Yellowstone Round Table: There Are TOO MANY STORIES to Tell Them Well

Welcome back to another exciting conversation with our Yellowstone round table participants.

We’ve got TV Fanatic senior staff writers Whitney Evans and Jack Ori joined by Yellowstone super fans Julie Castaneda and Jim Thomas.

They’re digging into everything Yellowstone Season 4 Episode 6, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts, too!

How do you feel about the 6666 storyline now that you know Taylor Sheridan and friends just bought the ranch?

Julie: I’ve known Taylor had the 6666 deal in the works since this time last year. I’m hoping we get some good shows to come from there in the future. I’m excited to see where he plans to take us with this new series. I’m kind of tired of it mixing with our Yellowstone storyline right now. But I’ll just relax and see how things wrap up.

Jack: I’m not sure yet. At first, I was excited that Jimmy would still be in Yellowstone’s world. But I’m not impressed with his 6666 storyline thus far. It just seems like more of Jimmy being behind the curve and other cowboys not respecting him. I hope there’s something more to it than this!

Jim: This entire season has been about Taylor Sheridan. In the first few episodes, Taylor got more screen time than most of the main characters,  and I guess if you and your buddies spend about 200 million dollars on a ranch, you need to do everything you can to make it pay for itself.

Taylor should win an award because this is self-promotion at its finest. Between plugging Bosque Ranch Performance and the cowboys wearing 4 6’s embroidered shirts, he is definitely getting as much airtime for free as possible.

I, for one, am sick of it. A guest shot in one or two episodes is more than enough of Taylor. He is dragging Yellowstone down in his attempt to build up his other projects, and I and many other fans are getting fed up with it.

Whitney: The 6666 storyline is bringing nothing to the table. Like Jack said, it’s same old, same old with no one respecting Jimmy, and it’s not interesting. It also takes away screentime from the stuff that is actually interesting the season. Taylor and company owning the ranch makes a lot of sense now, though.

Lloyd and Walker had an epic showdown that almost involved John getting dirty but did require Rip to finish it. What are your thought on the story and how it played out?

Julie: This is how you keep cowboys from fighting each other. Create the “nobody wins” situation. Even if you win the battle, you will not win the war. It’s the law of the pack- survival of the fittest. I like the code they live by.

Jack: It was painful to watch that fight! But as Julie says above, this is part of the cowboy code, and I think it was necessary to stop Lloyd from getting any more out of control than he already was when it came to Walker. I liked how John was willing to take the heat for ending the situation, but Rip wouldn’t let him.

Jim: It has been brewing for a while, and their personalities were going to run head-on into each other sooner or later. I think Lloyd actually sees a younger version of himself in Walker, and it pisses him off.

Laramie had Lloyd wrapped around her finger, and when she kicked him to the curb for Walker, it not only humiliated Lloyd, it crushed his ego and made him look small in front of the other ranch hands.

It became a boiling pot, and it was going to explode no matter who did what. Stabbing Walker was pretty darn low, and making an injured Walker fight wasn’t really fair, but in the end, at least Lloyd showed a bit of class by helping Walker to his feet. Hopefully, they both earned each other’s respect.

Whitney: That was such an uncomfortable watch. And I get it on a surface level. If you don’t stop it now, then everything falls apart. But man, it was a brutal fight. Rip stepping in to finish it was sad, but I did like that we saw the aftermath for Rip.

He can sometimes be very robotic, and I like when they allow him to show genuine emotions about the incredibly complicated situations he often finds himself in. The fight ultimately helped kick the bunkhouse girls to the curb.

How would you like to see the bunkhouse rally from here?

Julie: I’m ready to see the bunkhouse shed the animal-house mentality and get back to its roots. I hope we haven’t seen the last of Teeter, though. I think she cowboys with the best of them.

Jack: Agreed! I really like Teeter and hope she stays around the ranch in some capacity. I also want the bunkhouse to become more civilized, for lack of a better word, but I was hoping the girls being kicked out would only be temporary until this situation with Lloyd and Walker was resolved.

