When last we left the Duttons (stewards of Yellowstone, the largest ranch in Montana), patriarch John (Kevin Costner) was running for Governor after Lynelle Kelly’s decision to leave that office and run for U.S. Senate. This came as something of a body blow to Dutton’s second son Jamie (Wes Bentley), who thought *he’d* secure Kelly’s endorsement.
Then again, life itself is one big body blow for Jamie. For example, last season he discovered he was actually adopted. And because it turns out he was in on his true father Garrett Randall’s failed plot to kill the Duttons (end of season 3), Jamie’s sister Beth (Kelly Reilly) was able to blackmail him into killing Garrett, filming the aftermath for good measure.
Jamie’s placidity thus secured, he’s the perfect Attorney General for the newly elected Governor Dutton. Yes, season 5 of Yellowstone opens with John watching election night returns confirming his victory, as series creator Taylor Sheridan evidently has little use for a protracted campaign (which probably could have stretched out for a season on its own).
It’s a new apogee for the 6th-generation Montanan, and one that almost immediately starts to irritate his no-nonsense sensibilities. None of this is a surprise, as pretty much John’s entire reason for running for Governor in the first place was to preserve the Yellowstone Dutton ranch, and he soon demonstrates he’s willing to exploit any means at his disposal to do so.
The time jump also means that youngest Dutton son Kayce (Luke Grimes) is fully absorbed in his job as a Livestock Agent (who else didn’t realize that was a thing until this show came along?). So much, in fact, that wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) is spending a good deal of the final weeks of her pregnancy at home alone.
Speaking of Kayce, you may recall he spent the back part of last season taking the four-day warrior initiation rite to join Monica’s tribe. Was it a success? Possibly, though his informing Monica that he saw “the end of us” in a vision is a bit … foreboding.
John’s rise to Governor elicits a variety of emotions elsewhere as well. Broken Ranch Reservation’s Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and his assistant/bodyguard Mo (Moses Brings Plenty) acknowledge that it might be good for the land, but bad for their business interests. Caroline Warner (Jacki Weaver), on the other hand, is downright livid. The CEO of Market Equities knows Governor Dutton will put an end to the company’s plan for an airport and resort development.
John soon proves her right, of course, so Caroline calls in corporate heavy hitter Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) to go after the Duttons. Quickly (and correctly) identifying Jamie as the weak link, she sets her sights on him first. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, Kayce’s hallucinated(?) “end of us” winds up having some unforeseen tragic consequences by the end of the first episode. Saying much more would spoil a moment you’ll still see coming 20 minutes out anyway.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Yellowstone without flashbacks, and this season gives us an insight into early days of the relationship between Beth and top ranch hand Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), who — recall — were married in a hasty ceremony at the end of last season. It’s nice to see Rip completely out of his element (on a first date), even if Beth has apparently been a Goodtime Charleena since adolescence.
Ironically, the relationship between Beth the alcoholic sociopath and Rip the murderer is just about the most stable on the show, though there’s some tension as the former struggles to find her footing in the aftermath of Dad’s election. We do get one eminently satisfying glimpse of Classic Beth when she dresses down a particularly obtuse dude at her favorite bar.
Governor Dutton’s concerns about the ranch are both environmental — another flashback involves young John (Josh Lucas) squaring off with a cellphone company whose pesticide is making the Yellowstone cattle sick — as well as financial. Beth hits upon a possible solution to their concerns about future development, but this might be complicated by other actions at the ranch, namely Ryan (Ian Bohen), Colby (Denim Richards), and others accidentally killing some tagged wolves from the nearby park.
Absent this season is one fan favorite: former tweaker Jimmy (Jefferson White), who’s permanently(?) relocated to Texas (and Yellowstone spinoff 6666). Happily, fellow hands Teeter (Jennifer Landon) and Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) haven’t gone anywhere. Yet.
Somewhat bucking trends, Yellowstone has only gained in popularity each season, leading Paramount to cash in as rapidly as possible. In addition to the aforementioned 6666 and the already aired 1883, we’re also getting 1923 (starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford). Truly, the STU (Sheridan Television Universe) is expanding at breakneck pace.
The first two episodes (watched for purposes of this review) set the table for the the rest of Yellowstone’s season five: John’s determination to put the ranch first butting up against the institutional limitations of the Governor’s office are going to create new enemies to go along with the old, while Beth’s pathological need to dominate Jamie will undoubtedly blow up in her face. John naming her his Chief of Staff will only enable both of their worst tendencies, and Kayce and Monica will be forced to navigate a tragic aftermath and their own priorities.
Buckle up, as they say, for the Duttons have proven themselves adept at scraping bottom even as they attain hew heights.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
