MovieChat Forums > Yellowstone (2018) Discussion > New to this series... A few questions...

New to this series... A few questions...

posted 5 years ago by Mance (5)
29 replies | jump to latest

Greetings all. Like it said I'm new to this series and I'm just about finished with season 1.

From what I've seen here so far it's kind of lukewarm whether this will get better or not.

But I do have a few questions. first off the very very first scene with the wrecked trucks, where Kevin Costner kills the horse. Does that get cleared up anytime soon?

Here's another question, having spent some time on farms and ranches, what's the chance that a young boy like Tate could take out a monster rattlesnake like that? Having killed several snakes, though never one as big is that one, we were always taught that the head could still strike, by reflex, even after it's dead. And Tate is tossing it around like it's nothing.

Next one, what's the chance of taking that rifle, which looked to me like a .30-30, and killing a huge grizzly bear with oneshot? I've seen people that worry about bears carry lot more powerful weapon than that, though I'm unsure of the caliber of that rifle. But even then to kill a bear with one shot seems pretty unrealistic. There's 1,000,000 other things, and I'm really lukewarm on this series myself.

But just wanted to get a feel from you all.

Thank you.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

Probably best to not apply too much reality to this show. It can be fun at times and I find it entertaining but yeah if I question it too much I may as well stop watching it.

I also get the feeling they didn't expect it to last this long as they keep upping the ante plot wise. Gives me the idea that they are making it up as they go along.

The wrecked trucks does get cleared up.

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[–] Mance (5) 5 years ago

Thank you!

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[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

I'm tempted to watch this on Peacock (which I can get free). Have been disappointed at never being able to binge Longmire and for some reason I seem to like shows that are set in the rural West.
But I'm leery of Costner and haven't been encouraged by what little I hear about this show. Not DIScouraged but it all seems rather lukewarm.

And you make a funny point about making it up as they go. Seems like Lost was sort of like that, and that short-lived Under The Dome show. We start off thinking we know who the major characters are and the show veers off into other directions that don't make a lot of sense.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

What have you heard?

Longmire wasn't bad actually, you would prefer it over this show as it is more rooted in reality.

Yellowstone is kind of like a Mafia family if that Mafia family were American cowboys and lived on a huge property. That would be the best way to sum it up without divulging a lot of plot details.

I think with American shows they never know how long they will last as well as wanting the show to last as long as possible so that paints them in a corner I think. Everything has to be kind of open ended and then they have to keep making up new plots. It has a tendency to get crazier and crazier over time due to that.

The English have the opposite approach, they will run a show for 3 or so seasons and play out a purpose from the start.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Agreed, but I'd say that Yellowstone has slowly gotten a little more grounded as time has gone on. Season 3 in particular, I would say, has been less sensational than the seasons that came before it.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

I haven't started season 3 yet waiting for the eps to stack up so I can binge it. I like the show and am happy to hear it is settling down.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Binge? Ugh.

I really think that Yellowstone is the kind of show that is best SAVORED over time. It's the only show that I make sure to catch each week when it airs. Every Sunday at 7 I am on the couch and ready to go. I make sure to have some food, and I crack open a few beers, and watch Yellowstone. It's probably the most pleasant hour of my week and I always look forward to it.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

Well binge in the sense that I don't have to go by someone else's schedule. It is probably the only show currently on that interests me.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Well you could always just DVR it and watch it when you're ready.

But like I said, it's appointment viewing for me. I enjoy that little sliver of time each week where I get to just settle down and spend time on the Dutton Ranch. It's great and almost therapeutic.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

I do something similar to DVR, I don't think any network in Australia airs the show actually. But I save them up and watch them as I please. I just finished watching all 9 seasons of One Tree Hill which I never saw during it's original run so I have been busy lol.

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[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

More a matter of not hearing much other than what I read here. Most decent shows create their own buzz, obviously GOT but also The Americans. I never hear anyone "buzzing" about Yellowstone.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Here's an excerpt from an article I just found:

The Season 3 premiere of Yellowstone attracted a total audience of 6.6 million viewers, ranking it as the most-watched cable premiere of 2020. The episode was also a hit in two major demographics, including the key 18-49 age range.

In the 18-49 demographic in Live+Same day calculations, Yellowstone began Season 3 with a 1.78 rating. The 1.78 marks a boost of 127% from last year's Season 2 premiere. No, that's not a typo. Yellowstone really rose by more than 120% in the most valued demographic after a ten-month hiatus!

The show is doing huge ratings and has been since it premiered. I'm not sure it's really the kind of show that people are going to sit around and talk about though. It doesn't have the complex lore, for instance, of something like Game of Thrones and it doesn't welcome the kind of theorizing that a show like True Detective or Westworld does.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

That is really surprising given it is a very traditional show with a proper storyline and grown up characters. Rural setting with cowboys and everything. Perhaps there is some hope after all, maybe all the Woke shit is even boring the kiddies.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Agreed. I was surprised to see that it was such a hit with the 18-49 crowd. I figured it would skew a lot older, like Longmire did. Longmire was popular, but mostly with older folks, which is why A&E canceled it despite solid ratings. People were watching, but not the right people for advertisers.

