight his way out.  Good thing for Kayce it didn't happen.  As an ex-con, Walker should have known straight away to start wiping down the vehicle.

That reporter had better have left some notes and her friend better pursue the investigation.  On top of this, an autopsy would show that she died before going in the water (no water in the lungs, bruise marks on the throat).  Not a good sign for the Duttons, unless they own the current ME, too.  After they killed the last one.

The stuntwoman must have said something like "This better be a one take scene.  This water is damn cold."

I would like to know how much power state regulatory bodies have over Reservation activities.  Can the brothers actually affect the development of the casino?

Jimmy is going to have to devote a whole bunch more time to rodeo work if he expects to make any real money.  That little 100 person event wouldn't pay him nearly enough.

[rocketinu]

Also in the makes no sense department - why would a savvy reporter, knowing what she does about the Duttons, meet a Dutton, even the wussy one, on a desolate road in the middle of nowhere.

Something had to happen to Avery. She and Jimmy were tight and I don't think she would leave without saying something to him.

The upcoming war between Beth and the "bolo" boys should be interesting. 

[rcc]

21 hours ago, lonestar said:

That was Kayce. Jamie and Lee were older than Beth and Kayce.  On another episode, they even talked about Kayce being the mother's favorite.

Okay I thought it was him and would then explain the hate. The show should let us know why she hates him so much.

Edited August 1, 2019 by rcc

[rcc]

Something went right for Jimmy finally!

Edited August 1, 2019 by rcc

[Raja]

12 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Speaking of that, just how big is this ranch that the hands have no idea of the surrounding geography?  Train stations require train tracks.  Have they ever seen any?  They've been to town, come on.  It's just a pet peeve of mine.  At least Walker was well aware of his fate and was prepared to fight his way out.  Good thing for Kayce it didn't happen.  As an ex-con, Walker should have known straight away to start wiping down 

Walker wasn't that kind of ex convict. He got into a fight and the other guy died. Not the professional criminal going to crime university 

[Dowel Jones]

Well, I have never committed a major crime, or been to jail, but even I know enough to cover my tracks if I were suddenly dropped into a situation like that, instead of standing around watching them dump the body.  Maybe Walker has the same sort of stupid genes that Jimmy has.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Dowel Jones

[I-Kare]

16 hours ago, rocketinu said:

Jaime said he had no choice and John said he had a choice and he could have jumped in the river.

Well that would have been an idiotic choice because there's nothing an editor and writer would have liked more than the star of the piece killing himself before they went to print. They wouldn't even need a click bate headline, the views/readership would have been doubled easily no matter how salacious the original piece was. 

12 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

That reporter had better have left some notes and her friend better pursue the investigation. 

If this wasn't a freelance situation - and if it was real life - whatever editor the reporter works for already knew about the piece (probably assigned it to her), viewed it along the way, made notes asking for details, and cut and changed copy. And if they were at the stage where they were confirming quotes, more than one person had already seen it and had a hand in creating it. I

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Nit - Rainwater praised the "croupier."  Dude was dealing cards on camera.  Croupiers run craps and roulette tables.

JD's convo with the Sheriff was straight outta Soap Opera 101.  All he needed to do was reassure his once and now again friend Danny that he shared his disdain for the Beck's.   But, noooooo.  Intentional lack of clarity. 

It's difficult for me to believe that Montana enjoys more control over native gaming than California.  Rainwater walks into Federal Court claiming restraint of trade on a sovereign and gets his slots straight away.  He may have to pay taxes on winnings, but slots are the lowest level of gaming and are NOT subject to State regulation.  Table games are.  Rainwater has sealers and croupiers, so even that is apparently not an issue.

The reporter already said that the paper/magazine lawyers had approved her story.  All that remained was the ethic of giving the target(s) a chance to comment before publication.  Her death would bring out the heaviest of heavy journalistic hitters.  Jamie will certainly be made out to be a renegade and responsible.  Unfortunately for JD, and TPTB, the things he told her could, and would, be proven as to the corruptions of JD and his Yellowstone.  The journos would never rest until he was ruined.  

