Although Yellowstone has been widely hailed as one of the best television series to have ever been created, it has had some of its own controversial decisions as well. While some of these choices may seem meaningless to fans initially, further exploration of the storyline makes it evident almost every time that all of it was only for the better.
The decision to kill off one of the most major characters in the story right in the first episode, for instance, seemed controversial to most fans at the beginning. However, as the story progressed and fans started to come more to terms with what had happened, they understood that it was only for the best, done to make the show more moving than every other.
Turns Out This One Controversial Yellowstone Decision Was Only for the Better
Yellowstone started on a happier note, with Lee Dutton (Dave Annable) being John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) right-hand man for building and running their family ranch. In fact, he was even presumed to be the inheritor of the ranch after John. But then things went a bit too downhill as Lee was laid down to rest after getting gunned down by Robert Long – in the first episode, at that!
This very decision by the saga’s behind-the-scenes crew was widely considered one of the most controversial ones ever taken; even more so because Lee quite quickly transformed into “easily the most interesting, likable character,” as r/ Smilefire0914 on Reddit put it. However, as time passed, fans also started to realize just why his death was so necessary.
For one, Lee’s tragic death led to all the characters of Taylor Sheridan‘s ranch-y universe getting more depth as they further evolved on the timeline. Moreover, it also caused John’s entire plan of making him the next inheritor to blow up, leading to the way opening for his 3 other children to hold the position many expected Lee to be in.
As Redditor r/ Smilefire0194 mentioned in the same post, rewatching the saga a second time made all of this very clear as it transformed the series into something more interesting and unpredictable, also clearing the path for more gunfights and drama that the Dutton family survived through.
“Lee’s death kinda marks the end of the golden era, and it’s downhill from episode 1 because, let’s be real, it just gets worse every season.” ~ r/ Smilefire0194.
Moreover, besides this death prompting the moving forward of the Dutton family’s story, it is also commendable how one particular character, who had as minimal screen time as possible in the 90+ minutes episode, left such a deep impact on the viewers despite having such a tragically short on screen-life span.
Thus, because of all of these reasons, although it still may have been better if Lee got a longer time onscreen, this controversial decision to eliminate one of the most fan-favorite characters in the saga was actually taken to open the Dutton family to a bigger picture — or, to a bigger crisis.
Fans are Further Offering Insights on Why This Decision was Necessary
As it turns out, highlighting why Lee Dutton’s death was so crucial actually has fans now agreeing why this initially-deemed-controversial decision was so necessary in the first place. In fact, after reading this, other fans are even offering their own insights on the matter, sharing their personal perspectives on just how fascinating the storyline became after Lee’s demise.
Taking to the comment section of the original (now archived) Reddit post, here’s what they all have to say:
Inevitably enough, these plot twists and turns have transformed the series into something much more likable and intriguing than what could have been without Lee leaving the saga so soon. That being said, the second part of the last season, i.e., S5 of the series will be debuting by November 2024, and will finally be answering all of these questions about how the saga actually ends.
You can stream Yellowstone on Peacock.