Yellowstone is all about drama so sharp it could cut Beth Dutton’s attitude, but even Kelly Reilly had to take a step back with one particular scene. Taylor Sheridan’s obsession with delivering that jaw-dropping cliffhanger left her (and honestly, fans) fearing the worst.
Before the messy “5B” era even hit, this scene marked the beginning of a downhill spiral for Yellowstone. Turns out, not every cliffhanger is worth the hype. Sometimes, it’s just the first stumble before a creative nosedive.
Beth’s office explosion: The moment Yellowstone fans started questioning Taylor Sheridan’s moves
Blowing up Beth Dutton’s office to end Yellowstone Season 3? Not exactly the stuff of legends. The explosion was pure chaos, setting up a massive cliffhanger, but the big payoff was of a dud.
Beth survived. Of course, she did. Yes, there were burns and scars, but the fact that every single Dutton made it out alive — yeah, fans weren’t buying it. Even Kelly Reilly thought her time was up and straight-up asked if this was her exit. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
Turns out, Taylor Sheridan just wanted everyone to think the Dutton clan was toast. She alluded (via Elle):
When I got the script for the explosion, of course, I asked [Sheridan] the question: ‘Is she going to make it? Are you trying to tell me something?’ I think every actor thinks they’re going to get fired. Everybody always thinks it’s their last shot at it, and they’ll never work again.
But, no, everyone was very honest from the get-go, saying, ‘No, no, no. Taylor just wanted everyone to think that they all died. He wanted that cliffhanger moment.
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But here’s the thing: when Season 4 rolled around, the stakes felt paper-thin. After months of hype, it was just business as usual for the Duttons. Beth came back swinging, angrier and more vengeful than ever, plotting her family’s revenge. It was cool for a bit, but let’s be real, this was where things started to feel shaky.
Sheridan’s writing started leaning more into shock value than substance.
By the time Season 5 rolled around, you could trace the cracks all the way back to this moment. The explosion was supposed to be a game-changer. Instead, it became the moment fans realized Yellowstone was losing its spark. Cliffhangers are great, but not when they leave you hanging for nothing.
From epic to erratic: Fans slam Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe
Yellowstone had fans hooked, but by the time 1883 and 1923 came along, things started falling apart. Let’s just say, fans weren’t impressed with Taylor Sheridan’s writing. Plotlines clashed, timelines got messy, and the man seemed to rewrite his own rules.
Sheridan tried to pull off a “perspective matters” vibe, but fans thought it flopped. Character backstories shifted like quicksand, and past events suddenly didn’t add up.
What started as an epic universe turned into a storytelling tangle. Fans weren’t shy about pointing fingers, saying the Dutton dynasty deserved to way better than this whirlwind of confusion.