Dumb Things In Yellowstone Everyone Ignores

For five seasons, "Yellowstone" filled our screens with majestic vistas matched by over-the-top storylines. Outlandish plots and head-scratching character turns were par for the course, but action, intrigue, and character development made up for any storyline shortcomings. The Duttons and their Yellowstone ranch invited viewers into a world of excitement, drama, and cowboy life, and we were there for all of it.

The series broke TV ratings records; in 2020, "Yellowstone" was the most viewed television show across cable, premium, and broadcast channels. The premiere of Part 2 of Season 5 brought in 21 million viewers, accounting for its largest viewership ever. In the years since, it has launched two spin-offs starring entertainment legends – "1883," with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and "1923," with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. More "Yellowstone" spinoff series are in the works. As we write this, series creator Taylor Sheridan has six shows on the air and others in development with Paramount.

Rich characters and compelling storylines inform all of Sheridan's work, but his television empire began with the Dutton family of "Yellowstone." Throughout each season, the Duttons battled fierce enemies, fought each other and endured trauma. "Yellowstone" may have led the Duttons down tangled paths, but the journey was always entertaining. Because of this, we ignore the dumb things — the silly scenes and questionable plot holes — as we watch the Dutton family drama unfold.

In the first episode of Season 1, the eldest son and the heir-apparent of the Yellowstone ranch, Lee Dutton (Dave Annable), is killed in a gunfight. Ostensibly, his death should cause his family grief. Yet, after his death, Lee's name is rarely mentioned and he's given zero backstory. Family bonds run deep on the ranch; family causes Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) to move back home and is responsible for the career trajectory of Jamie (Wes Bentley). Even the Dutton's ranch hands take a "Y" skin brand to pledge lifetime allegiance to Yellowstone.

The tragic death of matriarch Evelyn Dutton (Gretchen Mol) leaves an indelible mark on her family, and she shows up in flashback scenes. Beth carries the self-imposed weight of blame for her mother's death. Shouldn't Lee's more recent death play a part in the show? Fans even noticed Lee's glaring omission from old family photos shown in various "Yellowstone" seasons.

Dave Annable, the actor who portrayed Lee Dutton, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his character's demise: "I knew my character was going to die right away and I was okay with that. But as we were shooting and practicing and I was at cowboy camp and learned to ride horses and we were in Montana, I thought, there is no way I want to die on this show," he said. Lee's demise could have shaped his family's character development, but instead, he's barely even an afterthought.

In "Yellowstone," murder is a go-to move the Duttons use to rid themselves of the enemies who threaten them. Some of the killings committed by various family members are easy to cover up, and the power wielded by the Dutton name allows them to literally get away with murder. 

When the Duttons take those who have double-crossed them to "the train station," this is double-speak for the execution of enemies. In Season 1, on behalf of the Duttons, ranch hand Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) takes the problematic Fred (Luke Peckinpah) to the station. No one will miss Fred as he's a drifter without any public presence. However, the murders of the Becks should have at least raised the suspicions of law enforcement.

In Season 2, the Beck brothers — Malcolm (Neal McDonough) and Teal (Terry Serpico) — prove powerful adversaries to John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his offspring. The Becks are real estate magnates who go to extreme measures to obtain Yellowstone for themselves. Malcolm Beck, who also heads up the Montana State Liquor Board, orders horrific strikes against his new adversaries — he has Beth viciously attacked and Kayce Dutton's young son, Tate (Breckin Merrill), kidnapped. Of course, the family retaliates: Kayce (Luke Grimes) kills Teal Beck while he sits on the toilet, and John executes Malcolm in broad daylight. However, no Dutton is even questioned about the murders.

Throughout "Yellowstone," Jamie Dutton feels worthless in his father's eyes, is the constant target of Beth's wrath, and stuffs his anger and hatred toward his adopted family inside. He constantly acts in vengeful, cowardly ways. Wes Bentley, who portrays the character, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about Jamie's poisonous personality in 2022: "Inside, he's boiling. And it will explode," he warned. We catch a glimpse of Jamie's potential for rash action in Season 2 when he murders journalist Sarah Nguyen (Michaela Conlin).

