Yellowstone's Kelly Reilly Finally Addresses Beth's Biggest Criticism

As extraordinarily popular as the show may now be, upon the conclusion of the fourth season of "Yellowstone," a number of fans shared that they found its latest batch of episodes underwhelming. Among a number of elements of Season 4 viewers have criticized is its characterization of series co-lead Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly).

Whereas in previous seasons Beth sported a more conventionally tough personality, some fans found that Season 4 pushed this aspect of her character too far, turning her into a one-dimensional shadow of her former self. This trend is perhaps best exemplified by a moment in which Beth encounters newcomer Summer (Piper Perabo) in the Dutton family's kitchen after she spent the night with Beth's father John (Kevin Costner). Despite the fact that Beth had previously encouraged her dad to pursue new people, when she encounters her dad's hook-up in-person, she takes things altogether too far and threatens the other woman with a knife.

In an interview published in the wake of Season 4's conclusion, Reilly addressed this line of criticism, sharing her thoughts on the character's disposition in her more recent appearances.

Kelly Reilly discussed Beth Dutton's recent character development in an Esquire article after interviewer Justin Kirkland broached the subject of whether or not Beth went too far, in a general sense, over the course of Season 4. Kirkland specifically brought up how Beth seems willing to sacrifice even her husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), which previously would have seemed entirely out of the question.

In response, Reilly characterized Rip as someone with considerable influence over Beth's development. "Her heart is so aligned with him, and as we've seen, the one thing Beth holds very dearly is who she is and her loyalty, which can then go too far, right? To death, I think she is loyal to Rip," she said. "There is a moment where I was playing her and you just think, well, she has gone over the edge. Whatever it takes."

Then, Reilly went on to discuss Beth's extreme personality in Season 4 more overtly. "In a way, we get to live out this fantasy with Beth because she says and does things that we would never dream or dare to do," she said. "Beth has nine lives. She's a cockroach. She should never have survived that bomb. She's like a little superhero without the cape."

So, while Reilly appears to agree that Beth has become increasingly intense, she seems to diverge from viewers who have become critical of her, describing Beth's character arc as heightened but otherwise logical.