Love her or hate her on the Paramount Network’s hit neo-Western “Yellowstone,” Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton is one character about whom long-time fans will have an opinion, especially as Season 5 saddles up and hits the trail. A central figure in the series, Beth is a whip-smart businesswoman and a major asset to the family … well, to some of the family. She’s also a sister who’s fine with blackmailing her brother (Wes Bentley) into killing someone if it gets her what she wants. And there was that time she kidnapped a priest at gunpoint. But first and foremost, Beth is a ferociously devoted daughter to father John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and a force of nature when it comes to backing up her family in their ongoing struggle to hold onto their sprawling ranch-cum-fiefdom in Montana.
As the largest spread in the state, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, aka “the Yellowstone,” would seem to be entirely too big to fail on a number of levels. But that is far from the case on the show, as Beth and the rest of the Dutton clan face an onslaught of issues generated by local and state politicians, rapacious land developers, and others eager to see the giant ranch and its owners cut down to size. With this said about Beth’s feisty, take-no-prisoners character, it’s no surprise fans are more than ready to spill their feelings about this series regular in Season 5 of “Yellowstone.”
Yellowstone’s Beth seems to be rubbing some fans the wrong way in Season 5
Clearly a confident, strong-willed woman, Beth is a persona who immediately makes an impression as a don’t-mess-with-me character from the very first episode of “Yellowstone.” By Episode 1 of Season 5, her father John is sworn in as governor of Montana and, in his first official act, the politician-hating patriarch surprises virtually no one when fires all the hold-overs in the governor’s mansion and makes Beth second-in-command as his new chief of staff. More or less salivating at the power implicit in her new position, Beth is only too happy to oblige John in going after the family’s enemies using any and all methods available.
Apparently, Beth’s cut-throat, Machiavellian power-play instincts have some fans less than enamored of this particular Dutton. Posting on the show’s subreddit in a live chat discussing the first episode of “Yellowstone” Season 5, user u/Medical_Distance_722 wrote, “I can’t root for beth anymore.” Redditor u/cowtown45 agrees and feels the scriptwriters are to blame, posting, “This show is getting stupid. Beth is becoming really unwatchable. The writers are def lacking this season.” And for user u/Humbletoast09, the Dutton daughter is more than a little annoying as the show’s latest season gets going, prompting them to plead, “Someone put Beth in timeout.”
As Season 5 has just kicked off, there’s still plenty of time for Beth to undergo some character development, but if four seasons of stubbornness have taught “Yellowstone” viewers anything, it’s that when it comes to Beth Dutton fans shouldn’t hold their breath.