Sarah is a reporter who travels to Montana to work for Jamie's campaign for attorney general, but she sees the potential to expose the Duttons' shady and corrupt dealings instead. An angry Jamie vents to Sarah and spills secrets to her that could destroy his family. When Sarah threatens to publish Jamie's confessions, he feels remorse and begs her not to run the story. Sarah refuses to relent and a cornered, panicked Jamie strangles her. 

With the help of Rip (Cole Hauser), the adopted Dutton stages Sarah's murder to look like a kayaking accident. Yet any autopsy would quickly reveal asphyxiation as her cause of death. And Sarah's "drowning" alone should send the national press into a frenzy. The only mention of her death by anyone outside of the Dutton family comes from a short televised news report. Wouldn't someone from her magazine have had a conversation with Sarah about the huge story she stumbled upon?

Jamie Dutton is the family's black sheep and the fissures in his familial relationships run deep. However, he's also a Harvard-educated lawyer who ultimately becomes Montana's attorney general. He may be a coward, but Jamie's also an intelligent man. Nonetheless, if anyone sans the last name Dutton implores Jamie to trust them, he does so without hesitation.

In Season 3, Jamie discovers he's adopted. He sees finding his biological father as a way to finally "belong" — even after learning the man murdered his biological mother. Upon their reunion, Jamie quickly buys into the lies of his father, Garrett Randall (Will Patton), who tells Jamie that the Duttons must be destroyed, and Jamie laps up this stranger's affection. Granted, Jamie ends up murdering his biological dad, but he trusts him more than the family who raised him.

Jamie discloses his closely-guarded family secrets to Sarah Nguyen based on her warmth toward him. In Season 5, he jumps into bed with Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), who is out to destroy the Duttons, and she smothers him with sweet praise. Although he wonders aloud if he's just part of her agenda, Jamie eats up Atwood's cloying words and agrees to her plans to take down John Dutton. Again, if Jamie gets even surface approval, he instantly trusts anyone — but this time it goes bad for him, as both he and Atwood meet their maker by the end of Season 5.

In the Season 3 finale of "Yellowstone," Beth Dutton lights a cigarette in the aftermath of an explosion that almost takes her life. The scene exemplifies Beth's fierce resilience and makes for great television. However, the explosion kills her assistant and leaves Beth with third-degree burns. The show displays continuity by leaving Beth with the scars of the violence she's endured and the facial scars she suffered in Season 2 remain a part of the character long after she's attacked. When the burn scars covering Beth's back are revealed in an intimate Season 4 scene between her and Rip, they again remind viewers of her trauma.

In an interview with Express.co.uk, "Yellowstone" make-up artist Abigail Steele recalled a conversation she had with Kelly Reilly about Beth's scars: "We should tell people about your scars and how they tell a story that's bigger than just something that's cool and looks cool ... It's so much deeper and there's something so beautiful about scars that are worn and not covered up."

Nonetheless, Beth never spends onscreen time in the hospital, healing from her extensive burns, or undergoing surgical procedures. Reilly explained Beth's convalescence to Parade, "Taylor [Sheridan] said she's been in the hospital for two months ... She's had all those skin grafts and she probably went to the best surgeon to get her face fixed." However, none of this occurs onscreen, and no one ever speaks about Beth's suffering.

Rip Wheeler's backstory is revealed organically and helps to give his character depth. He comes to the Dutton ranch as a broken, panicked teenager (played in flashbacks by Kyle Red Silverstein), and John takes the boy under his wing. Rip killed his abusive stepfather after the man murdered Rip's mom and brother, causing Rip to flee from home. John gives Rip a choice between facing legal consequences for his actions and working on the ranch, and the boy chooses the latter.

In Season 5, Episode 7 ("The Dream Is Not Me"), John tells Rip: "There's a thing I could do, but if I do it, you don't ever leave this place. You'll be part of this ranch until the day you die and you will do for this ranch what I say do, no matter what that is. You understand me?" Rip becomes John's muscle and right-hand man; as such, he's involved in some criminal activities. However, John's powerful connections could forge Rip a new identity and allow him to live life.

Nonetheless, Rip tells Beth they can't legally marry, as he "doesn't exist." Rip is a vital part of the ranch's operations — wouldn't his lack of a driver's license, bank account, and Social Security number attract questions from those who have business with Yellowstone? A teenage Rip killed his stepfather in self-defense. Would he really need to live without an identity for the rest of his life?

