Yellowstone
Interim review - episodes 1 to 5 (December 2024)
Oh dear, all that money, all those assembled billionaires, the beautiful scenery and the big houses and no-one is remotely happy. The brother and sister that hate each other, the estranged brother - not to mention the dead brother(s), the vindictive native American leader, Jimmy “hates this job”, and poor old John Dutton (well acted by the way) who looks like he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. Even poor little Tate has suffered cuts, bruises, snake attacks, near drowning and the forced removal of his cousins. Why can’t everyone just be nice to each other and enjoy what they have?
I love the ranch house decor, the horses, the big trucks, the wide open spaces. The plot does seem to get a bit repetitive (estranged brother shoots someone, the vindictive reservation head investigates, his family dig him out of a hole); a Dutton family member stands for office (or at least for one of the posts they don’t already hold); Tate is in peril (again!).
But yes, darn it, I will have to watch the rest of the season because I do like the characters (or at least want to see what happens to them) and perhaps there is a part of all of us that likes to be reassured that having lots of money and power doesn’t necessarily make you happy!
Final Thoughts - episodes 6 to 8 (December 2025)
I’ve finally reached the end of season one after a year or so of on-off watching. Not because this is a bad show, it isn’t, there are many good things but I just feel slightly uncomfortable watching it!
For a start, everyone started out unhappy and by the end of the season absolutely everyone is downright miserable (or dead!). Jimmy at least has a proper hat but he’s still an idiot. Some of the other cowboys are superficially happy but in reality these are grown men that live in a youth hostel dorm. The journalist seems to be on the up but I can’t help worrying about her well being in season 2…
A further source of disquiet is the queasy feeling of rooting for the anti-hero – both John and Rip have done some very questionable things but I kinda like them both. And the ranch itself is impressive and I love the branded trucks and choppers (although the Dutton ranch house is really quite ugly).
Will I watch more? Yes. Will I feel a bit grubby doing it? Yes (hence the regular breaks in viewing) but the story is compelling, the scenery spectacular, the money, power and influence considerable. If only people could be happy with what they have!