To start, I would like to give credit where credit is due. This series is beautifully shot, well-acted, and has some pretty impressive writing. The characters are interesting, and so is the setting. Usually, this is the kind of series that I would absolutely love, but with Yellowstone, I just can't.
My main issues with this series, broadly, are two things: mean-spiritedness, and a lack of self awareness.
Much of what happens in the series is very mean-spirited, especially when it comes to its messages. The Duttons' Jerkass behaviour is almost always justified, from the way they bully new ranchers, to how they constantly antagonize "tourists". There's also the way the show portrays abuse towards men, which let's just say is not very sympathetic. Jamie's abuse by Beth is actively justified by the narrative, and the one time he hits back, he is played as the bad guy. When Jamie is attempting suicide, instead of showing any real empathy, John coldly shames him for it. Once again, this is portrayed as John being a stern, but good parent. Shockingly, a lot of fans agree with John's belief that "suicide is the most selfish thing a man can do", and some even wish their father was like this. I don't think I need to explain why this is a horrible message to put out, and without any kind of irony. Even Tony Soprano had the common decency to treat a similar situation with empathy.
Which leads me to the other problem, the show's lack of self awareness. After a while, it genuinely feels like the writers don't know what their characters are actually doing. John Dutton is essentially practicing slavery by branding people who have nowhere else to go and killing them if they try to leave, but no one acknowledges this. His branding of Rip as a teenager, in particular, is a clear example of enslavement, but it is justified because Rip supposedly has nowhere else to go, and has found a wife at the Ranch in Beth. And let's not forget that whole suicide thing.
This lack of self-awareness even extends to the politics of the show, which is clearly right-leaning. Somehow, Taylor Sheridan doesn't understand why the show is so popular with conservatives. The only "liberal" messages in the series is the plight against Native Americans and commentary on land-grabbing. That's it. Everything else is a republican's wet dream.
So overall, while I did enjoy the series at first, the show really lost me when it became clear to me that most of the things that morally disgusted me weren't supposed to. Yellowstone is essentially the opposite of The Sopranos, in that it shows the same kinds of awful behaviours, but almost always romanticizes them.
The Problem With Yellowstone
To start, I would like to give credit where credit is due. This series is beautifully shot, well-acted, and has some pretty impressive writing. The characters are interesting, and so is the setting. Usually, this is the kind of series that I would absolutely love, but with Yellowstone, I just can't.
My main issues with this series, broadly, are two things: mean-spiritedness, and a lack of self awareness.
Much of what happens in the series is very mean-spirited, especially when it comes to its messages. The Duttons' Jerkass behaviour is almost always justified, from the way they bully new ranchers, to how they constantly antagonize "tourists". There's also the way the show portrays abuse towards men, which let's just say is not very sympathetic. Jamie's abuse by Beth is actively justified by the narrative, and the one time he hits back, he is played as the bad guy. When Jamie is attempting suicide, instead of showing any real empathy, John coldly shames him for it. Once again, this is portrayed as John being a stern, but good parent. Shockingly, a lot of fans agree with John's belief that "suicide is the most selfish thing a man can do", and some even wish their father was like this. I don't think I need to explain why this is a horrible message to put out, and without any kind of irony. Even Tony Soprano had the common decency to treat a similar situation with empathy.
Which leads me to the other problem, the show's lack of self awareness. After a while, it genuinely feels like the writers don't know what their characters are actually doing. John Dutton is essentially practicing slavery by branding people who have nowhere else to go and killing them if they try to leave, but no one acknowledges this. His branding of Rip as a teenager, in particular, is a clear example of enslavement, but it is justified because Rip supposedly has nowhere else to go, and has found a wife at the Ranch in Beth. And let's not forget that whole suicide thing.
This lack of self-awareness even extends to the politics of the show, which is clearly right-leaning. Somehow, Taylor Sheridan doesn't understand why the show is so popular with conservatives. The only "liberal" messages in the series is the plight against Native Americans and commentary on land-grabbing. That's it. Everything else is a republican's wet dream.
So overall, while I did enjoy the series at first, the show really lost me when it became clear to me that most of the things that morally disgusted me weren't supposed to. Yellowstone is essentially the opposite of The Sopranos, in that it shows the same kinds of awful behaviours, but almost always romanticizes them.