Through the first three seasons of "Yellowstone," John Dutton is averse to politics. When his land is threatened — first by a casino and resort in Season 2 and then by an airport in Season 3 — John leaves the politics of prevention in Jamie's hands. However, in order to thwart Jamie's run for governor, Beth convinces her dad that he needs to announce his own candidacy. Although John has had his life threatened without ever entering into politics, he agrees with Beth's plan. When John's campaign is endorsed by his friend with benefits, Montana governor and U.S. Senate candidate Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz), his win is a foregone conclusion.

John and Beth's rationale for his candidacy stems from their desire to put Jamie in his place. And despite his lack of political expertise, John is sworn into office in Season 5. However, the only time he's seen in office is when he fires his entire staff. John shrugs off his gubernatorial duties and heads back to the ranch. Surely his political adversaries and the press would blast him for his absence? A "Yellowstone" Season 5 premiere review in TV Guide stated, "John Dutton is a governor whose only platform is land. Apparently, in this world, Montana's two parties are Land and Anti-Land." John's only desire is to protect his own land. But as it turns out, he's removed from office anyway.

In Season 3 of "Yellowstone," after a short stint as head of operations on the ranch, Kayce Dutton is named the new Livestock Commissioner by his father, John. Apparently, the office can be handed down from father to son, nepotism is permissible, and Livestock officers are permitted to carry firearms. Kayce's new role isn't clearly defined, but presumably, the Montana Livestock Commission is a government office that requires qualifications and at the very least, filling out an application. Kayce served overseas in the US Navy, so he's well-trained with guns. However, he has no experience in law enforcement, and in Season 1, he's arrested by the tribal police of Broken Rock Reservation.

Kayce, the youngest of John Dutton's children, doesn't even want the role of Livestock Commissioner and takes the position begrudgingly. By the end of Season 3, gunmen shoot up the Livestock Commission, and Kayce narrowly escapes with his life. Kayce turns in his badge in Season 5, and tells his father, "I choose [Monica] and I choose my son." He doesn't want to put his family in danger on a daily basis. 

Kayce doesn't follow any type of protocol while serving the Livestock Commission, and he quits simply by letting his father know he's done. In reality, Montana does have a Department of Livestock, and there are law enforcement agents (known as stock investigators) employed by the department. However, agents and commissioners don't inherit their positions.

Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille), Kayce's wife and Tate's mother in "Yellowstone," is strong enough to stand on her own. She loves her family but isn't afraid to call out the dysfunction she sees in the rest of the Duttons. She and Beth have even forged a bond — in Season 2, Beth tells Monica she has "a kind soul." However, the more time Monica spends with the Duttons, the more she feels eager to do good in the world. Thus, in Season 3, when a serial killer eludes tribal police, Monica agrees to be used as bait in a sting operation set up by Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham).

Monica puts herself in harm's way and although sharpshooters are nearby, she must face a serial killer on her own. The thought that law enforcement would use a civilian to lure and capture a serial killer is preposterous. Indiewire called Monica "the Job of Yellowstone" as she is made to suffer almost as much as the Biblical character, and refers to her baiting a murderer as pointless trauma porn.

In an interview with CBR, Asbille said, "Taylor Sheridan definitely gives you some challenges of what new catastrophe Monica has to deal with, so I would say that heightened level of reality I feel really used to now." Yet these situations should act to propel the overall plot of "Yellowstone" forward: wife, mother, and civilian Monica baiting a murderer just doesn't make sense.

In Season 2, the Duttons go to war with the Beck brothers. The Becks are the biggest threat to the ranch the family has ever faced and the brothers prove they aren't afraid to draw blood or even pile up casualties. In the season's penultimate episode, Kayce knows his family must act first and need to strike hard. The Becks are scheduled to fly to Jackson Hole, so Kayce decides to act quickly. 

He teams up with Torry (Wolé Parks), the security guard of Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston), to drop a timed bomb in the fuel tank of the brothers' plane. However, the Becks don't end up taking their scheduled flight; Kayce and John execute the brothers shortly thereafter, and never mention the bomb again. As Express.co.uk pointed out, "This pivotal moment naturally left viewers scratching their head [sic], and could cause a lot of unnecessary concern."

