‘Yellowstone’: Best Moments So Far

Yellowstone has quickly become one of cable’s top dramas in just a matter of a few episodes.

The cinematic-quality series stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, a wealthy rancher who rules over the largest ranch in the United States. Along for the ride are his children, Kayce (Luke Grimes), Beth (Kelly Reilly), Jamie (Wes Bentley) and Lee (Dave Annable).

They all have vastly different lifestyles, with Kayce living on a reservation with his wife and child and Jamie becoming a hot-shot lawyer, for example.

All of them converge as the Dutton legacy and land are threatened by the neighboring Native American reservation, real estate developers and other outside forces.

The show, which has already been renewed for season 2, is just part of the way through season 1, but it has already racked up plenty of memorable moments.

Scroll through to see the best moment of Yellowstone so far.

Opening Scene

The first scene of Yellowstone lets audiences know this will not be an easygoing look at life in rural Montana.

A bloodied John stands amongst the wreckage of a vehicle collision, with the other driver dead and a horse trapped with a devastating leg injury. John comforts the animal before shooting it in the head to end its misery.

Officers soon respond to the scene, and Yellowstone is off to a roaring start.

Beth’s Introduction

While Beth’s story has taken many twists and turns in the first batch of episodes, her opening is a gripping portrait of a ruthless negotiator.

She enters a board room in Salt Lake City, Utah, and quickly eviscerates a targeted acquisition for her company. She outlines exactly how the opposing owner’s life will be ruined by her with days of him rejecting her offer, and she successfully makes him cave.

The Standoff

Episode 1, entitled “Daybreak,” ends with a fast and furious shootout between the Duttons’ ranch hands and reservation police and citizens.

This dispute, which centers around cattle who wander onto the reservation, ends with a surprise death of a Dutton family member with Kayce quickly and viciously killing the assailant.

Stump Explosion

One of the most fun and explosive moments comes as Kayce attempts to the do some yard work in episode 2, entitled “Kill the Messenger.”

His small tractor rams into a stump, flipping it onto its side. The cowboy is furious at the situation and decides to deal with the stump the best way he can think of: blowing it up.

After rigging it with explosive liquid, he fires his handgun, and the stump is effectively destroyed. His son Tate (Brecken Merrill), is delighted, but his wife, Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille), is taken by surprise, as she was showering at the time.

To top that off, the family finds a fossil hidden under the stump’s former location, adding another intriguing layer to the Montana setting.

Beth’s Trough Bath

Episode 2 also provides a provocative scene centered around Beth.

Without warning, Beth marches outside with two bottles of champagne, drops her bathrobe and takes a dip in a water trough directly in front of the family’s ranch hands.

Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) attempts to get her to cover up, but she defiantly marches back indoors completely nude.

Meth Lab Explosion

Trouble just seems to follow Kayce wherever he goes.

As he and Monica are driving down a dirt road, they pass a trailer which subsequently explodes.

Kayce investigates the explosion, which was caused by a meth lab, and find a man alive with severe burns. The man asks to be killed due to the overwhelming pain. After discovering an ambulance was 45 minutes away, Kayce grants the man’s wishes and shoots him in the head.

The Fight

Episode 4, entitled “The Long Black Train,” includes some big plot moments, but a smaller, violent scene is a standout.

Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) becomes fed up with bullying from a ranch hand, and starts to fight him. The ranch hand quickly knocks Jimmy, who is a “branded” member of the ranch hands, to the ground. Jimmy repeatedly gets up and beat down again until Rip steps in. John’s right-hand man wrestles the bully to the ground, beats him down and fires him for attacking a member of the branded brotherhood.

Jamie Saves the Day

Episode 5, entitled “Coming Home,” sees Kayce in custody due to his connection to the murder of two men. Kayce was identified by the gun barrel he swapped with policeman Ben Waters (Atticus Todd) during the previously mentioned meth lab scene.

However, Jamie swoops in to the rescue and absolutely destroys the reservation police’s case against Kayce after hearing about the barrel swap.

“Is that true Ben? Did you trade the barrel of your government issued service pistol to a private citizen?” Jamie asks. “Is there any record of this trade? Are there any witnesses? Are there any witnesses to the shooting in question? Is there any forensic evidence that ties my brother to the scene other than a ballistics match to your weapon?”

The reservation officials have no choice but to give in to the legal pressures.

Yellowstone airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.

Photo Credit: Paramount Network