The PT dude/lover spoke some large truth.  It's all on Monica.  She made the choice to marry into the Dutton's.  It's her choice to remain half-in, half-out.  What's that JD said about choices?   It applies to her every bit as much as Jamie.  Her refusal to actually make a choice has been a choice to perpetuate the issues and pain.  Stay or go.  There is no middle in this situation.

The opening scene with the young Jamie and JD was excellent.  Jamie was a true son and he was all about being a cowboy.  Daddio had a different idea.  What a monster JD is.

I've been wondering why Jimmy had not been better embraced earlier.  It has seemed to me that it would have been explained to him that perhaps the greatest benefit of being a Y hand was that Y takes care of their own.  This meth dealer arc would have been handled by now.  Having noted this, it was still cool to see paternal Lloyd helping Jimmy discover he was worth a damn, after all.  That was worth a gazillion times more than the cash won.  It certainly merits my continued viewership.

[luckylou]

Last year I had plenty of complaints about the plot, which seemed pretty impossible and poorly researched. I have to say that many of my complaints have been answered.  For one thing, it has been explained that the advantage of this new casino will be that, once it becomes part of the reservation, state liquor and gambling laws will no longer apply...no need to spend a huge chunk of cash to buy a Gallatin County liquor license...(alcohol used to be illegal on reservations.  it is still illegal on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne res, which would be the one nearest to Bozeman.  But this is an imaginary reservation in the show, where alcohol could be allowed by the tribe.) and no need to limit bets to small stakes.  (Small stakes gambling has been legal in Montana for many years.  Keno and poker machines can be found even in some gas station-attached restaurants..everywhere.) And, of course, it will be very close to the northern entrances to Yellowstone Park.  

But... have to say, the lynching scene at the end of last season seems far-fetched.  And now, the writers seem to be switching the entire plot.  While it is probably true that the increased taxable value of land next to land bought by out of state millionaires as hobby ranches or as potential resort properties is a real threat to long time ranch/land owners(though surely there must be a special classification for land used for agriculture) the business about building a dam and stopping the flow of river water seemed dubious...was the Yellowstone ranch upstream or downstream of the proposed dam? and a hydroelectric dam does not permanently stop water from flowing downstream anyway.  Just to mention a couple of points.  

Next, I really object to making the tribe the evil entity here. Anyone who has visited a reservation in the West knows how poor the residents are.  

But this year, we have a new villain.  Someone who controls the distribution of slot machines, I guess, and also has pretty much all the local authorities on the payroll.  

As far as I can tell, there is only one likable member of the Dutton family, Kayse, plus his estranged wife, and his little boy.  Otherwise, everyone is horrible.  This was created last year... a real problem, it seems to me, for the writers.  

Is it possible to annex land to an Indian reservation without an act of the U S Congress?  I suppose this land is at least contiguous.

I continue to watch the show, though.  I am waiting to see how they can turn the shrewish sister and the Milquetoast brother into likable people.  And can they be rewriting Kevin Costner’s character into someone more acceptable?  and it seems Jimmy is about to become someone we care about.

Edited August 3, 2019 by luckylou

[Dowel Jones]

3 hours ago, luckylou said:

As far as I can tell, there is only one likable member of the Dutton family, Kayse,

Ah, but Kayce took part in the half-lynching, and has murdered four people in cold blood (or in a fit of anger, if you prefer).

[Joimiaroxeu]

The guy playing the younger John Dutton was good casting. Meanwhile, young Jamie didn't even know where Harvard was. It doesn't seem he ever held much promise.

The Beck brothers are like a Montana branch of the mafia. "Nice place you got here, Rainwater. Be a shame if anything happened to it." They're almost comically sinister.

Jenkins' security guy is 0 for 2, lol. Hope he's not being paid a lot.

Jimmy: "Wait, what's a buckle bunny?"

An autopsy of the reporter's body will reveal she died by choking and not drowning. Were they hoping a bear would eat her corpse (or at least her head 😉)? Jamie better pray she didn't tell someone she was going to meet him out in the boonies.

Good job, Jimmy! But geez, is his spine made of rubber? I think I got whiplash just watching him.

[Raja]

2 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

An autopsy of the reporter's body will reveal she died by choking and not drowning. Were they hoping a bear would eat her corpse (or at least her head 😉)? Jamie better pray she didn't tell someone she was going to meet him out in the boonies.

