Yellowstone

If it wasn’t for a visit from a relative who is a Costner fan, I never would have watched this, since I don’t usually watch TV series. And that would have been a shame. It’s not a Western in the true sense of the word; it just takes place on a contemporary ranch where horses are ridden and everyone wears hats. The high quality of the screenwriting becomes apparent already in the excellent, intriguingly open-ended pilot, and subsequent episodes are then divided into those where politics and large-scale machinations are addressed (three stars from me) and those dealing with the residents of the ranch – why they are what they are and why their relationships with each other look the way they look (four stars from me). Each character is perfectly written, cast and portrayed and fits into the complex collective constellation, facing one tragic blow of fate after another. And the theme song is pure perfection. Even the music motif from Eastwood’s Unforgiven, which kicks off the sixth episode of the first season, has its place here. Yellowstone is anything but a romantic tale set in a beautiful landscape with Costner. The people here murder, f*ck, steal and cheat. In short, everything the audience craves. (26.11.2019)

“I don’t regret one sin I’ve committed.” A neo-western Dallas with the ever-charismatic Kevin Costner in an Underwood-like role as an opportunistic douchebag, the "godfather" of the Dutton clan in Montana, where according to them "my land, my rules, and even if it's not my land, my rules still apply no matter how much the neighbours and the state don't like it". He is the kind of amoral, principled figure who does not hesitate to go over dead bodies – figuratively and literally – in the name of his own interests. From the beginning it fits into the line of shows like House of Cards, Boss, Succession, Billions, etc, but those are mostly focused on high politics or big city business, not on prairie landowners and their squabbles with reservations, silt, modern times, and cattle. Sheridan can make raggedy, small-talking characters replete with harsh landscapes (doubly true of the supporting duo John Dutton and Thomas Rainwater), and there can hardly be any doubt than he can create tension based on the actions of flawed characters. It's well acted by all, has a likeably slow (not to be confused with boring) pace, and so the only problem is that the two main storylines (the political backstabbing with neighbors, city council, police, reservation, well, just about everyone, and the personal "what it's like to live and do business in a rough landscape") are strictly separated by lines and episodes, and that there are maybe too many characters trying to follow too many lines. And unfortunately, not all of the directors fully understood the central and essential role of Montana's landscape and nature, full of endless stretches of rolling pastures and snow-capped mountains on the horizon. Some understand that this is one of the main characters, and they know how to sell it properly. Others, however, seem to have missed it. The result is a series with tremendous potential, especially if the creators realize that it must be one cohesive whole and not a patchwork of brilliant sub-elements. | S1: 3/5 | S2: 3/5 | (23.11.2020)

Game of Thrones of the Wild West, mixed with the best of Dallas. A neo-western that actually has almost everything: great family drama, political scheming, wit, charm, and of course an emphasis on the cowboy lifestyle, portrayed in a just-right entertaining yet information-rich way, where the viewer gets a peek under the hood of this complex microcosm with its own rules while getting a taste of the idyllic flavour of untamed nature. The peak is on the cusp of seasons two and three, when the whole thing takes off like a runaway train, but even though the latter episodes slow down considerably and instead of a rich plot it's more like a Marlboro commercial, it's still easily the most likeable western world in a long time. I'd venture to consider Costner and Hauser as absolute gods on whom this stands and falls, regardless of how the ending turn out in the fifth season. (05.11.2023)