We’re mere weeks away from the season 5 premiere of Paramount’s number one series, Yellowstone, and fans can’t stop looking forward to an exhilarating kick-off of new episodes. While you’re enjoying your Saturday evening, there’s no more perfect way to spend a few hours than by binging episodes of everyone’s favorite cowboy drama. Last night, Yellowstone’s Twitter shared an all-encompassing highlight reel of the most epic moments in the show’s history, taking us on an emotional minute-long journey through the ups and downs of the Dutton family. In addition, fans are reflecting a little further back to season 1 and its characterization. You know the drill from here. Happy Saturday, all you Rip Wheelers and Teeters out there; let’s ride in.
Yellowstone’s highlight reel is thrilling
The highlight reel from season 4 starts with a tense moment that truly sets the tone for the relationship between Jamie and John Dutton. The father and son duo had been through a series of ups and downs that were hard for viewers to experience, but when Governor Lynelle Perry named John Dutton as the man she hoped would take her place, fans saw the beginning of the end for Jamie.
We’re not talking about a six-foot-under type of end, but it was undoubtedly the final straw for any semblance of comfortability he once had as a part of his family. He knew all bets were off, and any power he felt he had was no longer in his own hands.
The unraveling continues as the mother of Jamie’s son uses John’s running against him as part of the vitriol she spits against the family. Jamie’s biological father follows the same way of thinking and is eager to bring him back to “their side” of the family, fueling the fire that Jamie is building against the Duttons.
The video also sees Jamie as he makes the big decision; his biological “family” or the one that raised him — fans of the series know the choice he made, and if you’re not caught up with season 4 yet, we recommend getting there. There’s no way to hide his big choice.
That’s another part of the snapshot into the past: Beth caught him as he was driving someone to the train station. Capturing an image of what he was up to, she tells Jamie she owns him now; and tells her father that she vows to protect him from anything that would dare to stand against him.
Fans also see a delightful glimpse at Rip Wheeler, who is ready to head out on a mission, and we see more of John throughout, looking as handsome and focused as ever. In addition to the heartbreaking vision quest Kayce went on, we hear that devastating conversation between himself and Monica where she questions what he saw.
“I saw the end of us.” With those six words, fans were hanging on the edge of their seats, and that’s where we’ve remained in the months since the last episode.
Fans are missing the show’s first season
A Reddit thread talks about the first season of Yellowstone and how the characterization was so hyper-focused on learning. The thought process makes sense; we have to know and care about the characters we’re watching each week — and as the story continues, we dive deeper into the stories they tell than the people they are. Of course, Taylor Sheridan does a great job juggling the characters and their arcs, but we’re no longer in “discovery” mode with them.
Some fans quickly agreed and said that season 1 was phenomenal in storytelling and creativity. While the first episodes undeniably brought a lot to the table, we think it’s a series that certainly gets better with time.
We have seen a very different side of each character as the show progresses, but we’re seeing them as they evolve against circumstance, all-out war, and heartache. It’s not going to be all sunshine and roses in the Dutton family; they walk around with a target on their back that grows more significant daily.
Of course, fans are all entitled to their own opinions about the series, but if you ask us — it’s a watch that pays off more with each new season; you’ve just got to allow yourself to keep falling in love (or hate) with each progression of the character.
Yellowstone rewind: season 2, episode 8
Revenge is the name of the game in this episode, and no one wants it more than John and Rip. After Beth was attacked and beaten within an inch of her life, her father and the love of her life vowed to bring down the hammer on anyone and everyone.
Jamie is still on what he considers the road to redemption, but the episode makes viewers aware of the fact that it’s not going to be something easy for him to attain. We also see Monica continuing to struggle with her current living arrangement, how safe her family is, and what could be heading their way in a future that is so uncertain.
Monica calls the Dutton family prisoners as she talks to Kayce about living on the ranch, and it’s true in almost every sense of the word; they’re prisoners of their own making to a degree and because of promises and love in another.
We know the story you really want to hear is that of revenge, and it’s as powerful as the trio about to take on evil. Jenkins, Rainwater, and John Dutton all gear up to put up their most epic fight yet, and after they’ve all seen what Beth’s face looks like, they know the Beck brothers have to pay.
While Jenkins is always on the fence regarding kindness to the Duttons, Rainwater discovers that working with them is better than working against them. In this situation, however, they all work together for the greater good. Well, they try to. It’s more like they’re working together against a greater evil than they’ve ever been to one another.
You can watch the episode and find out what path they take for yourselves, as the first four seasons are streaming now on Peacock.
You can watch the episode and find out what path they take for yourselves, as the first four seasons are streaming now on Peacock. Don’t forget, Yellowstone‘s fifth season kicks off with a two-hour television event on Nov. 13.