The meteoric success of “Yellowstone” came quickly, but it didn’t begin with Season 1. The series debuted on Paramount in the summer of 2018 and, per Metacritic, drew solid (but not spectacular) ratings. However, according to Deadline, the Season 4 premiere drew in 12.7 million viewers — a 66% increase from the Season 3 premiere — and became the most-watched series across cable, network, and streaming channel shows.
Set among the majestic mountains and sweeping plains of Montana, the modern-day Western showcases the lives of the Dutton family and their Yellowstone ranch. “Yellowstone” is an epic saga with echoes of “The Sopranos,” “Sons of Anarchy,” and “Animal Kingdom.” The show’s creator-writer-director, Taylor Sheridan, gives each member of the Dutton family a distinct, complex personality. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) stands out with her larger-than-life volatility and acerbic wit. When it comes to defending her family, she’ll cross any and all ethical and moral boundaries. Beth polarizes fans of the show: She has become a character some viewers adore and others love to hate: One “Yellowstone” fan on Twitter wrote, “Unpopular opinion: Beth Dutton is toxic … not an angry feminist icon. She is a woman in need of therapy.”
Whatever else can be said about her, the only female Dutton is nothing if not memorable. Here are some of her worst moments on “Yellowstone.”
6. Beth sets out to destroy Dan Jenkins
When Beth Dutton first appears on “Yellowstone,” there’s no build-up to her cutthroat tactics; she’s vengeful from the onset. In Season 1, after local Native American chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) threatens to start a land war with the Duttons, Beth promises her father, John (Kevin Costner), that she’ll keep the Yellowstone ranch in the Dutton family no matter the cost. Thus, when land developer Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) teams up with Rainwater and comes sniffing around the ranch, Beth’s claws come out.
Jenkins isn’t noble in his greedy motivations and doesn’t care if he destroys the Duttons in his quest for wealth. However, Beth’s counterattack feels like a soap opera plot. In Season 1, Episode 3, she sets out to seduce the married Jenkins in a bar; by season’s end, she’s wrecked Jenkins’ marriage. At one point, she tells him, “When I break you, I want to know that I’m breaking generations,” wanting him to know how grossly he’s underestimated her.
The phenomenal acting talent of Kelly Reilly lends authenticity to Beth’s melodramatic antics. Reilly spoke with Cinema Blend about Beth, saying, “I love her mind. I love her intelligence. I love her fierceness. She’s a warrior.” Yes, Beth is fierce. Still, the character’s resolve to wreak havoc on Jenkins’ life feels excessive, especially so early in the series.
5. She’s attacked by masked assailants
This moment isn’t an instance of Beth behaving badly but rather one of the worst incidents she endures. In the Season 2 episode “Resurrection Day,” the season’s antagonist, Malcolm Beck (Neal McDonough) sends masked thugs to Beth’s office. They brutally attack and murder Beth’s assistant Jason (David Cleveland Brown) and beat Beth beyond recognition. The fierce veneer Beth hides behind remains intact as she refuses to show fear. Ultimately, Rip (Cole Hauser) comes to the rescue, rushing in and saving Beth’s life just before she’s raped. In the aftermath of the attack, Beth suffers extensive physical and emotional trauma, including a facial scar.
The attack scene was narratively dramatic, powerfully emotional, and difficult to watch. In a Reddit thread about the episode (and the attack scene in particular), TrivialTrials313 wrote, “My heart is still pounding. Need time to process that entire scene. Wow, wow, wow.” In the same thread, a user named Please said, “Seriously[,] I got anxiety just watching that scene…” Although Beth escapes with her life, the injuries she suffers in the attack show that she is vulnerable.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
4. Beth tells Carter she’ll never be his mother
Beth usually reserves her cruelest words on “Yellowstone” for those who deserve her vitriol. However, in Season 4, she exhibits a hateful coldness toward the young orphan Carter (Finn Little). Carter and Beth meet in the season’s premiere, when Beth takes a break from visiting a gravely injured John in the hospital and steps outside for a smoke. She encounters Carter, whose sass reminds her a bit of herself. After his father dies, Carter shows up at the ranch, and Beth and Rip begrudgingly take him in.
