Yellowstone Seasons 1-5 Review

Yellowstone (2018-)

Season 1 - 9 episodes (2018)
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2019)
Season 3 - 10 episodes (2020)
Season 4 - 10 episodes (2022)
Season 5.1 - 8 episodes (2023)
Rent Yellowstone on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Taylor Sheridan & John Linson
Starring: Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Danny Huston, Jefferson White, Josh Holloway, Piper Perabo
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
The Duttons fight to defend their ranch and way of life from an Indian reservation and land developers as medical issues, political aspirations, and deep secrets strain the family.

Verdict
The show is a lot of fun despite it often feeling scripted for maximum drama. It's a soap opera and it is a very good one, but that comes at the cost of feeling forced. I can forgive the show all that. It entertains, and that's the bottom line. It's the world of cowboys in Montana, and there aren't many shows with that setting. That provides a lot of beautiful landscapes as the Dutton ranch will do anything to come out on top. Even with the faults, I couldn't stop watching. Those faults are what force some of those wow moments.
Watch It.

Review
John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is an institution in Montana. He runs one of the largest ranches, and throughout the show someone is always after his land. John runs this town, so he has an easy time removing obstacles in his way. Rules and laws just don't apply to the Duttons.

Three is the wildest season. It has so many big moments. It's season two on steroids. Season four feels tame compared to three. I'd like season one more if Tom Rainwater's plans for a casino weren't soft rebooted in season two with new land developers, but the first season does establish the characters. While season four has plenty of family drama, it feels like we're waiting for something to happen. Since we only have half of season five, it's all setup with John's downfall looking imminent as he's not upholding his oath of office.

Kevin Costner plays John Dutton

This show is a soap opera. I enjoy it, but the Yellowstone play is to introduce a character at the beginning of the episode or an episode prior so they can play a pivotal role at the end of the episode or next episode. Watching the seasons back to back make this very apparent. With every episode, the show wants to extract the maximum amount of drama.

Season 1
In the first season Tom Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) goes to war with John, wanting to build a casino to help his people. John also fights developer Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston). Both projects could affect John's ranch.

John's daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) is an asset manager while Jamie (Wes Bentley) is the family lawyer. Kayce (Luke Grimes) is the youngest son, and the one for which John has the highest hopes. Beth and Jamie don't get along, and that culminates in John wanting Beth to run for senate instead of Jaime.

Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes play John, Kayce Dutton

This show is wild and intense. The very first scene sets the stage and this show always has some kind of drama. Kayce leaves a trail of bodies behind him to the point I don't understand how no one has caught him. At one point he leaves his kid in a storm drain, and the show uses that for maximum drama as we wonder what will happen to the kid.

The drone shots of the scenery are amazing. John's log cabin is downright impressive. The setting for this show does a lot. It makes cowboys and ranches fun. I want to be a cowboy and get a ranch. But this show leans into the ridiculousness. How can so many things happen to this one family? What these characters do and go through is just wild. Beth is always the loose cannon. Normal people just don't act like people in this show, especially Beth, but that makes it more entertaining. Everything is always taken to eleven. This show nearly lives in the state of, what's the craziest thing that could happen right now.

The season ends with John assaulted on all sides by enemies and family. Even John's political connections aren't panning out.

Season 2
Season two kicks off with John and Jamie squaring off. The first episode has cowboys operating on John and his ulcer. This show likes to get graphic with surgeries. 

This show is a soap opera, but I don't mind. It's a fun show that shows the worst and craziest of people. John wants Kayce to run the cowboys and demotes Rip (Cole Hauser) for it. That's a hard pill to swallow, but Rip is a company man. He'll do anything for John.

Beth has it out for Jamie, and not without good reason. I wondered about the root of their ill will. At this point it just seems like drama for the show, but the show creates a reason in later seasons. Jamie creates plenty of trouble for John. That seems to be his role.

Cole Hauser, Kevin Costner play Rip Wheeler, John Dutton

Jimmy (Jefferson White) is comic relief. He's an addict that's forced to be a cowboy. Characters are often frustrated with him due to his dumb mistakes, but he finds his skill in bronco riding.

This season has the Beck brothers come in to take land and replace Jenkins. They take this war up a notch. With this show that often leads to murder. Later in the season we witness a beating that would kill a normal person, but with Yellowstone people survive the craziest things. John is out to kill the Becks and even teams up with Dan Jenkins.

Season two takes bigger swings. It's a lot going on and it's a similar story line to the first season. It's just as good, if not a bit better.