Jim: It’s not a prison, so if you’re not going to let girls be in the bunkhouse, there need to be more barroom scenes. As a guy with an ex-wife who was a barrel racer, I can honestly say their interactions brought back some fond memories. I definitely understand the joke of a barrel racer making a week seem like a lifetime.

Whitney: Poor Teeter! She minds her business for the most part, and she’s good at what she does. It’s a shame she had to go simply because she’s a woman. I hope we get to see more of her! 

But it seemed like the necessary move to try and get some semblance of normalcy back into the bunkhouse because Laramie was obviously an issue.

Just after the bunkhouse became no girls allowed, Avery returned in a side story at the Reservation. Were you surprised, and what did you make of Monica’s jealousy?

Julie: Monica doesn’t wear jealousy very well. It’s cute if she’s just jabbing at Kayce for fun, but if she’s legit green with jealousy, she needs to grow up! She’s the one that had the intimate relationship during their split when she almost hooked up with her physical therapist. Monica has no room to be jealous, and I’m kind of tired of her drama.

Jack: I wasn’t happy with Monica’s jealousy. I know she’s been through a lot, but Avery’s interest in Kayce was clearly one-sided. I’d rather that whole thing died with Tate’s comment about Avery being a hot tamale. We didn’t need any more discussion of whether Kayce was into Avery after that.

Jim: Avery’s previous departure was not handled the way it should have been, so it was nice to see her again. But kicking the girls out rules out the possibility of having her join the bunkhouse crew again. That would have definitely fired up the bunkhouse scenes.

Whitney: Monica is insufferable; I’m sorry. And making her jealous was silly because it was very clear that Kayce wasn’t interested like that. I also wish it would have just died at Tate’s comment, but alas, it didn’t.

Monica has had like zero story this year, and the season is barrelling towards its end very quickly. I’m not sure if they just didn’t know what to do with her, or perhaps she’s just a victim of way too many storylines, but she’s really getting the short end of the stick.

Jamie couldn’t man up to hold his birth father responsible. Talk about Garrett’s manipulation and Jamie’s reaction.

Julie: Where do I start?! Garrett is a narcissist! Jamie is completely mind-f@€ked!! That boy has jumped from the frying pan right into the fire! I was completely disappointed in Jamie and found myself screaming at him like Beth does!

I’ll spare you my utterly foul-mouthed, verbally abusive dialog with my TV. Trust me, it was bad! This kind of weak-mindedness is exactly what drives Beth crazy about anybody she meets, but especially Jamie. It’s why John can’t trust him.

And Garrett?! He saw Jamie’s weakness the moment he came sniveling around his old farmhouse the first time. Garrett preys on weakness! I’m holding onto hope that Jamie can save himself and the Dutton Ranch.

Jack: OMG, I was so annoyed with Jamie. I liked that he was showing his Dutton side finally and confronting Garrett, and then he had to cave super easily. UGH! I hope Jamie wakes up before it’s too late.

Jim: Garrett is a manipulator, and Jamie turned into a sniveling coward. It turned my stomach to watch. What a weakling! Jamie is so weak that he needs to constantly be built up and praised. Pitiful! Maybe that proves he isn’t related to the Dutton’s since he has no backbone. I would be happy to take both of them to the train station.

Whitney: Jamie wants to be loved. That’s what everything comes down to with him, I feel. So, while it was frustrating as hell to see him lose his resolve with each passing second that Garrett spoke, it was totally in line with who he is.

Like Jim said, he needs to be built up and praised. He needs to feel worthy. Garrett does that for him, and he falls for it hook, line, and sinker. The only way I see him coming to his sense is when he and John have their long-awaited confrontation, but it may be too little, too late by then.

Did John sleep with Summer? And what did you make of Beth’s reaction to John’s guest?

Julie: I don’t think John slept with Summer. Summer believes men objectify women. I don’t see her jumping into bed with him. John has more self-respect and chivalry than to have sex with her.

I believed him when he said he gave her a shirt to wear while her clothes were washed. That made way more sense. In my opinion, the kiss Summer planted on John had little to do with John at all. That kiss was for Beth!

