5 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Yellowstone Season 1 After The Series Finale

Some harsh realities come with rewatching Yellowstone season 1 now that Taylor Sheridan’s original neo-Western show has ended. Yellowstone began in 2018, helmed by Kevin Costner as John Dutton III, a fifth-generation Montana rancher desperate to protect his family and the legacy of the Dutton family tree. John Dutton’s family owned the largest contiguous ranch in the United States, comprising hundreds of thousands of acres.

At the end of Yellowstone season 5, John’s kids, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes), trade in their family’s legacy to protect it, with John’s son selling the Yellowstone Ranch to the Broken Rock Tribe, the ultimate preservationists. Kayce’s decision brought Yellowstone full circle, fulfilling Taylor Sheridan’s prophecy in 1883 that said the Duttons would give the land back to the ancestors of its Indigenous stewards. Still, some elements of Yellowstone season 1 stand out now that the series has concluded.

8. Jamie Dutton Was The Best Lawyer For The Yellowstone Ranch

Jamie Dutton Dies In Yellowstone Season 5 After Betraying The Family

One of the harshest realities of Yellowstone season 1 is that Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) was the best lawyer for the Yellowstone Ranch. In Yellowstone’s series premiere, Jamie vehemently defends the ranch against an eminent domain case, arguing his position with intellect, skill, and charisma with great success. Ultimately, Wes Bentley’s Jamie was one of the first to see that the biggest threat to the family keeping the ranch was his father, who refused to modernize his approach.Of course, Jamie doesn’t subscribe to the family’s commitment to preserving the land like his father and siblings, one of the many reasons that Jamie becomes an antagonist as Yellowstone progresses. Still, despite having a different vision, Jamie is happy to please his father and follow through on orders successfully and without question until Beth’s arrival. Beth is hostile toward Jamie, disrupting his status quo in tandem with Lee Dutton’s (Dale Annable) death.

7. Taylor Sheridan Dropped Monica’s Storyline As A Teacher In Yellowstone

Monica’s Life Outside The Ranch’s Drama Is Non-Existent By Yellowstone Season 5
In Yellowstone season 1, Monica Long-Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) has a robust story outside of life on the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Kayce’s wife is a teacher at the school on the Broken Rock Reservation, which gives her purpose and fulfillment outside of her ties to Kayce’s family. While Monica is ultimately assaulted by a student at school, injuring her and shaking her career, she perseveres, taking on a career as a college lecturer while maintaining her commitment to her students.We don’t hear anything about Monica’s teaching storyline after Yellowstone season 2. Amid this transition, Monica also becomes emotionally unstable after Tate’s (Brecken Merrill) kidnapping, fighting with her husband about their role in his family’s operations. Ultimately, Taylor Sheridan missed an opportunity to further develop Monica’s story outside the Dutton family’s war, showing what’s at stake for the Broken Rock Tribe’s most represented member.

6. Yellowstone Never Follows Up On Thomas Rainwater’s Backstory

We Don’t Learn More About Thomas Rainwater Before Yellowstone Season 5

However, we never learn more about Thomas Rainwater’s background outside the first chapter. Therefore, we don’t fully understand what inspired Thomas to return to Montana to improve his people’s way of life. Learning more about Thomas would have helped the audience understand why he wanted the land, perhaps giving Yellowstone’s season 5 finale a better landing for those who found it controversial.

5. John & Tate Never Get A Proper Goodbye

Tate Was A Significant Source Of Peace For John Dutton

Rewatching Yellowstone season 1 is a reminder of how much John Dutton’s grandson meant to him. In Yellowstone’s series premiere, John asks Kayce to spend more time with his grandson, likening quality time with his kin to a salve that would heal the perils he faces protecting the ranch. While Kayce hesitates to let his father get to know his son, John and Tate develop a relationship in Yellowstone season 1 that is vital to both parties.

Tate’s final moments with his grandfather happen off-screen in Yellowstone season 5, episode 6, when they go fishing.

It’s sad to realize that John and seventh-generation Tate Dutton never got to say goodbye. While this is true for almost everyone, since John’s death was unexpected, Tate’s lack of time with his grandfather is worse due to their strong connection. While some characters, like Monica, had a conclusive conversation with John Dutton before his death, Tate’s final moments with his grandfather happen off-screen in Yellowstone season 5, episode 6, when they go fishing.