“The writing is so bad that I expect the show to just be canceled”: Taylor Sheridan Has an Impossible Task to Redeem His Two Best Characters Who Have Been Wasted Away

A lot of the commentary surrounding Yellowstone stems from Taylor Sheridan’s inability to set his story straight. After establishing a timeless tale about cowboys, ranchers, Native Americans, and family drama, Sheridan simply doomed his brainchild to a lackluster fate by failing to keep up his game.

Now, 6 years later, the cowboy drama struggles under its own overbearing weight while Taylor Sheridan returns from his excursion to Kingstown, 1883, 1923, Special Ops, Bass Reeves, and more to finally give Yellowstone the send-off it deserves.

Taylor Sheridan’s Final Vision for Yellowstone

While Taylor Sheridan was never one to drag his feet when it came to speaking his mind — be it in interviews or on script — Yellowstone gets somewhat muddied after getting caught in the politics of a studio system and the untameable ambition of the newly established, Oscar-nominated, and successful writer-director.

In truth, however, one cannot hold Sheridan at fault for chasing his hunger for telling stories. His imagination ran faster than a studio production and as a result, Sheridan did what he does best — write a new story. Paramount had given him that platform and the liberty to pursue his ambition; Yellowstone was unfortunate enough to get left behind as collateral.

However, the volatile situation that arose as a result of the Yellowstone creator’s long absence left the entire project to fall rudderless at the helm. The entire series has been riddled with gargantuan plotholes and irredeemable storylines that can only be the product of lazy writing.

Moreover, Kevin Costner took his leave after waiting for 14 months without a script or a finalized filming schedule. Without either of the patriarchs to oversee the production, Yellowstone flails aimlessly as Taylor Sheridan rushes back to contain the chaos and steer his series back on track for its final season.

The Yellowstone Finale Conundrum

After an exponential acceleration of hatred and violence between the two leading Duttons on the show, namely Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jaime (Wes Bentley), Yellowstone faces a difficult road ahead. Taylor Sheridan now needs to not only bring the series to an end but also establish a proper closure for the drama between the siblings.

Given that there are only 8 episodes left for the series to end, no amount of redemptive revenge storyline can forgive the characters nor accept the consequences of their actions. One faction is bound to be left upset by whichever party Sheridan decides to save.

As elaborated by a Reddit user, carterwest36:

Beth isn’t the reason we’re waiting for the show to die, the Kevin Costner drama and Taylor Sheridan’s inability to create a good story is making us wait for the show to die. He’s succesfully made Beth and Jamie the most boring repetetive characters on the show and the plot holes have ruined any possibility for the story to go anywhere at this point.

Jamie knew what he was doing to his little sister and went through with it. Beth is who she is because of it… Jamie created a monster and now has become a monster but the writing is so bad that I expect the show to just be cancelled. Kevin is also done with it.

For now, however, the audiences look most determined to follow Cole Hauser’s Rip to the end of the line. He is the only character who portrays an unfettered devotion to the Yellowstone patriarch and is the only strong-willed character who exhibits no primordial urge for revenge or propriety.

In simpler terms, Rip’s arc remains the only acceptable storyline in Yellowstone and if Taylor Sheridan is to make his audience happy, then Rip is the way to go about the Yellowstone finale without nuking it on a Game of Thrones Season 8 level.

Yellowstone is available to stream on Peacock with its Season 5, Part 2 premiering exclusively on Paramount+ in November 2024.