Although Beth can’t have children of her own, she vacillates between treating Carter like a son and showing him only defensive callousness. She kicks him out of her house and makes him sleep in the barn. As noted by Outsider.com, Beth’s damage runs deep. Not only is she unable to have children but she also feels responsible for the tragic death of her own mother, Evelyn (Gretchen Mol). Nonetheless, when Carter inadvertently calls her “mama,” Beth lashes out. “You lost your mother, kid. You don’t get another … And I’m nobody’s mother,” she snarls. Men’s Health noted Beth’s unwarranted harshness toward Carter, saying, “The main issue some have with Beth, however, has to do with the Carter storyline — her illegally adopted child with whom she seeks to reconcile her own parental traumas. She responds to all this by neglecting him in a petty and not altogether coherent way.”
3. She sets up Summer
On “Yellowstone,” Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo) is the antithesis of Beth Dutton. She’s a vegan environmental activist without a family who protests hot-button issues. However, Summer shares more similarities with her nemesis than Beth would care to admit. Neither backs down from their commitments and neither is afraid to fight. Summer first appears in the Season 4 episode “Under a Blanket of Red” to protest the Montana Livestock Association. She later sleeps with John Dutton, and “daddy’s girl” Beth simmers with jealousy.
Beth sees Summer as easily manipulated and decides to use the activist to thwart the construction of a new airport that would encroach on Dutton land. Beth pushes Summer to protest and urges her to fight back against the cops who show up to disperse her crowd. As a result of Beth’s annoyance with her, the activist ends up in prison.
Piper Perabo spoke to Decider about her character’s friction with Beth, saying, “I was so excited to do these scenes with her [Kelly Reilly] because I think she’s so good. I love what she’s made of the character of Beth … If you want to go up against the best, you go up against Beth Dutton.” We wonder if Summer would feel differently.
2. She forces Jamie to kill his father
Carter and Beth meet in the season’s premiere when Beth takes a break from visiting a gravely injured John in the hospital and steps outside for a smoke. She encounters Carter, and his sass reminds her a bit of herself. After his father dies, Carter shows up at the ranch, and Beth and Rip begrudgingly take him in.
Although Beth can’t have children of her own, she vacillates between treating Carter like a son and showing him only defensive callousness. She kicks him out of her house and makes him sleep in the barn. As noted by Outsider.com, Beth’s damage runs deep — not only is she unable to have children of her own, but she feels responsible for the tragic death of her own mother, Evelyn (Gretchen Mol). Nonetheless, when Carter inadvertently calls her “mama,” Beth lashes out. “You lost your mother, kid. You don’t get another … And I’m nobody’s mother.” she snarls. Men’s Health noted Beth’s unwarranted cruelty toward Carter and stated, “The main issue some have with Beth, however, has to do with the Carter storyline — her illegally adopted child with whom she seeks to reconcile her own parental traumas. She responds to all this by neglecting him in a petty and not altogether coherent way.”
1. She threatens Jamie’s son
Beth and Jamie Dutton will most likely never have a repaired, healthy relationship on “Yellowstone.” However, Beth’s remorseless brutality toward her brother often feels out of control. In Season 5, badass Beth may have crossed the line. In Episode 4, Beth spends the night in jail and Jamie bails her out. As Jamie drives Beth home, tensions already seem ready to boil over even before Beth notices a car seat in the back of his SUV. Reluctantly, he confesses that he has a secret son. Beth explodes. She screams at Jamie and tells him, “I’m going to take him from you. I’m going to rob you a fatherhood, Jamie. You don’t deserve it and he deserves better than you. Next time you see him, you can kiss him goodbye because he is as good as gone.” Threatening a baby? Not cool, Beth.
Kelly Reilly spoke to The Hollywood Reporter after the episode aired. The actress believes her character’s motivations against Jamie run deeper than her own issues. “Beth believes that Jamie is the biggest potential threat to her father … And if there’s anything that is worth killing Jamie for, or getting rid of him for, it’s if he threatens — or re-threatens — her father and the ranch,” she said.