Recently, there is an American drama produced by Paramount Television Network, which silently killed nine points of Douban and eight and a half points of IMDb -
Chinese the discussion on the Internet, it seems that there are very few.
Why is "Yellowstone" so cold in China, probably the traditional western theme has never been the taste of most mainland audiences;
I have seen many people compare this drama with "Game of Thrones" and "Westworld", some applauded and some are contrarian.
There is no thousands of dog blood in "Game of Thrones", there is no truth and fantasy in "Westworld", the scale is not yet ostentatious, and the characters are all hidden in the story -
Removing these explosive points that can blow up the heat compared to the first two is one of the reasons why I prefer Yellowstone.
The wild story of the Old West, the dispute over the Indian reservation, the social infiltration of the post-industrial era, the collision of the three, based on reality;
Without any sci-fi brain-burning or occult drama, telling a modern epic with blood and tears on the edge of the land, intertwined with violence and strategy, is enough to make people fascinated.
In the traditional Western American plot, male dominance has always been considered a basic element
The configuration of Taylor Sheridan + Kevin Costner, you all know what a wonderful painting style it is;
To shoot the West is to make cowboys – there is almost no doubt about it, and "Yellowstone" is no exception, and most of the main characters are native males.
What about the positioning of female characters?
The two female characters featured in this drama have undoubtedly become the unparalleled highlights of the play.
Monica played by Kelsey Chow and Beth Dutton by Kelly Reilly
The story, the photography, the soundtrack, and so on, all have too much to boast about;
And now, let's pick out these two female characters and talk about them specifically.
One is the focus of the struggle between the Dutton family and the outside world, and the other is an important link between the Indians and the Dutton family in the play;
How did their setting play a key role in the entire series?
Yellowstone
01
Axis of power
Arrogant
Beth Dutton, the daughter of the male protagonist John Dutton, is definitely one of the biggest surprises buried in the show.
At first, she seems to be just a fierce entrepreneur;
The further back you go, the more you can feel the depth of this character.
Her city government, her loyalty, her sexiness, and her aura all shock the direction of the whole play.
The first episode left an explicit impression
Recruited home to help, idle in the countryside, everywhere to scare people, and no one can see the emotional connection, loyalty to the father is a bit of a gangster father and daughter feeling.
Unkind, inhumane high-cold posture, seemingly lazy but actually vigorous, random sex, obvious heart knots -
Everything hints at the complexity of the character.
She seemed to be able to see through everything, but she didn't care about anything.
He speaks ill of his brothers, laments the world with his lover, and points the way for his father
But as the plot unfolds, her decisive role is revealed.
As the only daughter of John Dutton, she has a prominent position in the local area and has contacts with various big names;
Her clever mind, sharp personality, casual attitude and ability to lead others by the nose laid an unbreakable foundation for her career, or her father's.
This image of a woman who is strong enough to cover the sky with one hand, turn clouds and rain, and is feminine enough to love and hate entanglement and all kinds of troubles, of course, does not come out of thin air.
Was her temperament born that way? The answer is quickly given in the play.
Her mother was harsh on herself from childhood, and her unexpected death also left a shadow
Although she later recalled, in her mother's words, that this was done to make Beth "tougher than most men";
But her mother's move to teach Beth a lesson in a way that was difficult for young Beth to accept, and even to die in the end, was still too cruel for her.
On the surface, she is more playful than anyone, more arrogant than anyone, and more mercurial than anyone;
And the little girl in her heart is more vulnerable than anyone.
Thinking that she is controlled by her mother, but she is also inferior to her mother, her loyalty to her father is naturally unquestionable
It is this tacit understanding and loyalty brought about by the ups and downs of life that makes her father's most powerful assistant-
In the face of the death of the eldest brother, one of the remaining brothers wavers and does not want to stir into the muddy waters;
If it weren't for Beth, the Dutton family's land-saving battle wouldn't have been so aggressive and the story wouldn't have been so dramatic.
When everyone thought she would play with her opponents with sex and cruelty, she used a more unexpected strategy to break through the weakest link of the other party.
Provoke from the front, but attack from the side
She showed her fangs to everyone who opposed her family and inheritance—rich merchants who had never grabbed land, to family members who disagreed with each other.
Love to make big moves, but the real fatal trick is silent;
Annoyed the old woman, there is no good fruit to eat.