Good job, Jimmy! But geez, is his spine made of rubber? I think I got whiplash just watching him.

Dr Jordan Quincy sure would have caught it.  Maybe Montana has their version of the  Baltimore cops on The Wire making sure their accident doesn't come back as a murder.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

5 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

An autopsy of the reporter's body will reveal she died by choking and not drowning. Were they hoping a bear would eat her corpse (or at least her head 😉)? Jamie better pray she didn't tell someone she was going to meet him out in the boonies.

Or JD makes sure the examiner is bought and paid for.  The incoming AG is.

The wild card in all this is the Governor, who was allllllll about ruining JD last season, and now seems to be on his side.  Where the heck is the Cattleman's Association?!

The concept of JD and Rainwater as allies may be the looniest bit, yet.

[luckylou]

On 8/3/2019 at 6:16 PM, Dowel Jones said:

Ah, but Kayce took part in the half-lynching, and has murdered four people in cold blood (or in a fit of anger, if you prefer).

So true...and he is the guy we are supposed to like.  At least I assume we are...

[luckylou]

On 8/3/2019 at 6:50 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

An autopsy of the reporter's body will reveal she died by choking and not drowning. Were they hoping a bear would eat her corpse (or at least her head 😉)? Jamie better pray she didn't tell someone she was going to meet him out in the 

Maybe the local coroner is an undertaker and will just assume the death a drowning without an autopsy.  If it happened in Gallatin County (Bozeman), then there will be a problem.  

[luckylou]

On 8/3/2019 at 9:08 PM, Raja said:

Dr Jordan Quincy sure would have caught it.  Maybe Montana has their version of the  Baltimore cops on The Wire making sure their accident doesn't come back as a murder.

On this show, it seems as though all the cops are somehow on someone’s payroll.  But drownings are probably relatively common in areas like this and Dr Quincy not likely to be in evidence.

[mledawn]

I actually liked this episode. That's two in a row I genuinely enjoyed. The business with the Becks and Rainwater really is convoluted but at least something seems to be happening.

Rip's maneuvering with Walker was excellent foresight - Walker's fingerprints on everything will at least give him pause, but Kayce's decision to NOT take him to the "train station" is obviously going to come back to haunt him.

Poor aul Jaime, never wanted to go off to school and be a lawyer. It's interesting how John saw his children's roles in the future of the farm. I guess Beth was just the token, throwaway girl til the older brother died? I'm probably overthinking.

[mxc90]

What did Jamie do wrong to John and Beth? This show has done a poor job explaining this.

I don't think we have seen many scenes with Kayce and Jamie to know their relationship.

Did John forget he suggested to Jamie to kill himself last week. Now Beth tells him to kill himself. She was disappointed when John told her he tried and didn't go through with it. Now she will make sure he's dead in a week. What a bitch!

Now John is going to make up for Jaime by letting him be a cowboy (at maybe 40 year old) and regrets sending him to Harvard (Unreal!). But he can't tell Beth he loves his son.

This maybe the most dysfunctional family ever!

Where did Rip get all that money for the headstones and the grave digger?

I hope independent and strong Monica tells her students she moved back into the Dutton's house.

The Beck Brothers took their one big shot and missed badly. Too bad Jason and the croupier were the collateral damage in this mess. And all this is over land? Ridiculous!

That scene proves Beth is annoying under any circumstance/situation.

Why bother leave the bodies on Malcolm's porch? They could have killed him in his sleep and made the body disappear.

Now the Beck Brothers got Rainwater, Jenkins and John working togther! This is like something from an old pro wrestling stroyline!

[rocketinu]

Yeah Jamie killed to protect his father and in return gets told to kill himself twice. At least people are being nice to him in the bunkhouse.

Can't figure out why John gave his bedroom to Jayce and Monica and he moved to the foreman's bunkhouse.

Aw Rip you arrived at Beth's overdue beating too soon and saved her. 

I am getting this feeling of doom about the grandson and his new horse.

[Dowel Jones]

Had we seen Jason on the show before?  If not, that had to be some kind of record for shortest speaking role on a series. 