Here are the Yellowstone ratings for Seasons 1 and 2:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_(American_TV_series)#Ratings

As you can see, once DVR is factored in, the viewership has hovered reliably right around 5 million per episode from the beginning.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

I never get that, you would think advertisers would want the older crowd they have more money and less time to spend it all lol!

I heard that Longmire was cancelled before it was due but then I'm not a fan of shows being run into the ground either.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Here's an article about it. You may hit a paywall but if not, it's an interesting read:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-a-hit-tv-show-got-canceled-its-fans-were-too-old-1410451057

I think that advertisers realize that older folks have money, but they also are more reluctant to actually spend that money. Also, many seniors have fixed incomes and are on Social Security.

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[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

I was able to watch a number of Longmire eps but not the entire series. For some reason it really grabbed me, not that it's so wonderful everyone should stop what they're doing, but I liked the setting and pacing and it stayed with the title protagonist and had a nice solemnity about it with touches of wry humor too.

Another couple of shows I was never able to watch fully but seemed interesting were Sons Of Anarchy and Justified, especially the latter. And Ray Donovan is also available on Peacock, so that might be something to check out.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Longmire is a great show. All six seasons are on Netflix.

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[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

Glad to hear this. I feel like I'm the last person in America to not subscribe to Netflix. A friend offered me some player that accommodates Netflix but I didn't want to spend the $ to subscribe. I don't even know how to, frankly, but I might have to break down. Right now all I get is terrestrial TV pretty much, and it's a poor compromise considering how much programming there seems to be available. But how much is genuinely worth it? I should go back to reading books.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

It's definitely easy to go down the rabbit hole of streaming services, and then before you know it you have a ton of monthly bills. Right now I'm subscribed to Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.

You can subscribe to Netflix for as little as $8.99/mo. That's the standard definition plan, but it's actually what I have and I'm happy with the image quality. You could tell me it was HD and I'd believe you.

If you want to try it, you can actually get a 30 day trial right now and then if you don't like it you can cancel. Click:

https://www.netflix.com/

You should see the offer right on the homepage. Once your account is created you should be able to sign in on any device that has the Netflix app.

But yeah, when A&E canceled Longmire after Season 3 it was picked up by Netflix and now they own it, so the entire series is on there.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

I watched some of Justified it seemed cool and very modern cowboy. I couldn't get into SOA and Ray Donovan though.

I like rural and small town set stories.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Yellowstone is, by far, my favorite show on television right now and it's the only show where I make sure to be on the couch at the appointed time when it airs. It's appointment viewing for me, an event.

It's probably best to think of it as an R-rated prime time soap opera, as that is kind of what it is. You can also kind of think of it as The Godfather meets the modern Western genre. Some of the storylines are not especially realistic, so don't expect it to be fully grounded in reality. It is definitely a work of fiction. As long as you go into it understanding that, you should enjoy it. It's got great characters and some really beautiful Western cinematography.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

I love the ep where the Japanese tourists are taking photos on his property and he rides up armed and tells them to get off his land. They say something like "No one should own all of this it should be shared" which ends up being said again at some point by a different character anyway, he responds with "This is America, we don't share land here!"

Brilliant line. I still can't work out Costner's politics if he is trying to be satirical or he supports what the Japanese said but I love it anyway.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

Not sure about the real-life Costner, but I definitely don't think that John Dutton has any interest in sharing. He's definitely a true believer in the right to own private property.

You might ask what creator/writer/director Taylor Sheridan's political angle is. I really don't know, but after watching his movie Wind River, one of thing I am sure of is that he's sympathetic to the Native cause.

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[–] Artisan (3464) 5 years ago

Haven't seen Wind River but I have noticed the Pro Native theme in Yellowstone. I did read a while ago that Costner was conservative but then switched to Liberal but there degrees of politics of course.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

I'd really like to think that Costner leans to the right, but I have no idea. As we know, Hollywood in general tends to lean far left. I've never heard Costner identified as one of Hollywood's conservatives, but perhaps he's like center-left.

Here's the Wind River trailer if you're interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg7ZknrV7gM

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[–] Mance (5) 5 years ago

I'm probably being thick here, but I'm in season 2 episode 4. That's the one where all the cows get killed. I still don't know what happened with the truck and the destroying of the horse.

Did I miss that or is something still to come. I would think they would've cleared it up by the end of season one.

As you can maybe tell, I'm not transfixed to every scene on this show.

Sorry to be so dense, but I appreciate your help.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 5 years ago

That's too far back for me to remember, but when you get hung up and think you missed something, you may be able to look online and find some episode recaps. I often use recaps for shows that have complex plots and you can find them for most popular shows.

Here's one I found for S2E4:

https://www.showbizjunkies.com/tv/yellowstone-season2-episode-4/

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[–] Mance (5) 5 years ago

Thanks Prime!

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