With season three we get yet another developer after John's land. Every season has someone wanting to turn the natural landscape into a moneymaking scheme. They want to capitalize on the landscape, but if they had their way, they'd pave right over everything.

Season 3
Season three explains why Beth hates Jamie. I doubt the show had this plot point from the beginning. It feels like the show created the hatred and figured out a backstory later. This season has big revelations for Jamie. If you weren't sure this show was a soap opera before, this subplot may change your mind. John's hopes for Kayce seem to be unfolding. Kayce becomes the livestock commissioner, taking John's place. I don't know how it works in reality, but in this show being livestock police means you're basically a full fledged cop.

It seems like a requirement for this show is that every season a character must fall perfectly on a rock and die. Jamie's past just gets crazier. Jamie's feelings about the Dutton family are absurd. This season more than any other has been a wild ride with the show making stuff up. It's always been fast and loose.

This season's ending is absolutely wild. It leans into the soap opera and we're left hanging in a big way with all of the Dutton family encountering a direct assault with no confirmation on who survives.

Season 4
Season four picks up right at the end of season three. The first episode of the season is just bonkers. Super heroes don't face this much damage. In season three Roarke (Josh Holloway) and his company decide to murder the Dutton family in one fell swoop. It appears they thought no one would notice or put it together. The first episode made it seem like this season could be the wildest yet.

The hospital told Beth John may never wake up, and I'm surprised the show didn't play that up for more drama. It jump cuts over his coma and now he's back home and doing everything the hospital told him not to. It's the equivalent of John rubbing dirt into his wound and walking it off. John kills the guy that set up the attack in the most baller way. It's basically a shoot out, but of course John wins.

Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley play Beth, Jaime Dutton

Beth takes a job with the enemy, the company that wants the ranch. Is anyone under any illusion that keeping the ranch in the Dutton name isn't Beth's top priority despite what she told the company?

John is looking at being governor just to keep Jamie out. The look on Jamie's face when John pulls the rug out from under him is fun. This season sets up Jamie as a villain. It's an easy option.

This season feels a bit slower compared to previous seasons. Jamie is scheming and planning as always. John befriends an environmentalist, Summer (Piper Perabo). He ends up taking her home to his cabin, because this is John Dutton after all. This season isn't as crazy as three which is absolutely wild. I expected a bigger run to the final episode. There is plenty in play, but we don't have the huge moments of season three. The best moment of the season might be Jimmy returning to the ranch as a real cowboy. Jimmy has come a long way since season one. He has the most character development of anyone in the show. Just as I think this season won't give us a big revelation, we discover who ordered the hit on the family.

Season 5
This is the final season, though it's split into two parts. While I think shows should just make it a new season, for some reason networks like splitting seasons. It's the final season as Costner wants to depart for his own projects. Costner and creator Sheridan have been snipping at each other in the news. Part two is expected in November 2024.

John is the reluctant governor. He doesn't like it, but has to put up with it so he can pass laws that benefit himself and the ranch. He fires all of his advisors after one of them can't see the logic that a solar panel farm that removes sagebrush would disrupt the habitat of the Sage Grouse. We get his point, but his actions are a bit silly.

In true Yellowstone fashion, the show sets up a car crash involving Kayce's wife Monica. It cuts between Monica in pain while driving and a distracted driver. Who's at fault? You think it's going to be one of the two, but a buffalo appears in the road and they both crash.

This season really seems like the one where Beth and Jaime may kill each other. He comes awfully close, and it's only television magic that Beth steps out of the way at the last second. Jaime seems to be a pawn in the game Market Equities is playing him. It's a surprise he can't see it. How many times has he been played at this point? It's not a shock that John no longer considers Jamie a son. Trying to get your family killed has that effect. Then Jamie tries to impeach John. It's too easy to make Jaime a villain.

Beth is a caricature. No person would act like that, and if they did they wouldn't be out of prison long. Summer reappears, and she overcomes her convictions by spending a day on John's ranch. After one fight she gives up being vegan. Summer is a straw man just to attack environmentalists.

The half season ends with half the cowboys taking the cattle to Texas due to a disease. The ranch can't afford it, but John's doing it anyway.

I enjoyed this show immensely. I couldn't stop watching precisely because it is so ridiculous. While some of these dramatic moments feel forced, they do keep you on the edge of your seat. I wish this show felt like it planned ahead for story lines more, that's what could make a good show great. This is very good and entertaining, always over the top.