‘Yellowstone’ season premiere recap: John Dutton’s new gig and another family tragedy

Season 5, Episode 1, “One Hundred Years is Nothing,” and Episode 2, “The Sting of Wisdom”

Warning: Don’t read this if you haven’t watched Episode 1 and 2 of Season 5 of Yellowstone. Or read it, but don’t blame us when we tell you things that happened in the show.

Nicole Russell, opinion writer: The long-awaited Season 5 premiere is finally here, and we got a bonus second episode to start.

If a good novelist is supposed to start a work of fiction on the day that’s different, I’d say “Yellowstone” is off to a strong start. We skip John Dutton’s undoubtedly mundane campaign for governor of Montana and open on Election Night. Surprise! He’s won.

I have to say, as someone who has worked on campaigns and covered politics a long time, I found the opening of episode one, “One Hundred Years is Nothing” interesting: Most Election Night parties revolve around a winning candidate who is happy and excited to be there and to have won. We just saw many such watch parties this last Tuesday.

Not John Dutton.

When the camera finally pans to him, he’s somber, contemplative, maybe even full of regret. The message is clear: Dutton did not just become governor of Montana for the fame but out of duty to the 100 year-old Dutton Ranch, Yellowstone. This sets the tone for the season.

He later tells daughter Beth and son Jamie, “Every decision we make is with the ranch in mind.” He’s hoping to stave off developers, greedy out-of-towners, and anyone else who would force the Dutton Ranch to give in to partitioning their beautiful land to become a prosaic ski resort.

There’s a sweet moment between Beth and Rip, reinforcing their shared bond. The flashback going back to their late teens reinforces the idea that they’ve known each other a long time, enough to develop love and bitterness equally. But right now, they both seem to choose love. Rip, the toughest cowboy in “Yellowstone,” seems to easily forgive Beth for the poor way she treated him when she was younger.

This episode was less action-packed than we normally see from writer-producer Taylor Sheridan, and aside from a bit of ranching, the only real “action,” is at the conclusion, where we see a 37-week pregnant Monica, already in labor, driving to meet her husband Kayce in the middle of the night.

Battling contractions, a wandering buffalo, and an oncoming car, she and son Tate crash. Since Kayce and Monica have the healthiest relationship out of all of the Duttons, it was nice to see all the main characters show up right away — although, in typical Yellowstone fashion, they were under duress.

Any idea why Kayce always seems to have the most difficult times? He seems like the most pure character of the Duttons.

Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor: I thought the same thing about poor Kayce and Monica. The other person in my house who watches the show said of Monica: “Does she ever get to be something other than trauma?”

As someone who knows politics, too, Nicole, I’m really going to have to bite my tongue about the ridiculousness of Governor Dutton. But a couple things I have to note: He didn’t choose his own chief of staff and didn’t even know him until after he was inaugurated? Was there no transition? That’s just poor management, which is not a John Dutton trait.

And are we supposed to believe he went through the entire campaign not understanding he’s going to have to visit schools and meet with interest groups? Like, didn’t anyone explain any of it to you — like the current-governor kinda-girlfriend?

Nicole: I thought that, too! Also, no way when he gave that initial speech would a sitting U.S. senator who was his former girlfriend join him on stage!

BETH AND RIP, THEIR TROUBLED PAST

Ryan: I thought the young Beth was just ridiculous. But then, so is the older Beth. The introspection on her part was intriguing, though, and I suspect a prelude to even more Rip and Beth drama we learn about throughout season 5.

Nicole: Also, wasn’t a flashback this early in episode one a bit jarring? It brought the action backwards, I thought.

Ryan: John’s focus on saving the ranch made me think of the closest character I can compare him to, J.R. Ewing. (You did realize that “Yellowstone” is just a big soap opera, didn’t you?) He’s crafty, focused on his goals and willing to be evil to achieve them. The key difference is that Larry Hagman’s J.R. relished it, and it seems to eat at Dutton — not that that stops him. In Episode 2, when John told Beth he’d put the ranch into a conservation trust, it was clear that he’s willing to lose it to save it. Try to imagine J.R. doing that with Ewing Oil.

Nicole: Am I showing my age or yours, that I have no idea who J.R. Ewing is? So, for our readers: What Ryan said.

Ryan: Nicole, I’m curious what you were expecting or hoping for going into the premiere, and whether it met your expectations? I have to say, I was disappointed in Season 4 — it felt like one big ad for the various spinoffs, and there was way too much of the Jimmy storyline. The premiere seemed a little more focused, though as you noted, it lacks some of the big action the show is known for.

Nicole: Season 4 was heavy on the Jimmy plot and we didn’t see him once in this first or second episode, did we? This season seems really focused: We know that John is governor and that he’s got multiple problems up front.

One thing Sheridan has down, especially obvious in episode two, is the cadence and rhythm of the show. Just when you’re getting stuff in the governor’s office with John, you’re back at the ranch roping cattle, or chasing down wolves.

YELLOWSTONE EPISODES 1 AND 2 NOTES AND TRIVIA

Ryan: Some stray observations:

• Recently retired Texas folk-country legend Robert Earl Keen had one of his songs, “Shades of Gray,” featured in Episode 1. The music is almost always on point, and we need more Keen. (I linked the song, but really, get the whole album.)

• The Duttons drink well, naturally. That was Weller 12-year-old bourbon Beth was pouring as they barreled down the highway. If you’ve heard of Pappy Van Winkle, Weller is like a poor second cousin (and almost as impossible to find these days).

• Again from my watching companion: The inauguration and party at the ranch seemed a bit warm and green for January in Montana?

• Best line of the night was Beth, talking to a guy trying to hit on her at the bar: “Buddy, this is your one chance to leave me alone with your self-esteem intact.” He didn’t, and he didn’t.

Nicole: I like those! Here are mine:

• How in the world did you catch that bourbon? They do drink well — and a lot. I’ve seen a lot of politicians after their wins and I’ve never heard of the governor drinking a whiskey in the car. Who wants to start?

• I caught the weather issue as well: Beth wasn’t wearing enough clothing for winter in Montana. It wasn’t a special election was it?

• Beth’s clothes are to die for: She epitomizes Western femininity even though she doesn’t act or talk like it. The dichotomy is wonderful. If you want to wear clothes like Beth, check this out.

• Kevin Costner’s voice sounded like it had gotten deeper and more gravelly than it was last season. For 67 though, he looks fantastic. (Yes, Ryan, I’m going to talk about Costner like this every week.)