Here is one very pissed off Yellowstone viewer: Me

I turned the volume up high to keep me out of a coma...

So they kicked off Season 5 with a 2-hour episode. I turned the volume up high for 2 hours to keep me out of a coma.

It was so bad I ended up reminding myself that Kevin Costner supported Obama, Biden, and Liz Cheney in real life. Maybe that explains something.

A few aimless and irrelevant plot lines: pregnant wife loses baby—who cares—saw it a 1000 times on Young and Restless); flashback to explain why/how daughter is the way she is, and it doesn’t explain; land developer brings in yet another well-heeled sociopath to take down Costner—yawn; and Costner, as the new governor of Montana, makes a few emotionless moves to save his ranch. Maybe HE’S fighting off a coma.

Is the show trying to self-destruct?

Costner’s public statements as governor land like stale eggs on a plastic COVID-19 plate at a diner in the middle of nowhere at 3AM.

Well, naturally. He doesn’t want to be governor. He hates speaking in public. His character is reticent to begin with.

And that giant black cowboy hat they have him wearing makes him look like a cartoon doofus. Lose the fucking hat.

One of his sons is clearly plotting to take him down, if he has the balls. Another son is recovering from his ten-cent vision quest, during which he might have lost part of his mind.

His daughter, formerly the massively interesting destroyer of fake woke culture, now seems to be mimicking herself. She’s obviously tired. Possibly, yes, on the verge of a coma.

The whole fantastic story line of a family fighting to save THEIR LAND—which gives meaning to the whole show—is turning into a prop for selling merch during commercial breaks.

Last night’s episode spent a bit of time explaining why Costner, who rose to the post of governor to hold on to his ranch, can’t really get there from where he is now, because the political/legal system is so very complicated. Really? That’s the takeaway? No one could have told him this BEFORE he ran for office?

I’m working on several theories to explain the collapse of the show. One is: the producers don’t know how to handle success. Because they’re now sitting pretty, they’re backing away from the all-out crazy-ass spirit that got them there.

Success is just Phase One. The war doesn’t end there.

They had an idea: one man and his land against the forces of evil. An American story.

They brought in all the evil they could think of: giant land developer; relentless Indian casino owner who really wanted to take back all the land for his people; government bureaucrats; clueless environmentalists…

That’s five seasons right there. Ten seasons. Forever.

Keep it direct.

Forget the soap opera.