Yellowstone - A Modern Western

 

The great West, as portrayed in movies since The Great Train Robbery, was made in 1903 and known as the first western. From my first experiences with Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the Lone Ranger, the myths of western self-sufficiency have fevered my imagination, and built our nation as well as our notions of manhood, inspiring while damaging us, too. A leader in this tradition was the great sixties era Bonanza, standing out as a model for Yellowstone as the family empire built on the power, will, intelligence, and hard work of a patriarch whose children cannot possibly live up to his standards, but strive to be true to the great mythic tradition they come from.

Kevin Costner

Executive producer and star Kevin Costner has contributed mightily, and often with great sensitivity and intelligence, to this tradition in films like Dances with Wolves, Wyatt Earp, Silverado, and more. In Yellowstone, as John Dutton, the patriarchal figure, he’s a fifth generation rancher, a billionaire trying to preserve the traditions of a cattle ranch set in unbelievably beautiful scenery beside Yellowstone National Park. Besieged by commercial development, age-old conflicts with the indigenous population (referred to as the Confederated Tribes), as well as local, regional, and national politics in a modern world where ranchers break horses and fly helicopters on the same day, there’s endless room for drama, conflict, action, sex, and intrigue in this compelling series. 

Now completing its third season, the program retains its drive and drama, often also tugging at the heartstrings as characters develop further every week. The program sometimes displays raw violence in large and small ways. For instance, newly hired and properly taken into the inner circle, new ranch hands are brutally branded with a large Y on their chests, making their jobs a lifelong, two-way commitment, and Yellowstone a place you leave at great peril. Gunfights no longer feature two men meeting each other face-to-face on Main Street, but often control and revenge are taken with automatic weapons in military style insurgent raids.

The Dutton Family

Action in the series alternates between the conflicts and machinations of the Dutton family and life in the bunkhouse where there’s an active social life as well as dreams, challenges, and choices. The secondary characters are well drawn, convincing personalities adding to the show’s richness. The three Dutton offspring, each one a damaged yet compelling personality tortured by the early death of their mother and deeply conflicting motives, strive to succeed. Meanwhile, Costner’s John Dutton drives them all to keep the family together and the ranch in one piece. 

The Bunkhouse

The cast is filled with quality, but not big, recognizable names. Dutton’s two sons and a daughter are, as you might suppose, each dealing with such an overpowering father in their own ways, and by season three coming to terms with their relationships. Spouses, lovers, and children are all built and damaged by the relationships, as in any good soap opera. 

For, after all, Yellowstone is a first rate horse opera which has attracted loyal fans to what must be the Paramount channel’s most successful offering ever. A fourth season of Yellowstone has been optioned, but filming has not yet begun due to the pandemic. We watched the show through our cable system’s app’s on demand feature, which reduced, but didn’t eliminate, the commercials. It can also be rented without commercials from Amazon Prime Video or other film outlets. Just Watch is a useful website for discovering every channel carrying particular programs. Season three will end in a couple of weeks, and I look forward to the coming season four with great anticipation. Stream from the beginning to keep the history and the story straight. The biggest star of the program, however, is the incomparable western scenery.