Had to chuckle a bit when Beth told Malcolm he was a bit too far from Billings.  It's only about 170 miles from there to Gardiner, on the north end of the Park.  Of course, I'm not counting the 100 miles from the front gate to the ranch house of the  6,000,000 acre Yellowstone Ranch (slight sarcasm).  And when Malcolm mentions changing the zoning and the property tax, I thought a government entity had to have some buy-in from the landowner before doing that.  But it drives the plot.

Whatever his other shortcoming are (and they are legion), Jaime had a good sense on how to fit in with the cowboys by folding that first hand.  Anyone remember the episode of This Is Us when Jack took all their money in a couple of hands?  That didn't end so well.

5 hours ago, mxc90 said:

Where did Rip get all that money for the headstones and the grave digger?

I got the feeling he paid down on it, and has been using his wages ever since to pay off the loan.  He didn't say when he bought the headstones.  That was a cold shot, though; taking his father's bones up to North Dakota and leaving them for the coyotes.

[mxc90]

2 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Had we seen Jason on the show before?  If not, that had to be some kind of record for shortest speaking role on a series. 

I didn't remember him either. I had to look at IMDB and it states he was in other episodes this season. 

How does John expect what happened in the officet to stay "hidden"? What is he going to tell Jason's family? Or the prople that show up for work in the morning? Or building management when they see all the blood and damages?

2 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Whatever his other shortcoming are (and they are legion), Jaime had a good sense on how to fit in with the cowboys by folding that first hand.

I wonder if the reason to get rid of Avery and Walker was to make room for Jamie in the bunkhouse.

Is the actor playing Jamie wearing a hair piece?

Edited August 8, 2019 by mxc90

[rcc]

Beth is a nasty bitch but those scenes were hard to watch. Poor Jason.

[Ohwell]

16 hours ago, rocketinu said:

I am getting this feeling of doom about the grandson and his new horse.

So am I. 😢

I guess I was supposed to care because she's a woman, but I didn't care that Beth got the crap beaten of her.  Being female doesn't give her a pass; she is a horrible person.   I have a feeling that Rip will meet his demise because of her but I don't care about him either. 

[NeenerNeener]

18 hours ago, rocketinu said:

I am getting this feeling of doom about the grandson and his new horse.

Me three. If the kid bites it for any reason this season I don't think I'll watch after that.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

No reaction whatsoever from the national media over the conceeeeeenient death of the reporter.  

Jason has been on previously as the office assistant.  Another murder gonna be ignored.  Fonzie is grabbing his black beach socks, y'all.

JD was unwilling to come to an understanding with the Becks as to a mutual enemy - an enemy (Confederation Casino) of the Cattleman and everything for which the Cowboys stand.  Even before the absurd hit on Beth, he was making a move to align with...the ENEMY!  No way in Hades were/are the Becks a worse nor more formidable enemy than the Confederation who has special legal standing wellllll beyond anything the State of Montana can handle.  

The excitement of Tate mirroring Jamie's once upon a time was neat.  A tale as old as time.  That's what little boys are.  For that one, particularly, it would give him a life his mother simply could not begin to provide.  Then, she woke the F up.  

Back to the future Jamie is still gonna go to prison.  And should.

The notion of frontier justice that Costner is attempting to offer makes for fun draaaaaama.  It's still anarchy.  Do the Becks need killin'?  Yup.  That being true, the matter still must be handled within a constitutional code.  Of course, that is a problem since JD has operated outside of that code for a very long time and can not be protected from it - as all criminals forfeit those protections.  

Useless Jenkins' bodyguard back at it, I see.  

[Dowel Jones]

36 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Another murder gonna be ignored.  Fonzie is grabbing his black beach socks, y'all.

On 8/7/2019 at 9:26 PM, rocketinu said:

I am getting this feeling of doom about the grandson and his new horse. 

Maybe that's what happens to him. Can you jump a shark tank on a horse?

[Raja]

On 8/7/2019 at 9:15 PM, mxc90 said:

Where did Rip get all that money for the headstones and the grave digger?

I hope independent and strong Monica tells her students she moved back into the Dutton's house.

The Beck Brothers took their one big shot and missed badly. Too bad Jason and the croupier were the collateral damage in this mess. And all this is over land? Ridiculous!

That scene proves Beth is annoying under any circumstance/situation.

Why bother leave the bodies on Malcolm's porch? They could have killed him in his sleep and made the body disappear.

