“Yellowstone” fans often hop on Reddit to debate the more superficial aspects of the show – which characters they like or dislike, what might happen next season. But sometimes, their discussions turn deep.
Recently, for example, one “Yellowstone” fan kicked off a serious chat about how the show has improved marriages.
Granted, the relationships on the show are not exactly textbook healthy. There’s Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). The engaged couple’s dysfunctional relationship took most of their adult lives to settle down into peaceful monogamy.
There’s Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) and his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille). They began the show fighting, keeping secrets and finally separating, only to eventually reunite. Then there’s John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and Governor Perry (Wendy Moniz-Grillo). The romantic partners swear they’ll never fall in love again after the loss of their respective spouses.
The ranch hands’ relationships (Jimmy (Jefferson White) and Mia (Eden Brolin), and Colby (Denim Richards) and Teeter (Jen Landon)) are not what you’d call stable, either. It seems like series co-creator Taylor Sheridan is serving up plenty of drama to fans of the show. So how does the show help marriages, if not by example?
‘Yellowstone’ Fans Get Free Marriage Therapy
Nonetheless, some fans swear that watching the show together has strengthened their marriages. They say the relationships on the show – perhaps by serving as cautionary tales – made them work on their own relationships.
“Yellowstone improved my marriage so much,” one fan posted to Reddit. “We were going through a super rough patch and started watching… it was something we watched together and bonded over, plus somehow seeing the dynamics of the relationships in the show just really restored a lot of aspects of our marriage that had faded over the years… Was curious if Yellowstone has improved anyone else’s life in a bigger way than just something to watch every week?”
Other fans chimed in to say that the show had provided a respite from coronavirus news. Some said they found it inspiring, with one person even saying the characters’ terseness had inspired them to be less verbose.
“I started watching it during the height of the pandemic,” another fan posted. “It was therapy for me and my wife looking at the beautiful film locations and the simple life (at least on the surface) that some people on the show carry. Felt like a mini vacation while we where stuck in our place.”
Still others said they bonded over laughing at the show’s absurdity. Whether that was Sheridan’s intent or not, it still clearly made for some quality relationship time for viewers.
“Yup, two ladies here and we both really like the show and say, ‘No…. that doesn’t make sense!’” another fan added. “We have season 3 on dvr to be sure we can watch it again before the next season.”
Of course, there were some detractors. Yet another fan said her husband considers it a huge favor to watch the show with her rather than snoring away on the sofa. But then, “Yellowstone” can’t save every marriage.