The planted bomb didn't just disappear because the Becks were killed. It was rigged to a timer. Wouldn't it still go off? Alas, the loose threads of this glaring plot hole were left dangling in the wind. Fans took to social media to wonder about the bomb and speculate about the subplot's reemergence in each subsequent season. In a "Yellowstone" Season 4 Reddit thread, u/MountainGOM asked, "Kayce put a bomb in the Becks plane. It looked like an altimeter set bomb. Will it come back into play?"

Poor Monica Dutton just can't catch a break in "Yellowstone." She's used as murder bait, her son is kidnapped, and in the Season 5 premiere, she experiences tragedy once again. A very pregnant Monica knows she may go into labor soon. She doubles over in pain from intense contractions and spends all day suffering. Yet, she waits to go to the hospital. Kayce isn't home ... so she doesn't even want immediate medical attention?

Sadly, when Monica finally decides it's time to seek medical care, she's in such severe pain that she swerves all over the road. Kayce tells his wife he'll send an ambulance to meet her halfway, but Monica refuses to wait. Her young son, Tate, must drive them both. The mother and son are in a horrific car accident, and Monica tragically loses her baby. The driver of the other vehicle involved dies on impact. However, Tate only suffers a broken arm.

Frustrated fans took to Twitter after the episode to share their grievances. Shelly Kay tweeted: "Monica driving while in labor, this is so not a good idea! Hello!!!!" and a comment from Elena read, "...She [Monica] should have pulled over and waited for the ambulance. She was speeding and having strong contractions. Not smart." While the loss of her unborn son is tragic, Monica should never have been driving in the first place.

If there's anything more egregious than the Duttons repeatedly getting away with murder, it's that no one ever finds the bodies they leave behind — or their graveyard, period. A good dozen enemies of the clan die and are throw into the no-mans-land area between Thomas Rainwater's reservation and the border of the ranch in Wyoming, and they are never missed, searched for, or found again. Do any of the Duttons' enemies have relatives? Apparently not. Also, packs of scavenging animals and clouds of black flies are apparently never drawn to large amounts of corpses. 

It's a ludicrously huge plot hole that's incredibly hard to ignore, and absolutely mars the show's sense of dignity. It's also definitely a dumb thing about "Yellowstone" that everyone manages to overlook when thinking about the Duttons' "my way or the highway" shenanigans. But on the plus side, it just might be a plot point that could be revisited in future sequels.

The biggest missing stiff in the whole pile of lost Dutton enemies is definitely Jamie Dutton, whose choice to conspire against his adopted family and specifically his sister Beth results in him being stabbed to death in his own kitchen. Then he's buried at the train station, his car set ablaze. While all the people closest to Jamie — minus his son, little Jamie, and ex-girlfriend, Christina (Katherine Cunningham) — likely won't miss him now that he's gone, the state of Montana is probably going to have some questions.

That's because he's the Montana State Attorney General when Beth kills him. Beth and Rip — the former conveniently beaten to a pulp thanks to Jamie's counter-assault — claim that Jamie has resigned in shame after Beth battered him in self-defense. Conveniently, no one asks a single question about Jamie at the attorney general's office and no one bothers to investigate Beth's tale to see if it's true. Apparently everyone in the state government is easily led, and dumb as a post besides.

Perhaps if we were Taylor Sheridan we too would create and play a character like Travis Wheatley who looks, acts, and talks just like us — and is also super-rich, dating a woman who looks like Gigi Hadid, and knows everything about horses. But if you look at the grander scheme of things and the way "Yellowstone" uses Travis — mainly as a deus ex machina for characters like Beth and Teeter (Jennifer Landon), when he's not acting like an avatar for the booze, horse and girl-laden machismo that the series values so highly — one wonders why he exists at all beyond acting like human gear grease.

It doesn't help that Travis can be incredibly crude — his passes at Beth and Teeter are less than welcomed by either woman — and that when he's not pontificating about booze he's often left fulminating about the way of the cowboy. But Sheridan portrays the character with enough humor and grace that his existence as a cog in the plot is easy enough to ignore — most of the time.