Yellowstone is unquestionably one of the most significant releases of the 21st century in the Western genre. The show’s sprawling story of

rural Montana ranchers, set against the spectacular backdrop of North America’s most famous national park, goes a long way to delivering

on co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s initial pitch of remaking The Godfather in a contemporary Western setting.

 

 

The best episodes of Yellowstone are masterpieces of the neo-Western genre. On the flipside, the series delivers its fair share of cartoonish storylines, gratuitous scenes, and highly questionable perspectives on women and Native Americans. What’s more, rewatching it draws our attention to some harsh realities within the story of the show that we might well have missed in previous viewings.

 

 

OTTYellowstone Rewatch: 9 Harsh Realities You May Have MissedPublished 3 hours agoon 12th September 2025By SKJ Reporter

This article contains references to graphic and sexual violence.

Yellowstone is unquestionably one of the most significant releases of the 21st century in the Western genre. The show’s sprawling story of rural Montana ranchers, set against the spectacular backdrop of North America’s most famous national park, goes a long way to delivering on co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s initial pitch of remaking The Godfather in a contemporary Western setting.

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Yet, it’s far from perfect. In fact, Yellowstone is arguably the worst show in its own franchise, given the critical acclaim garnered by its beautifully rendered spinoff prequel series, 1883 and 1923. The main show might have more swagger about it, but there are plenty of bones to pick out of its occasionally wayward plotting and frequently uneven characterizations.

The best episodes of Yellowstone are masterpieces of the neo-Western genre. On the flipside, the series delivers its fair share of cartoonish storylines, gratuitous scenes, and highly questionable perspectives on women and Native Americans. What’s more, rewatching it draws our attention to some harsh realities within the story of the show that we might well have missed in previous viewings.

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The Plot Holes In Yellowstone Are Gaping
Dan Jenkins looking out his office window in Bozeman Yellowstone
At its most engrossing, Yellowstone’s plot is not just structurally sound but expertly crafted. On the other hand, there are moments in the series when major plot holes threaten to undermine its overall credibility. These plot holes are ultimately too many to count, but are laughably bad in the most glaring cases.

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Take the resurrection of Dan Jenkins following his apparent death in Yellowstone season 1, for instance, or the unexploded bomb on the Beck brothers’ plane that’s never mentioned again. There’s also the murder of reporter Sarah Nguyen by Jamie Dutton, which is conveniently ruled a kayaking accident without a proper explanation.

The Duttons manage to forget that they have dinosaur bones buried on ranch land, too, and Rip Wheeler is somehow able to get married and to drive across state lines repeatedly without there being any documented record of his existence. Meanwhile, entire character arcs disappear without warning in later seasons of Yellowstone, as we’ll return to below.