Yellowstone (2018) is set in Montana and shows a conflict between two worlds. John Dutton, a rancher that has been in the family for generations, defends his property against ruthless developers, native reservations and other enemies who want to take his land away from him. The series has now lasted about five seasons and has been expanded with two spin-off series called 1883 and 1923.
Coming up with a new series always involves risks. When Yellowstone (2018) was first announced, they managed to acquire a well-known actor in the form of Kevin Costner. He is pretty much a guarantee when it comes to viewer ratings and that is never a bad thing. However, while watching this series there is only one person who is the absolute star and that is Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton.
Kelly Reilly is a British actress, born 18 July 1977. Her performance in After Miss Julie at the Donmar Warehouse made her a star on the London stage and earned her a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2003. Reilly was born and raised in Chessington. She attended Tolworth Girls' School in Kingston where she studied drama for GCSE. You may know her from the series Above Suspicion, Britannia or Black Box.
Beth Dutton is the only daughter of John Dutton. Although well-educated, highly intelligent and a master manipulator, Beth also has a completely different side to her. She is also bitter, sarcastic, emotionally unstable and can have a very bleak view of the world. Kelly's strength is that she shows both sides of her character so well in the series.
Beth is loyal and extremely protective of her father. She really doesn't care about the ranch at all and if it were up to her the ranch would have been sold to the highest bidder long ago. However, her extreme loyalty towards her father prevails and she really does everything to keep the ranch. All this is because she sees how much it hurts her father to think that his family would lose the ranch. To prevent this, she is ruthless, unrelenting, and cold-blooded. She looks like a charming lady and every moment she comes into the picture she becomes the center of attention.
Furthermore, Beth is happiest when she is with her beloved Rip Wheeler. The chemistry between the two is beautiful and touching to see. In addition, dining together with the Dutton family is a guarantee of success with Beth there. One thing you know for sure, she leaves the dinner table early and usually not until she has razed someone to the ground.
Beth Dutton is a special character and a series needs that. Someone who takes the edge off. If not much happens in an episode, Beth still provides a bright spot by making blunt comments in her own way to pretty much everyone. Or she unabashedly shares spicy details about one of her sexual experiences with her father. This results in awkward moments or a heart attack for John Dutton, but as a viewer you cannot help but smile. I think Beth Dutton is the absolute star of this series and if I look at the votes on MySeries that way, there are more people who think so. Therefore, she can rightfully call herself a fan favorite.
