Rip is the best.
Warning: This post contains spoilers from the first four seasons ofYellowstone.
There was a moment when I knew I was a goner.
Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, and Kevin Costner on ‘Yellowstone’.
(Sorry, Jacob.)
And that’s when I accepted my fate: I was hooked onYellowstone.
If I’m being honest, I really didn’t want to likeYellowstone.
Cole Hauser and Kevin Costner on ‘Yellowstone’.Emerson Miller/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
I remember, years ago, hearing about a scripted western on Paramount connection and having absolutely no interest.
And when the show really blew up, I fully turned my back.
Often, when something gets really popular, I want to watch it less.
Ian Bohen, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Kevin Costner on ‘Yellowstone’.Cam McLeod/Paramount Network
And the real kiss of death?
My father told me to watch it.
I love my dad, but he’s also been telling me to watchThe Blacklistfor years.
So, I had writtenYellowstoneoff.
Until recently, when I started a couple of new binges that struggled to keep my attention.
After multiple failed binges, I was desperate.
I put on theYellowstonepilot.
And man, what a journey that has been.
For those of you who don’t know,Yellowstonefollows the Dutton family.
Like, a lot of people.
First things first, I cannot believe how this show starts.
In the first 30 seconds you watch Kevin Costner shoot an injured horse.
In the first 30 seconds!
It’s a bold choice, and it’s one I will always hate.
That was not a way to pull me into the story.
That scene rooted everything else that happened in that pilot, particularly how it was all going to end.
It was that familial element of the show that made me keep watching.
Good luck following these.
He doesn’t immediately come across as a good guy!
If you’re in trouble, you want Rip on your side.
He would never, ever betray John, which is more than I can say about literally anyone else.
He’s also just cool.
Rip is the heart ofYellowstone.
He keeps that ranch running, and that character keeps the show running.
His romance with Beth is the thing that grounds what would otherwise be a far too over-the-top character.
And his friendship with Lloyd (Forrie J. I would watch that all day, every day.
But that’s not to say I didn’t have thoughts on other characters.
Get ready for some more notes from my phone!
“I’d rather kill 1,000 men than shoot another horse.”
I STAN RIP.Tim Riggins would NEVER!!!
(I know it’s Terrell Riggins, but come on.
I’m not saying this is the best show on television, but I’m saying I get it.
It’s a heck of a lot of fun.
The kind that will keep you up watching until 2 a.m. (At least until the cowboys are all somehow SWAT-trained professionals, but whatever, I love it!)
All in all, I’ll say seasons 2 and 3 are my favorite so far.
So yeah, I get it.
I guess I should’ve listened to my dad.
(But I’m still not watchingThe Blacklist.)
