User Reviews

Episode 1 had its moments, but was a bit confusing, too.

Elsa filled in the just enough backstory to bridge the 40 year gap from 1883. Excellent - no need to wonder why Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have been replaced by Harrison Ford and Helen Miram.

On the other hand, one might need the IMDB cast list to figure out things like which gray beard is the grown-up version of 1883's cute little John Dutton, whether Zane is a Dutton or just a top hand, or if any of these guys' wives have actual names. (I wasn't actually sure we had met adult John yet until the second viewing of the episode.)

Then there's Spencer, Margaret & James' son who was briefly introduced in a short scene in a Season 4 episode of Yellowstone. Since he's not called by name until THE END of the episode, I spent half the episode thinking the nameless hot guy (who clearly had to be a Dutton) was one of Margaret & James' GRANDKIDS.

When you look back at photographs in your family album including the Sepia toned /Black and White which were like portraits, you wonder about your heritage where your family started and their lives... This series has the promise of a family that has suffered, lived ,survived, and persevered, excellent writing, and stellar cast.

No punches pulled here, I imagine this series will develop into a saga that will underpin the Yellowstone success, unlike the popular but successful Horse Whisperer movie which took the easy way out at its conclusion,but nothing like the book which was also excellent.

Taylor Sheridan hopefully will remain consistent with his characterisatons.

Episodes 1&2 portray the treatment of Native American females at a Catholic run School Where a ruler is not used for measurement alone, this corporal punishment dragged on well into the late fifties On this side of the Atlantic,speaking from personal experience,it still makes me angry, you can forgive but never forget.

Episodes 3 to 5.......read "Desiderata"...if you can find a copy,BTW it didn't get found in a church in Baltimore!, it was written by a journalist of that late 1920's period,and hippys adopted it in the late sixties and 70's.... Episode 6 A Titanic moment...uncompromising and harsh ,very emotional, all the cast have wonderful lines to act out, and cinematic both on land and sea...par excellence.

Episode 7..... I think this season is just getting started for the next season,unremitting brutality, sadism and just fanatical nasty people purporting to be the arbiters of Law and faith, name any Ruling Class in power this century stuck in a 12th century idealology.

Episode 8.....more of the above, quote " getting Old Sucks" sic. Danny De Vito.. all about the industrialists and moneymakers, politics of that time, miscgenation outlawed in Montana ( called Mixed Marriages over in the UK, more personal experience there) Social Rules, Mores and Draconian Laws of the period.

The Moral ! And yet here we are in the "21st Century , if things don't alter, they'll remain the same... Whoopy Do!" Family values must overide to keep humanity on an even keel, sic. "Money doesn't talk it swears,obscenity who really cares, propaganda all is phony" Bob Dylan got it right on the nail.

" Sorry ! I was a flower power hippy child back in the sixties."

Watching this in Canada I have to say that Paramount+ should seriously consider adding a warning to the episode. The scenes of the indigenous abuse at the religious school was hard to watch. Some viewers may be triggered by the brutality depicted in this episode. Hearing stories in Canada from actual residential school survivors and seeing what was shown was pretty accurate.

The episode itself was a good start and has me interested to see where they go with this series. I started with 1883 and have not yet seen Yellowstone. I very much enjoyed the performances of both Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, they are the primary draw here for me.

This is gonna be a great series! It's like a Montana Mafia! Family's in conflict! But! It's about as realistic as a 60's western series! Calling young mares (fillies) a "colt"? That's just lame! Why must they call every horse being broke or being born a "colt"? A colt is a young stallion, a male horse! Speaking of breaking horses, why the spurs? We don't spur young horses in training. And why make the horse buck? Or even allow it to buck while green breaking it?

Ok, so it's not very realistic and most the guys on horses can't ride for shjt. So what! It's good drama and there's gonna be killing! Who's excited about the cowboys shooting it out with the sheepsters?

As someone who is not a Star Wars fan I have admittedly missed a lot of Harrison Ford's career, but he did an okay job in this rare TV role for him and seems to embrace a lot of the Dutton mannerisms that we know from Yellowstone every week on Paramount.

Helen Mirren does a stronger job as the female lead though and brings a lot of old school movie feelings to her character.

They threw a lot of stuff at us in this first episode, and that is probably my biggest concern and perhaps criticism. We had a safari hunt, we had a strict Catholic school and we had battles over cattle. Talk about a wide variety of topics for a pilot.

I'm happy that Elsa is continuing to be the narrator of this show.

I've read reviews of the show about people giving it 1 star because of Harrison Ford and his political thoughts. Fine if you don't like him but it's stupid to rate shows based on his political views and not his acting. In this so far, I have liked him. And Helen Miren is always fantastic.

This prequel has potential, obviously. But I needed a bit more on a first episode. There are some brief background tid bits but I needed more. Maybe I'm too dumb but I need more direct info. The kid getting married calls Harrison Ford uncle but it's great uncle which confused me. Why is Spencer in Africa? What's up with the Catholic school? Why is this girl that's about to get married both the daughter of a rancher and then says she doesn't know the life but she will learn it? We see John and his wife with no real introduction at all.

It just seemed a bit sloppy but knowing Taylor Sheridan there is a reason for that and it'll all get tied together.