Now the Beck Brothers got Rainwater, Jenkins and John working togther! This is like something from an old pro wrestling stroyline!

Rip is a Dutton soldier who lives in a barracks eating from the mess hall. He doesn't even have to try to pick up women as Beth has that covered for him He has to be paid something so he doesn't look like a slave and I would be surprised if he didn't pay for the grave digger and headstone makers in cash.

I must have missed something, how did Rip know to go to Code 3 to rescue Beth from being raped? And besides a justified killing on Rip why are we hiding the Beck's murder rape crew?

On 8/7/2019 at 9:26 PM, rocketinu said:

Can't figure out why John gave his bedroom to Jayce and Monica and he moved to the foreman's bunkhouse.

Aw Rip you arrived at Beth's overdue beating too soon and saved her. 

I am getting this feeling of doom about the grandson and his new horse.

Because John is doing all this for his grandson to inherit. Unless Beth left Rip's child in someone's care while away at college the two older kids have the biological clock ticking away.

What the Beck Brothers get except more money to just sit on the porch and look at the Montana wilderness, beats me.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Raja

[Dowel Jones]

5 hours ago, Raja said:

I must have missed something, how did Rip know to go to Code 3 to rescue Beth from being raped?

As the two goons were walking into the outer part of her office, there was a quick scene of her texting a message, presumably to Rip.  (But let's not call 911 or anything).

[luckylou]

I wonder why I watch this show!  Because it is really so preposterous, I guess.  

I agree with those who wonder why we are supposed to dislike Jamie? He has done nothing but his father’s bidding, except when good old dad told him to quit running for AG and come home, and, for the briefest of moments, he rebelled and refused.  Of course the terrible family members are Dad and Sis. Grandad goes through that business with the boy about respecting life...come on?  After what he has done? 

This story is beyond ridiculous.  Now we have a triple murder reminiscent of what just happened on “Snowfall.”  Maybe people just disappear in LA...but how will the disappearance of Beth’s assistant be explained in a state with a small population where his absence is likely to be noticed, even if he is a newcomer?

Throughout this series, the implication has been that the Cattleman’s Association is some sort of legal entity.  It is really just a trade / lobbying /PR organization with no legal authority whatever.  John Dutton would have no power to run around policing anyone.

The new AG said her family ranches around Lewistown.  She mispronounced it..the “town” is pronounced town.  Lewiston is a pretty town in Idaho.  This show is so sloppy!

The plot of this story takes major detours each and every show, as do the characters.  Was there no plan?  If someone wanted to make a western so they could have beautiful scenery, there is a plethora of old novels available that would have provided a researched story.  Or it could have centered on a real modern problem, as they maybe started out doing, sans research. But the true Westerns were always about the little guy being squeezed by the big guy.  Shane comes in to town and eventually all the little guys band together with his help to defeat the big guy.  Something like that.  But your main guy cannot be the big, powerful rancher who has a lifetime behind him of disregarding the welfare of everyone else.  

John Dutton may have had the right idea to send his son to law school... but really, Dad sends off an application without his knowledge?  He wrote the essay?  

This is almost as terrible as that series they had a few years back about the oil boom in North Dakota.  

[mledawn]

One of the "Behind the Episode" videos has Costner saying John Dutton would be happy to just live on the ranch and do ranching shit all day, but he "can't". It seems to me that this isn't the John Dutton portrayed on the show. I don't think that's out of the ordinary where the actors see something different in the script compared to the final broadcast, but that seems to be a pretty big disconnect. 

[AnnA]

I agree with most of what's been said here about Yellowstone.  There's no denying that it has its flaws but I love it..........warts and all!

Edited August 10, 2019 by AnnA

[Lonesome Rhodes]

1 hour ago, mledawn said:

One of the "Behind the Episode" videos has Costner saying John Dutton would be happy to just live on the ranch and do ranching shit all day, but he "can't". It seems to me that this isn't the John Dutton portrayed on the show. I don't think that's out of the ordinary where the actors see something different in the script compared to the final broadcast, but that seems to be a pretty big disconnect. 

Costner created the show, AFAIK.  He was interested in the struggle for the "old ways" to remain viable in the modern world.  Folks largely settled matters using the "code."  There was just a way to "be" - to go about your business.  "Simpler" times.

