Taylor Sheridan’s growing universe has life or death on the menu in both Yellowstone and 1923, and fans are still reeling from Sunday’s debut of new episodes for both Dutton dramas. As John Dutton took an oath and became Governor of Montana, he changed the trajectory of life for everyone in his family, and the ironic thing is: he did it all for them. To help save his family and keep their name intact, John knew what his next move had to be, and as we’ve said before, it put a larger target on his back than ever before.
Of course, Sheridan isn’t just writing great drama for the Duttons of today; he’s also throwing in a slew of it in 1923. From hyenas and packs of lions to gunfights and the determination of a strong woman — the latest episode of the Yellowstone prequel brought fans to tears on more than one occasion. It also puts a spotlight on love and all of the ways it changes us at a fundamental level. What exactly are we talking about with that one? You know the drill from here: grab your Yellowstone-loving bestie and your drink of choice, and let’s ride in.
Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly dish on the greatest Dutton love story
Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly sat down for a featurette on season five of everyone’s favorite cowboy drama, and the highlights of their time on the series have been working and growing with one another. Their love affair on screen is only made better by their bond behind the scenes, and it’s based on respect and admiration for one another.
In the video, both Hauser and Reilly share a profound adoration for one another, for a good reason; they’ve grown a lot together in five seasons of ups and downs, tragedy and triumph. Hauser says one of the best things about season five is Beth and Rip, and fans agree.
“One of the things I love about this season is that we, you know, had some really beautiful moments about not only friendship but love and honesty. I take away from season five about how Beth and Rip and Kelly and Cole have navigated those waters.”
Navigating the waters has been a blessing and sometimes a heartbreaking scenario for the love birds as they dive deep into a love story so beautiful that Shakespeare himself would have written sonnets about them. Trust us, we’re sure of it. Reilly says it’s a treat to look back at their history as season five progresses.
“Whats lovely is in going back, we understand more of them as we play them because we go back deeper into their history. In season five, there is stuff that’s being revealed that we didn’t know about back from when they were teenagers. So we’re discovering all the time things about them.”
Learning more about Rip and Beth is a gift for fans, too. There are few television couples that we’d root for as much as we do this one.
1923 isn’t afraid to put death directly on the menu
1923 is the prequel to Yellowstone that highlights the story of Jacob and Cara Dutton, patriarch and matriarch of the family, as they struggle with everything from an early depression to lawlessness and advances in technology that seem so out of reach that they’re almost impossible to comprehend. In the most recent episode, we see Cara and Jacob chatting about that very idea, as she seems appalled that they’re selling razors to women now. We also see the group as they walk through town and see a man selling electricity and several items that would make life easier, including a refrigerator.
In addition to several scenes which showed everything advancing around the Duttons, we also saw one of the most heartbreaking truths that this life has to offer: the fact that despite any and all advances the world can offer, we’re still vulnerable to injury and death.
So as the Duttons made their way back to camp from their visit to town, they were ambushed by several men led by Banner Creighton. Creighton had already crossed paths with some of the Duttons when they discovered his sheep grazing on their land. While the conflict could have been over with a conversation, we’re watching a television drama. So Creighton and his men shot at the Dutton family, wounding Jack in episode one. Jacob decided to hang Creighton and his men to show others that you don’t cross the Duttons and walk away from it, but the bullheaded sheepherder knew how to survive the hanging, and he surprised the Duttons in the third episode.
In a shocking turn of events, gunfire opens up as the Duttons travel home, and Creighton leads the charge. With more manpower on their side, the bad guys seem to be winning this fight, but the hands of the Duttons soon hear the gunfire and run to help. Several lives are lost, but the survivors clinging to a life shocked fans most of all, and the one heartbreaking death from team Dutton.
John Dutton passed away in the battle with an injury directly to his head, losing his life while lying next to Jacob. The family patriarch is clinging to life as 1923 ends, suffering several gunshots and not sure he’ll make it out alive. Cara hopes her husband has years left in his life, but it’s not looking good for the home team as the episode draws to a close.
In addition to their injuries, Jack and his fiancée Elizabeth are both wounded, and our hearts are breaking at their young love affair, possibly having an early expiration date. Their injuries aren’t nearly as severe as that of Jacob, but it’s worrisome nonetheless. As we said before, 1923 isn’t sparing any lives as the series continues. With only three episodes under our belt and several life-or-death circumstances arising thus far, we’re going into the next episodes with a sense of nervous energy.
Bryan Geraghty spills secrets from cowboy camp
Brian Geraghty is Zane Davis in Yellowstone‘s prequel, 1923, and he’s a hardworking ranch hand and Jacob Dutton’s right-hand man. He bravely ran to battle when he heard gunfire near the trail the Dutton family was traveling, and he’d sacrifice himself for the family without even being asked. So how did Geraghty prepare for a role with stakes as high as they were in 1923?
Speaking to People, he talked a bit about Taylor Sheridan’s cowboy camp, which guides the new hires in the Dutton universe through the ins and outs of the cowboy lifestyle. Geraghty says it was a cathartic experience, bonding over so many things before the series even began shooting.
“So we got to have highs and lows together before we started, which actually was really good for bonding. We would all be terrible, and then the next day progress. We all got to be vulnerable. As adults, it’s not easy to learn a new skill.”
Learning new skills might not have been easy, but it paid off well. The Duttons, their hired hands, and everyone in the Yellowstone universe look effortlessly poised and ready for battle as they ride through whatever challenges they face. We’d love to be a fly on the wall at cowboy camp, but we’ll take these pieces of insight from the cast and crew as they share them.