And there was no malice towards her, no harm, sincerity to the people she loved her, and she really cared and loved, and in the end, she did not hesitate to be sincere and smile.
This is true for the younger brother, for the father, for the lover
Beth Dutton, a woman who seems to be a broken existence, seems to threaten the operation of family relations at any time;
She seems to have the power to destroy everything, as she says "the dead are all I love";
But it was she who really became the key link to maintain the survival of this family.
Her selfish or selfless actions, her wild emotions and desire for control all reveal the spirit of her father's generation, and her every appearance seems to be accompanied by a clarion call for conquest.
02
mainstay
Still with stability
The other major female character in Yellowstone holds up the other half of the story in a completely opposite posture.
Monica's background, living conditions and way of doing things are completely different from Beth, so there is not much comparison;
But throughout the play, the respective perspectives of the two women, whether in terms of function or emotion, can be regarded as balancing the two ends of the plot.
What kind of person is Monica?
Appearing in the men's heap in the American West, Beth works on the company board and Monica on the family
Compared to Beth's intimidating appearance, Monica was a calm image from the beginning.
She and her husband Kathy play little jokes between their lovers, she is calm, sweet, humorous, wise;
She was a wife, she was a mother, she was a native Indian woman, she was a child of this land.
Her slight concern for her father-in-law is also out of love for her husband and protection for her children, but she has not prevented or interfered in any way with the communication between several people.
Beautiful women naturally have a sexy and smart side
Her characters, most of the time in the "observer" perspective, the previous parts of the plot that she actively mobilized are fewer;
But as the plot unfolds, the changes that occur to her and to the people around her are no less than any other character.
Despite the couple's more neutral stance, Monica's brother, a fanatic defending the reservation, was shot and killed by Casey after shooting the Dutton brother.
The undercurrent of land disputes also appeared in front of everyone with a violent posture from this obvious turning point.
At home, and throughout the state, the seeds of contradiction are sown
Monica's original existence actually represents the "peaceful and indisputable" attitude shared by the husband and wife;
But this small rift becomes the key to the story's sharp turnaround, hinting at future outbursts.
The turning point had an irreversible impact on the relationship between the two men, on the entire huge family, and on the political dynamics of the entire state.
Monica also began to shift from the position of "observer" to "participant".
Of course, this process proceeds relatively slowly
When Kathy wants to shoot to end the pain of the burner, she gives permission; in the face of the suicide of relatives and friends, she tells the essence; when Casey is taken away by the police, her calmness and deep love are portrayed with great sincerity.
She has become the party that stabilizes the plot: always at the moment when it is most needed, standing on the other side of the scale of the story - the end that does not fall apart, so that the situation will not completely overturn.
After the role of "participant" stood firm, she did not stop and continued to move towards the position of "dominant".
Throughout the process, she took on a silent posture — in a non-restless way, with only a few words to guide the right path.
Because Ofey's contact with her father-in-law was her first step towards a "dominant" position
From here, as her role changed, so did her family situation and structure—a different life for her son, a better job for herself, and a fresh start for her husband.
Interestingly, during this transition, on the surface, she is completely passive – the constant occurrence of accidents forces her character to move forward;
However, if you think about it, based on Monica's own abilities and boldness, this character is destined to develop along such a route, with or without choice.
What followed was the shift to the role of "dominant" that finally led to events centered on her:
Accidentally injured, twice stepping on the edge of life and death
And the events that are entirely dominated by her lead lead to the imbalance of her own life, a whole new possibility of dramatization in the auxiliary plot line, which opens up.
Monica, who has always been in a stable state, has also quickly transformed into a party that may appear vulnerable at any time. The emotions that were originally being done were also rapidly amplified because of many changes in a short period of time, and her inner contradictions began to clamor-
The process of moving from "observer" to final "dominant" is completely completed, and she takes the initiative to make the choice to completely change the plot structure.
The before and after making the choice, as always, is presented rather slowly.
The main line and the auxiliary line of a whole season intersect to complete the change of this character
As for whether her choice is satisfactory, right or wrong? I'm afraid there are many opinions, so I won't comment on it.
Creating this female figure with calming power and strong kinetic potential is particularly interesting in itself.
Ignored because of a flattened appearance? impossible.
Whether it is Beth above or Monica here, whether it is a thunderous or spring rain-like character, these two women in "Yellowstone" bring us unlimited space for aftertaste, which is also crucial for the entire series.