The opening of episode 10 of season 5 of Yellowstone risks cheapening the death of John Dutton III

Notice! SPOILERS ahead for yellow stone Season 5, Episode 10, ‘The Apocalypse of Change’.

yellow stone Episode 10 of Season 5, titled “The Apocalypse of Change,” begins with a scene that could have cheapened the death of John Dutton. John’s fate in yellow stone was written because of star Kevin Costner’s departure from the popular neo-western, necessitating his character’s absence to be explained. The discovery of her apparent suicide (later revealed to be murder) in episode 9 kicked off an explosive storyline in which Beth (Kelly Reilly) declared war on Jamie (Wes Bentley).

However, this storyline was not immediately followed during “The Apocalypse of Change”. The newest episode of yellow stone Season 5, Part 2 eventually returns to the present, where Beth threatens Jamie in her office and then calls Kayce (Luke Grimes) to say she has all the confirmation she needs about her adoptive brother’s involvement in John’s death. However, the first half of the episode is again set in Texas and does not appear to have any relevance to John’s murder, although one key event seems symbolic of the fight that lies ahead.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 10 Started With a Flashback

The first scene involved a disaster for the Duttons during their trip to Texas

The Apocalypse of Change” begins in Texas; although the timeline is not immediately clear, it is a flashback to several weeks before John’s death. In the opening sequence, Teeter (Jennifer Landon) is paralyzed with fear when she wakes up to find a rattlesnake in his chest. The men help rid Teeter’s tent of the snake and quickly discover that they have set up camp on top of a viper’s nest. Also, Rip (Cole Hauser) lectures Teeter about allowing the snake in. viper’s nest, leaving the tent flap open instead of protecting itself.

This scene is not directly linked to John’s murder, but it has symbolic importance. Instead of, This plays out like a typical yellow stone scene before John’s deathwith Gator (Gabriel Guilbeau) offering to cook the snakes and the crew taunting Teeter about what could have been a fatal situation. This might have been more effective if “The Apocalypse of Change” had immediately jumped to the present, but instead it spends the next half hour in Texas, depicting Beth’s insistence on taking Rip from the crew for a date night and the argument of the couple. of your future.

It seemed like John’s death had never happened (which it hadn’t yet)

yellow stone Season 5, Episode 9 ends with a cliffhanger, as Beth tells Kayce she believes Jamie is responsible for John’s death, while Jamie confronts Sarah (Dawn Olivieri), shocked and horrified that she would take a hit on her father to promote your sharing. goals. It doesn’t make much sense to remember Texas instead of following these tense developments, especially since it’s not immediately clear whether this is happening in the past. Rip and Beth are engaged in their usual activities before John’s death, making it seem less important.

The flashback scenes that take up half the episode feel like a betrayal yellow stonecentral premise. Throughout the series, John Dutton III is the protagonist, and his death is expected to turn the Dutton family’s lives upside down. while also leaving an opportunity for his enemies to gain a foothold in their quest to take the ranch. However, John’s death isn’t part of the first half hour, making it feel like the series has moved on without him rather than being the seismic event that drives the action throughout the final season.

Yellowstone Season 5 Should Stop Its Convoluted Time Jump

Yellowstone’s time jumps cause confusion and wasted time

These flashbacks may be more tolerable if yellow stone had no limited time to tell the story of John’s death. There are only 14 episodes total of the final season, so after “The Apocalypse of Change,” there are only four episodes left. So there is no time to waste and every minute spent in Texas in the weeks leading up to John’s death is a minute not spent toward the climax of this story and the conclusion of the series.

Additionally, jumping back and forth in time makes it difficult to keep track of where the story is in the timeline, especially if the jumps are not clearly labeled. This is a serious problem during yellow stone Season 5 Episode 10 How the scenes in Texas make no sense without understanding that John is still alive during them. For example, Beth’s thoughts about giving up the ranch and moving to Texas contradict her fierce desire to protect John’s legacy and are therefore confusing without the context in which they occurred in the past.

The flashbacks with Beth and Rip would make sense if the rumors yellow stone season 6/sequel comes to fruition as it can be set up for the new season or series following these two characters. However, yellow stoneThe main focus in the little time that remains should be Kayce’s investigation into John’s death and the war between Beth and Jamie. Making this intense plot more central will help usher in a satisfying conclusion to the neo-Western, while continually jumping around in time will dilute the power of the story and end the series on a confusing note.