Yellowstone, on its rugged surface, presents as yet another myth-making Western -- painted with the broad strokes of horseflesh, sunsets, and men clutching at the tatters of Manifest Destiny. But beneath the sweeping cinematography lies a brutish, strangely compelling fable about legacy, land, and the sheer inertia of inherited power. Kevin Costner, surprisingly, turns in one of his most interesting performances not by radiating moral clarity, as he once did, but by portraying John Dutton as a man whose grip on power is less a matter of brilliance than blind, stubborn luck. Dutton is not a Machiavellian mastermind, but rather a grizzled relic fumbling through crises, kept afloat by sheer historical momentum and the incompetence or stupidity of those around him. Costner plays him not as a titan or stereotypical hero, but as a man just clever enough to survive-barely-on the edge of his own fading myth.
More ruthless minds circle him. Chief among them is his daughter Beth, whose strategic cruelty and emotional volatility make her the true warlord of the Dutton empire. Kelly Reilly channels something genuinely volcanic in Beth -- her actions often so scorched-earth and gleefully malicious that she makes her father look almost quaint by comparison. If Dutton is the dying king, Beth is his fire-breathing enforcer, burning bridges and enemies with equal enthusiasm. And then there is Jamie -- poor, perpetually perplexed Jamie -- whose tragic flaw is not hubris but a spectacular lack of instincts. He bumbles through legal maneuverings and familial betrayals with all the tactical finesse of a dropped pie. Yellowstone thrives on this chaos: a kingdom ruled not by intelligence or justice, but by blunt force, inherited grudges, and the dumb luck of those too ornery to die. In that, it is less a Western than a cautionary tale in cowboy drag.
Persevere through the show's arid overtures and you'll find, to your surprise, that it gathers momentum and even moments of merit-proof that persistence, though rarely fashionable, sometimes pays off.
