Yellowstone‘s highly anticipated season 4 premiere aired last night, and fans of the series felt like they were on bated breath for the full two-episode debut, but especially those first 10 minutes. The series focuses on a dysfunctional family that sticks their necks out for one another and the sake of Dutton Ranch. From ranch hands and livestock agents to chefs and pilots, even those without Dutton’s last name become a family in Yellowstone.
Spoilers ahead for fans not yet caught up with season 3 or 4.
So that bated breath feeling last night was because of the events that took place with the wrap of season Yellowstone season 3. Four lives hung in the balance, and fans weren’t ready to lose a single one of them.
Season 3 saw a lot of changes at Dutton Ranch, and while some could roll with the punches, others took a stand against them—a running theme within the Yellowstone realm as the Duttons fight to keep the land in their name as outside forces work against them.
There’s also the internal struggle as the Dutton’s long-running relationship with Chief Thomas Rainwater changes. The land Dutton Ranch sits upon was owned by Rainwater’s ancestors, so as the story is told, they’ve been everything from enemies and allies.
What comes next is a mix of getting back to a sense of normal, living through trauma and violence, and trying to stay a family while the world wants to tear them apart. Those lives that hung in the balance were none other than the lives of the Dutton’s themselves.
John Dutton was shot at the end of season 3 while helping a woman with a flat tire; ambushed seems a better word for the event. Dutton’s son Kayce was also ambushed, as his wife and child were attacked at home. Beth Dutton was in an office where a bomb, addressed to her, exploded and ranch hand Jimmy got back on a horse against doctor’s orders.
Season 4 slowly introduced us to the characters who survived once again, and while the opening scene only lasted 10 minutes, it felt like hours as we waited to see who made it through the other side.
If you didn’t catch Yellowstone last night, you can watch it today via on-demand thanks to the Paramount network. You can also access Yellowstone via Hulu+ Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. If you’ve yet to start the sensational series, or need to catch up before you can even think about season 4, you can watch it all via Peacock’s $4.99 premium membership.
You won’t want to miss what’s coming next for Dutton Ranch. Yellowstone airs Sunday nights at 8pm on Paramount.