That cut was deeper than any knife! Beth felt it, and the war is on! I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Summer. I sure hope Beth doesn’t find her walking down the road!

Jack: Yeah, I didn’t think John actually slept with Summer either. I thought John’s story about Summer needing to wash her clothes was legit. And I agree Summer was provoking Beth. It’s ON between these two, and it should be fun.

Jim: I doubt they had sex. That kiss was to elicit a response from Beth, and it did! And anyone that thinks a man and woman can’t sleep in the same bed and not have sex has never been married! Just saying!

John wasn’t trying to seduce her; he was trying to get her to understand that ranchers and farmers care more about the planet than most of the population.

Whitney: I assumed they slept together at first, but John doesn’t have a reason to lie to Beth. I still feel nothing for Summer, but the scenes between her and Beth were gold. And I’m sure this is just the beginning.

Beth promised to eviscerate Jamie at the same time that she teased Rip about a very special horseback ride. Can these dueling sides of her coincide indefinitely?

Julie: This is Beth at her finest. She’s a savage in her work and then open and vulnerable at home. That’s not uncommon behavior for strong women who make hard decisions at work every day. Is it sustainable? I think so.

It’s exhausting as hell to watch, but I don’t think Beth even notices. She loves to be loved by Rip. She’s found this subtle way of transforming vulnerability into a superpower.

Jack: I think this is very realistic as well. Beth allows herself to show a softer side around Rip. He’s probably the only person she really trusts, and it gives her that release from having to be so savage all the time to be more vulnerable and romantic with him.

Jim: I would say she should cut his balls off, but he has already proven that he doesn’t have much anyway. Who remembers Cybil? The woman with multiple personalities. Meet her baby sister Beth.

Whitney: Beth has always had a balance. She’s tough as hell, but she does have a softer side of her that comes out at times, and there are people that she cares about. She just has an interesting way of showing it.

Favorite quote?

Julie: “Actually, God gave me these for free. Looks like he gave me yours, too.” There were a lot of solid zingers in the interactions of Summer and Beth. Hilarious!!

Jack:

Beth: Did you ever hear the phrase, “Every time somethin’ good is trying to happen, somethin’ bad tries to stop it”?
Jamie: I’ve heard it.
Beth: I’m somethin’ bad.

I know that was in the promo, but it was so perfectly Beth, and I loved it so much!

Jim: I won’t repeat the breakfast table conversation, but it was an OH SHIT! That’s F-ing hilarious back and forth.

Whitney: “Dad, if you’re gonna hire a hooker, would you please let me get you a good one?” Beth never fails to deliver.

Anything else you feel merits a shoutout?

Julie: In terms of the storylines, I feel like we’ve got a lot of irons in the fire halfway through the season. Is it possible to wrap these up before the season ends? Or is this in and of itself a clue to what’s going on?

At times the show seems to be pulling it in different directions. Is that on purpose? Are there supposed to be these holes and gaps in the story? I guess we’ll find out soon enough!

Jack: I agree. I feel like there are TOO MANY STORIES. I’m hoping that we’ve at least wrapped up Lloyd vs. Walker (for now) so that it’s one less thing to keep track of.

Jim: I KNOW it’s just a show, and it only mimics reality, sort of, but it really bothers me when writer’s take creative license with legal or medical issues. The preview for next week showed a huge expansion on the property that Jaime illegally leased. What happened to the lawsuits?

What about Rainwater’s pitbull that was going to stop development for years? The writers started all these different storylines and characters and then just acted like it never happened and started another one. This season could have been so much better had they only finished some of them.

Whitney: I still am not digging this season, but I did enjoy more aspects of this episode than not. I’m honestly most interested in what Jamie will do and what will happen when the Dutton’s find out everything. Outside of that, the 6666, anything with Monica, and even the bunkhouse stuff is just not all that intriguing to me.

OK, Yellowstone fanatics. It’s your turn! If you need a refresher to participate, you can watch Yellowstone online. Otherwise, hit the comments below to share your viewpoints with our panel!

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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.

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