Unfortunately, the show quickly descended into parody/soap opera.  The water rights issue was age old and literally life threatening.  Range wars were a very real deal.  But, this show decided to go with an old world solution that could never, in a gazillion modern years, fly.  Redirecting a significant tributary is a MAJOR federal offense.  The various agencies would not rest until pounds and pounds of flesh were taken.

The bizarro murders in the most recent ep similarly are exemplars of something that might once have been settled between "families."  Of course Beth called Rip and not 911.

My belief is that Costner is all about the slices of life, e.g. his grandson getting his first horse, and Jimmy being mentored/supported by an elder hand and discovering some worth.  In a cinematic, some say gorgeous, setting.  AND...the cultural/political evolution of the native tribes.  These are noble intentions, imo.

YMMV.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Whoa, that scene between Beth and Malcolm Beck. It was a dick-measuring contest and I think she won.

Who'd a thunk it? Jamie fit in with the cowboys. Humility may work for him.

Had we ever seen Rip smile so much before?

Ugh, IMO that was some utterly gratuitous violence. What was the point except to justify the Duttons' eventual annihilation of the Becks? Regular soap operas stopped their awful practice of rehabilitating the resident bad girl by sexual assault years ago.

Quote

Now we have a triple murder reminiscent of what just happened on “Snowfa ll.”

Yeah, I noticed that too. I'm expecting to see the same scenario one more time in the near future to make the trifecta.

[Dowel Jones]

3 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Costner created the show, AFAIK.  He was interested in the struggle for the "old ways" to remain viable in the modern world. 

That idea would have gone a lot further if, right off the bat, the show didn't portray the Duttons, as well as the others, as conniving and grasping for power by corruption and graft.

[mledawn]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:12 PM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Costner created the show, AFAIK. 

Taylor Sheridan is the show's creator (along with John Linson, according to the opening credits).

Finally watched ep 7 today, and wow - poor Jason, indeed. He was shown in a previous episode as a propped up, meek contrast to Beth's "toughness". Good for Beth to stick up to those two men, as annoying and hateful as she is/can be, that was awful.

I haven't heard any pushback from John Dutton telling Jaime he was being "selfish" to kill himself (aside from it was pretty much what his father told him to do earlier, so...). The whole John/Jaime interaction was so old-school about suicide it made me cringe.
 

On 8/8/2019 at 12:26 AM, rocketinu said:

Can't figure out why John gave his bedroom to Jayce and Monica and he moved to the foreman's bunkhouse.

John moved into the eldest brother's house that had been empty. Tate has been told he's the heir to the Dutton ranch, so I guess it makes sense Kayce, Monica, and Tate have the big house.

I have no idea what's coming next with this show, so at least there's that. 

[luckylou]

On 8/9/2019 at 8:12 PM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Costner created the show, AFAIK.  He was interested in the struggle for the "old ways" to remain viable in the modern world.  Folks largely settled matters using the "code."  There was just a way to "be" - to go about your business.  "Simpler" times.

Unfortunately, the show quickly descended into parody/soap opera.  The water rights issue was age old and literally life threatening.  Range wars were a very real deal.  But, this show decided to go with an old world solution that could never, in a gazillion modern years, fly.  Redirecting a significant tributary is a MAJOR federal offense.  The various agencies would not rest until pounds and pounds of flesh were taken.

The bizarro murders in the most recent ep similarly are exemplars of something that might once have been settled between "families."  Of course Beth called Rip and not 911.

My belief is that Costner is all about the slices of life, e.g. his grandson getting his first horse, and Jimmy being mentored/supported by an elder hand and discovering some worth.  In a cinematic, some say gorgeous, setting.  AND...the cultural/political evolution of the native tribes.  These are noble intentions, imo.

YMMV.

The only good parts of the show are the little slices of life mentioned here and the scenery.

Because the west is arid/ semi-arid, water laws throughout the Rocky Mountain states are well developed, including in Montana.  A real John Dutton would have sent his lawyer son to court immediately for a court order to stop his neighbor from interrupting the flow of the river while building the dam...  

I cannot imagine why they did not hire one of the many writers who live and write about Montana.  Or Wyoming.