On Yellowstone, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) is a polarizing figure. She’s become a fan favorite to many. But Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) fans hate her.
In a new Reddit thread about Season 4, Episode 4, one fan lays out some of the gripes about Beth among her detractors. She’s a difficult character if you don’t know her backstory. And some who do nonetheless find her hard to like.
Other fans are clearly rooting for Beth and Rip (Cole Hauser) to live happily ever after and triumph over all the ranch’s enemies. But even those who aren’t have to admit she’s a more complex character now than she initially seemed.
In any case, who knows? Perhaps series co-creator Taylor Sheridan, in his copious free time, will take the fans’ Reddit criticisms into account when writing Beth’s lines.
Yellowstone Fans Discuss Problems with Beth
Multiple fans listed their complaints about Beth. They say she’s become a cartoon character of a “badass” and that Beth’s gratuitously crude language is what happens when men write women characters.
“Her business meeting and the way she conducts herself in such a crude way honestly sometimes doesn’t come across in quite as clever badass way as she/writers hope. Sometimes… I think it makes her look the opposite,” one fan wrote.
Maybe that’s supposed to make her fit in in corporate board rooms, the fan added. But “surely they must be like you know what she’s one hell of a business woman… but too much of a loose cannon and a risk to take on. I’m not saying that there’s not businesses out there that aren’t shrewd and dodgy af and conduct themselves in these very cold and grey ways… So maybe she’s a product of that environment (and the ranch) but God it grates on me.”
“Yes, at some point it goes from strong and assertive to showing off like a little kid,” another fan chimed in.
Season 4 Should Bring Out New Sides of Beth
In Season 4, Beth is facing unprecedented challenges on two fronts. So will we see a more nuanced version of her character or more of the same?
In her work life, Beth just received a job offer from Market Equities CEO Caroline Warner (Jacki Weaver). And if Warner meets her counteroffer, Beth is poised to go and work for the hedge fund. That would put her at odds with Angela Blue Thunder (Q’orianka Kilcher) and many others who don’t want to see Montana get developed into a mass of busy destination towns.
In her home life, Beth has gotten in over her head by adopting Carter (Finn Little), an orphan with a troubled past who quickly tests her boundaries and sets off a scene in a department store. Rip thinks he can discipline the boy. But is Beth done with the whole adoptive parenting thing already? Time will tell.
Whether you’re a Beth fan or a Beth detractor, you can catch Yellowstone Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on the Paramount Network. And give a listen to Outsider’s Bunkhouse Breakdown podcast afterward. You can hear the latest episode here:
