Taylor Sheridan might have reinvigorated Western TV via Yellowstone but even he isn’t infallible, as impeccable as his craft may be.
The drama didn’t take long to be crowned as one of the leading American shows with the riveting themes of power and justice coalescing to strike the immaculate blend of an authentic yet modern-day Western drama. But that’s not to say that Sheridan’s writing is flawless.
While the first four seasons did pretty well amongst audiences, the same can’t be said for the fifth entry in the series. Meanwhile, an episode from one of its more popular seasons was recently picked apart and bashed for its ludicrousness on social media. And frankly, it’s well-warranted.
Taylor Sheridan Penned A Rather Ridiculous Yellowstone Scene
Season 3 of Yellowstone managed to land a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and yet it’s quite unbelievable that this scene belongs to the same season that is hailed by critics and fans alike.
To many viewers, the very first episode of the otherwise soaring season – wherein Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) set off on a diatribe because her university students were using cell phones (like any other normal person) – appeared hilarious but uncalled-for. It doesn’t help that her sanctimonious rant and hypocritical attitude continued to be in stark contrast to the situation.
Fans on Reddit launched a full dissection followed by a discussion of both the character and the scene, and the only viable conclusion is that even Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan‘s writing isn’t spotless. “That scene was so stupid lmao,” one user responded on the Yellowstone subreddit. “The need better character development for her,” another viewer wrote, deeming the scene “self-righteous.”
Someone even suggested that Sheridan could’ve written this rather outlandish scene as a way of letting off steam after possibly being “ignored” by someone who may as well have been on their phone. In any case, this was certainly not his proudest moment at work.
The One Yellowstone Character That Ends Up Getting On Fans’ Nerves
If there are any missed opportunities in the Kevin Costner-led neo-Western drama, it’s got to be Monica Dutton, perhaps the least liked character on the show depicted by Pair of Kings star Kelsey Asbille.
More often than not, viewers have found themselves losing patience when it comes to Monica, as is conspicuous from the aforementioned Reddit instance. The writing of her character has frequently come off as fragmented and inconsistent and her contradictory actions are seldom in line with her words.
Monica is the only Native American within the clan and the supposed moral compass of the show but never quite lives up to the latter, and five seasons are hard evidence of the same. For someone who seemingly despises the Dutton name so vehemently, Monica always makes sure to weaponize it to her advantage as and when she deems fit. And that’s just one of the reasons why she’s such an unlikeable character.
Consequentially, this says more about Sheridan’s writing than anything else and one can only hope there’s at least a modicum of character development in the cards for Monica.