Happy Wednesday, Yellowstone fans, and welcome to another roundup of the latest and greatest in Taylor Sheridan’s storytelling universe. With the premiere of season 5 drawing near, we’re all anxiously waiting to return to the ranch and put our workboots back on. Whether you’re a Beth Dutton or a Colby, a John Dutton or a Lynelle Perry, everyone has a role to play and a path to explore with many changes on the horizon. Today, we’re looking at the two words Costner used to rile fans up about the upcoming episodes as we reflect upon Taylor Sheridan’s secret to success before deep diving into season 2 of our favorite cowboy drama. You know the drill from here; please take a load off your tired feet, grab your favorite drink, and let’s ride in!
Kevin Costner uses two words to get us excited for season 5
A simple two words from Kevin Costner have Yellowstone fans ready to go to battle. When the latest teaser for season 5 was uploaded to Instagram, Costner reacted in a similar fashion to many fans:
“Let’s go.”
Is all it takes a short phrase for viewers to throw on their Yellowstone jackets and follow Costner’s John Dutton anywhere? The answer here is simple: yes. John is a multifaceted character, someone who has more enemies than he does friends, but those enemies don’t see him in the small moments.
His enemies aren’t privy to promises he’s made that he’s hell-bent on keeping. They’re not aware of the love he shares with those closest to him. They don’t get to see his smile when Tate is home at the ranch or when Beth gets through dinner without her infamous disruptions. They’re unaware of the awe in which he looks at his land in the mornings.
If they saw those little moments, they might understand him a little better. Fans get to see all those moments “in between,” so when Costner says, “let’s go,” — we’re ready!
Oh, and ahead of season 5, Yellowstone has turned into a John Dutton stan account, so we have no choice but to applaud their decision. We’re all John Dutton stan accounts here.
We can’t wait to see what life looks like for John as he assumes the role of Governor of Montana and the tricks he has to play in order to keep things running smoothly. We’ve seen him as a ranch owner, a father, a grandfather, and a man unafraid to walk into battle, but we’ve yet to see him take on a role quite this public.
Taylor Sheridan on the ride to success
Taylor Sheridan is sharing the path to success, and it’s a mix of a few things: a dirt road, authenticity, and staying far away from the city lights. He also credits looking at a “forgotten part of the American experience” and being able to breathe life back into it for the continued adoration of his work.
In a chat with Variety, Sheridan notes that the most crucial thing in creating shows like 1883, Yellowstone, and 1923 is staying true to what you know. See, Sheridan isn’t just making western/cowboy dramas full of romance — he’s living it. Okay, so he’s living almost all of it; there are considerably fewer (see also: no) trips to the train station in Sheridan’s camp.
“I think that if I ever decide to make things in a place that network executives would actually visit, a lot of this would probably stop. As long as I stay way the heck out — far from a Starbucks or paved roads — I’m pretty good.”
As almost-constant coffee drinkers, we applaud Sheridan for staying away from the ease of drive-thru expresso, and we appreciate the sentiment. He’s dedicated to a life that allows him his greatest joys and peace, and having grown up on a ranch in Texas; he knows the ins and outs of this life better than most.
You believe it when he writes a show about western life, and you buy it when he sells the story. Sheridan knows how to mix up just the right ingredients to make us want to jump on a horse and ride to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
Yellowstone rewind: season 2, episode 5
“Touching Your Enemy” is the title for the second season’s fifth episode, and it’s a doozy. As we’ve said before, the second season does an incredible job of filling out the story fans were given in the first season and getting a more profound look at the characters we’re still falling in love with today.
Fans see a different side of Monica in this episode, as she’s less torn between two worlds and more diving into one of them. She attends a Native American Horse Relay and feels very in touch with herself there. She’s still torn between loving her husband and wanting to live a life that feels real for her; it’s a battle she’ll be fighting for some time.
On the other side of that equation, Kayce is dealing with feeling torn too. Part of his battle comes to the surface when he shares an emotional moment with his father. The two talk about war stories and the sentiment is shared between them on different plains.
Kayce was a SEAL and saw unimaginable things, John Dutton is a ranch owner, but he’s seen his fair share of devastation too. Their war stories are from different battles but are war stories the same.
“Soldiers don’t tell war stories anymore, dad, because wars these days, it’s just about trying to live through them.”
Jamie is also walking a fine line between his life and the life he wants, but his unraveling is of his own undoing. His character is famous for acting emotionally and desperately wanting to walk it back, something he’s yet to stop doing.
John’s frustration with Jamie is apparent as he discovers that his son is behind again an attempt at a downfall for the Dutton name. Still, fans were surprised to see that he didn’t initially jump at the opportunity to take him down a notch. He’s juggling a lot at the moment.
You can keep up with your own Yellowstone rewatch with all four seasons streaming now on Peacock.
