The first scene in Paramount Network's Yellowstone shows Kevin Costner's John Dutton emerge from a steaming car crash, approach a dying horse, apologize to it, then shoot it in the head. From there, Yellowstone only gets more bananas.
The series is part-western, part-drama, part-soap opera, and one hundred percent insane. Airing on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET, Yellowstone managed to become the second most-watched cable series last year, only behind The Walking Dead. The series is an enigma—a melodrama that relies as much on problematic stereotypes of "Cowboys vs Indians" as much as it does on sweeping clichéd speeches. Yet, somehow, it broke through as a commercial success on a time when cable TV shows are in decline. So, for anyone curious about what this phenomenon is, or anyone who simply needs a reminder, here's an overview of what happened in Season One.
The General Rundown
Yellowstone, developed by Taylor Sheridan (who wrote the critically acclaimed Sicario and Hell or High Water), follows the Dutton family, who are the descendants of early 19th century Montana settlers. They own and operate Yellowstone Ranch, which is the largest continual ranch in the U.S. The Duttons, are consistently at odds with land developers who want to break up their land, and a native community in Montana called the Broken Rock Reservation (which the show problematically only refers to as "The Indians"). Sometimes, the natives of Broken Rock are seen beating on drums and sporting headdresses while wearing suits. Other times, they explore the complications of fracking on their community. Yet as heavy-handed as that sounds, that only covers the people of Broken Rock. This is ultimately the story of the Duttons. As John says, in what becomes a heavy-handed norm, "Last long enough for your children to continue the cycle and maybe, just maybe, the land is still there when a tree sprouts from you."
John has four kids. Jamie (Wes Bentley) is a lawyer who is the resident city slicker. He is loyal to his family, but he becomes further and further estranged when he disagrees with his family's direction for the future of Yellowstone. Beth (Kelly Reilly) is the Dutton sister—a smart financier driven almost entirely by manipulation, rage, and pills. Kayce (Luke Grimes) is initially the most distant Dutton, living with his Native American wife, Monica, and son on a reservation. But that changes quickly as Kayce moves into the role of henchman for his father. Lee (David Annabelle) is just a cool cowboy brother who wants to continue his father's legacy, but he gets killed by Monica's brother at the end of episode one, so there's that.
The cast is rounded out by Thomas Rainwater, the new chief of the local Broken Rock Reservation, and Dan Jenkins, a developer who wants to start new projects on the Dutton's land.
What Happened in Season One?
Yellowstone Ranch is going toe-to-toe with the Broken Rock reservation, who believe that the boundaries put in place by the Dutton family are simply manmade. In their minds, they believe they still can claim rights to a good portion of the Dutton family's land and the livestock that lives on it. The ongoing battle quickly comes to a head in Episode One as John's son Lee is murdered by a Broken Rock resident after some cattle escaped.
The rest of Season One follows the slow downward spiral of the Dutton family. To make matters worse, while John leads the charge against Broken Rock, he's also tasked with keeping an eye on Dan, a land developer on a mission to purchase Yellowstone Ranch for development purposes. Oh, and John has a secret cancer diagnosis that he's kept to himself. Before he can succumb to his cancer though, he has to make sure his children have his business in order, and that's no easy task.
Kelly Reilly plays Beth Dutton, the Dutton sister who struggles through substance abuse throughout much of Season One.
Deeply loyal to the family legacy, Beth takes the lead regarding Yellowstone's business moves. She spends equal time courting and threatening Dan Jenkins to make sure that he stays far away from the Dutton family ranch. However, when she's not conducting business, she's sleeping with one of her father's henchmen and guzzling pills, alcohol, and cigarettes. She also, in one scene, runs out into the night and yells at some chickens. Her erratic behavior is in part because she feels responsible for the death of her mother, who died after a spooked horse fell on top of her.
Kayce, who wanted to live in peace on the Broken Rock reservation, finds himself doing just the opposite after avenging his brother's death. The catalyst, of course, all boils down to his brother's death, which was carried out by Robert Long, Monica's brother. That causes quite a rift between the Dutton family and those who live on Broken Rock. Kayce kills Robert and continues to spiral, enlisting himself as muscle for his father. Everything shifts again though when Monica inadvertently gets caught in a schoolyard fight (!?) at the school she teaches at. After she suffers a brain injury and nearly dies in the hospital, Kayce decides that family should take precedent in his life. That doesn't shake out so great when the pressure becomes too much for Monica. Kayce moves home and becomes a full-time henchman for his father, kicking things off by putting Dan Jenkins on a horse with a noose around his neck and then hanging him. Very casual, Kayce!
Luke Grimes plays Kayce Dutton, son of John Dutton and husband of Monica, played by Kelsey Asbille.
Meanwhile, Jamie attempts to fill the role as the most moral Dutton, which isn't a high bar to surpass considering the track record of everyone else in this family. Jamie is a lawyer who uses his power to protect Yellowstone until he's tapped by the Governor of Montana as next in line to be Attorney General. As this is happening though, a journalist is looking into the Dutton family and their criminal activities, including, but not limited to, murder and manipulation of government officials. Meanwhile, John thinks that Jamie's career isn't in the best interest of the family, so he issues an ultimatum to his son: abandon politics or get cut from the family. At the end of the season, Jamie choose the latter and is written out of the Yellowstone business as he ascends closer to the Attorney General role. At the close of the season, Jamie agrees to speak to the journalist, attempting to put Yellowstone first, even if it's at the detriment of his father.
Where Does That Leave Season Two?
Season One of Yellowstone didn't utilize Kevin Costner nearly as much as you'd think, so the greatest hope for Season Two is more of John Dutton and what makes him tick. What you should expect is an even more unhinged Kayce. He's moved back to the ranch following his and Monica's estrangement, so he has nothing left to lose. For the first time in the series, Beth started showing cracks in her own façade in the finale, seeming to doubt her father's brutish tactics regarding the business. And with Jamie? It shouldn't be too long until he attempts to double back and save the relationship he's broken with his family, if it's not too late already. And perhaps we'll finally find out just how far the Duttons have previously bent the law in their favor. As any of John's dramatic speeches suggest, it's only a matter of time before the Dutton family is required to pay for their sins.
Yellowstone's Season Two will debut simultaneously on the Paramount Network (which used to be Spike), as well as CMT on Wednesday, June 19 at 10:00pm ET.
