Lloyd continues to be treated like a pariah by Rip and the other ranch hands in the wake of the scuffle with Walker, and I gotta tell you, this may be the most depressing Yellowstone plotline yet. It’s a loose translation of Angela Blue Thunder’s powerful call to action morphed into an optimistic stump speech. Monica speaks briefly with Thomas Rainwater, who tells her she is a warrior, Tate is a warrior, and that they should all be warriors. Killing someone should have psychic pain consequences, but not too many of the adults in Yellowstone get hung up about all the murder they’ve been around, so Tate the child will have to stand in for the audience’s horror. It’s good that the show is not actively ignoring Tate’s trauma vis-a-vis shooting a clown in the back. 4: Sweat Lodge Sessions for Tateįinally off the ranch and back on the Broken Rock Reservation, Tate is getting his mind right by spending some time in a sweat lodge with various elders, including Thomas Rainwater and Mo Brings Plenty. Everyone has their own path and both of these are equally decent paths. It’s also a good age to be a hard-drinking freelance writer with a seasons-4-8-of– The Simpsons outlook on the world (hi). Thirty-seven is a great age to be a hard-drinking corporate raider with a Nietzschean outlook on the world and an arsenal of profanity-laden quips.
I’m not sure what the purpose of this scene was other than to have the sight of her father’s penis nudge Beth toward an introspective mood about how empty houses are sort of a bummer and how she would survive a meteor striking Earth and become queen of the cockroaches, but I trust Taylor Sheridan’s vision. And then as he is changing into his pajama bottoms, Beth drops in unannounced and says, “Coulda done without the anatomy lesson, but that’s OK. He disrobes, reminding us of all the times this man has recently been shot. In the evening, he takes a shower, as is his right as the Baron of Montana. 1: Gratuitous Anatomy Lessonsįollowing Beth’s promise to get her dad “some pussy” in the previous episode, the sedate opening of “Under a Blanket of Red” follows world-weary and lonely John Dutton through a doleful day on the ranch. And most importantly, John Dutton said the following words to a potential love interest: “There will be a time when Earth sheds us like dead skin.” One Dutton got to meet his child for the first time. We were treated to the flaccid efforts of Blue State activists when confronted with Red State gumption. We got to see a heated and confusing debate in the bunkhouse about roping cattle in space. But “Under a Blanket of Red” was another somewhat quiet affair, introducing some new faces, continuing long-simmering plotlines, and keeping the requisite amount of ambient dread humming. The next few episodes will surely ratchet the tension up and bring us closer to what will very clearly be a tragic conclusion, with fan theories ranging from Jamie’s imminent death to Carter wanting Beth to buy him another cowboy shirt. Monica hated Kayce for an episode, but now she doesn’t. Thomas Rainwater hasn’t made any metaphorical chess moves in a while.
We still don’t really know who tried to kill 75 percent of the Duttons. We’ve had exactly one jarring flashback to the late 19th century. Let’s take stock of what’s happened thus far: Beth got mad at a kid for a dumb reason. Here we are, Yellowstone-heads-the halfway point of the season.