There, I said it. I never really liked Kevin Costner much. Even in 'Dances with Wolves' he didn't impress me, even though the movie in itself was beautiful. I don't know what it is, but it is what it is.
So when I first saw Yellowstone being announced, a few years ago, I had no interest in watching it. At all.
So what has changed?
Keep reading, and I will tell you!
And especially for my friend 
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My Encounter with Yellowstone
So it happened one day that the kids were all miraculously asleep at an early enough hour, and it was raining. I didn't feel like doing much on the PC, and thought I'd watch something on Netflix.
But everything I clicked on didn't feel like something I was into at that moment.
And then Yellowstone popped up.
My initial thought was 'Kevin Costner...meh. But I love horses and ranches, and well, I used to tell people I'd retire in Montana or Wyoming one day...Yellowstone covers both those areas. So why not give it a go?"
Yes, I know, my way of thinking is weird sometimes. But it is what it is.
Yellowstone did have great reviews.
So I turned on Yellowstone, and it totally caught me off-guard. I was expecting this sappy family movie type of thing that you see on the Hallmark channel, but I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised! Right from the very first episode there's action. This action really takes off from episode two on, but it only took one episode to have me hooked.
Even Kevin Costner became more likeable to me. However, his daughter Beth (played brilliantly by the English actress Kelly Reilly) is my all time favorite. She seems like the ultimate bitch boss at first, but later the series explains more about her in depth, and you'll understand where all this bitchiness comes from. I absolutely love Beth! She's my new hero.
Then second, I adore Rip. The actor who portrays him is Cole Hauser, who some might know from movies like 'Dazed and Confused', '2 Fast 2 Furious' and some others. However, by god, you will not recognize him in this. I recently watched Dazed and Confused with my son, and I almost fell off my chair. They made him into the ultimate rancher for Yellowstone, and it really suits him.
I am usually not the beard type of gal, but he struck a nerve...
The third character I really love is Beth's brother Cayce. He's just very sweet but with a not so sweet undertone when it comes to the family business. He captured my heart from the very first moment.
Then there are some side-characters that really did an amazing job, and one of them is Jimmy, played by a reasonably unknown actor: Jefferson White. Jimmy is very likeable, and you'll love to see him grow throughout the series. Apparently, the producers of the series loved him so much that they have him cast for another Yellowstone spin-off.
Another good character is Teeter, who is played by Jen Landon. She's also known for her long time role in the soap series 'As the World Turns' but she's also the daughter of no other than Michael Landon. You know, the nice father in Little House on the Prairie. Everyone my age and older has watched that at some stage...She looks just like him!
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Creators John Linson and Taylor Sheridan
Linson is known for Sons of Anarchy. Among others.
Taylor shows up in the series in a minor role, and from the moment I saw him, he looked familiar.
So I did a little search, and turned out that he was in Sons of Anarchy. I already saw a small resemblance to the series, so this confirmed that feeling for me.
But not only that, he is the co-producer and writer of Yellowstone and all its spin-offs.
After a little more digging, I found out that he actually bought the 6666 Ranch or Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, where parts of the series were filmed. This ranch isn't just any ranch!
It stretches over 142,372 acres approximately. This is about 225 square miles and it measures ca. 20 miles by 12 miles source. And it's not even the largest ranch in Texas!
Taylor paid a whopping 320 million for the ranch, and it was the first time it was for sale ever, since it was family owned for 150 years. Sheridan had some investors, and he made the spin-offs just for the purpose of pumping some extra cash into his venture. 320 million isn't nothing!
And now I have a visit to the 6666 ranch on my bucket list!
Anyway, to me, Sheridan is an absolute genius. He did an amazing job with Yellowstone.
So much so, that I started looking for any of his other work, and watched most of it already.
Another one he did was Tulsa with Sylvester Stallone, which is also a gem.
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Conclusion on Yellowstone and co.
After I was done with all of its 5 seasons, with the second, and final part, of season 5 set to come out in November (I can't wait!), I needed more. So I found the two spin-offs and started watching those too. I will write more about those in another post or two. But I can say that they're definitely worth it as well.
I binge watched Yellowstone, doing 2 to 3 episodes every night, sometimes more.
It truly has everything, and I think it's suitable for about anyone, as long as they're adult viewers, or close. I wouldn't watch it with my 10 year old, but I'd watch it with the teens if I can get them to...
When I say 'everything', I totally mean everything.
It has romance, but not too much, and not too sappy.
It has action, and a lot of it.
It has drama, but again: not too much.
It has history. Even though it's fictional, and of course, overly Hollywood'ed, you can almost step in the shoes of the ranchers that keep it all together, no matter what.
It has crime, thrills, and deceit. It truly has it all. And I am not exaggerating.
And for the first time in a long time, it's a series that takes care of all the wokeness that's been going on lately, in movies and in TV. It's having none of that. Which makes me believe that Sheridan is on the right side of things...At least, I want to believe that.
He emphasizes on the importance of these ranchers. Sure, some of them might be the mass producing kind, locking their cattle into small spaces, but not these guys.
I'd buy a cow from them if I could haha.
Aside from all that, the series shows a great amount of beautiful scenery. And if you love horses and nature, and just a damn good story, then this is also for you.
Personally, I have always dreamed of living on a ranch like it. Maybe not that huge, but a ranch with horses and some cows and chickens. So this series just ticked all the boxes for me.
It's exciting, and just plain wonderful. It's been a while since I've gotten so involved in a series on a deeper level. The last time was Breaking Bad and TWD. I even shed a tear or two, but was amazed and shocked at other times.
Give it a go, you won't regret it.
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