The sprawling drama series has captivated viewers ever since it arrived on the small screen in 2018, and it remains the yardstick by which all other contemporary Western shows are measured. Headed by Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, Yellowstone boasts a cast of characters capable of driving several gripping storylines at once, and a spectacular setting worthy of its epic scope.
It’s no surprise, then, that the show has received considerable acclaim, particularly from its second season onwards. Yellowstone’s best episodes are widely regarded as masterpieces, not only of the neo-Western genre but across the broader pantheon of 21st-century television. The outstanding moments of the series are beyond compare with virtually any other small-screen release of its kind.
10. All I See Is You
Season 4, Episode 3
Yellowstone isn’t a show for the faint-hearted, and this season 4 episode is a perfect example why. With the Dutton family under attack from contract killers, John and his son Kayce undertake a mission to eliminate their mortal enemies. The Duttons are known across Montana for their merciless approach to vengeance, which is illustrated here in harrowing terms.
As horrifying as the family’s actions are, we find ourselves utterly engrossed in the violence, and rooting for John and Kayce to enact their revenge. The final scene of “All I See Is You”, which sees John Dutton apply Yellowstone’s notorious “train station” treatment to mercenary killer Chester Spears in brutal fashion, is among the show’s best climaxes.
9. Behind Us Only Grey
Season 2, Episode 8
Neal McDonough’s Malcolm Beck remains Yellowstone’s best villain, and it’s in the second half of season 2 that he really comes into his own. The decision of John Dutton to ally himself with both Chief Rainwater and season 1 villain Dan Jenkins in this episode demonstrates just how formidable an antagonist Malcolm Beck is.
“Behind Us Only Grey” is something of a slow-burner, but it expertly builds simmering tension in anticipation of the events to come in the final episodes of season 2. While the episode that precedes it, “Resurrection Day”, is often singled out for praise, the fallout from what happens in that episode is actually more affecting than its grisly climactic scene.
8. The Unravelling, Part 2
Season 1, Episode 9
The Yellowstone season 1 finale episode threw down the gauntlet for subsequent seasons of the series in some style. The episode’s scintillating parallel storylines feature family betrayal, marital strife, political intrigue, and, most notably, a violent showdown between the Duttons and their main rival.
Yellowstone takes some time to settle into its rhythm during a mixed first season, but this episode was the moment when the show cemented its status as the biggest Western on television. Dan Jenkins returns in season 2, but his final scene as the show’s primary antagonist is here, and it delivers the shocking finale his character arc warrants.
7. Enemies By Monday
Season 2, Episode 9
Yet, it’s Beth Dutton and her brother’s wife, Monica, who steal the show. Beth and Monica’s jaw-dropping fashion boutique scene is among Yellowstone’s best moments, and transforms how we view John Dutton’s daughter for the rest of the series. The actions of both characters in the scene hit us harder than any deadly violence inflicted by their male counterparts.
6. The World Is Purple
Season 3, Episode 10
Taylor Sheridan rewrote the scripts for Yellowstone season 3 following an apparent mutiny among cast members over what was written in his absence, and he delivers a masterclass in storytelling for this season finale. The fates of both the Dutton family and their ranch are left hanging in the balance as a full-on conflagration engulfs the world of the series.
As assassins encircle the Duttons, it appears that their alliance with local Native American leader Chief Rainwater may well be about to end. The show’s central characters have never been so imperiled, and the situation they face makes for a thrilling open-ended conclusion to one of Yellowstone’s best seasons.
5. Daybreak
Season 1, Episode 1
Yellowstone announced its arrival with a bang back in 2018, as the show upended everything we expected from it within the space of this single episode. This contemporary story of ranchers in Montana is far from the tranquil affair its parochial setting might suggest, as “Daybreak” demonstrates by ending in a hail of gunfire.
What’s more, the death of Lee Dutton in this climactic scene takes the entire series down a very different path from the one we were being prepared for. Lee is the heir apparent to the Dutton ranch, and his brother, Kayce, has never been considered a candidate to take over from their father, John.
Lee Dutton’s death is a superbly executed inciting incident that turns the entire world of the show upside down.
The tensions between Beth and Jamie Dutton are also a secondary factor in the story until Lee is killed. His death is a superbly executed inciting incident that turns the entire world of the show upside down.
4. I Killed A Man Today
Season 3, Episode 8
The serial killer Monica has killed in this Yellowstone episode was the murderer who killed Sila, a young Native American woman found in a ditch two episodes earlier.
As viewers, we’re caught unawares by Monica’s plan, and assume she’s in genuine peril until long after her would-be killer has been taken care of by a sniper from her tribe. It’s a beautifully crafted storyline that subverts our expectations of both the character and the show itself.
Meanwhile, we get to see John Dutton as a soft-hearted grandfather, for a change, and the full extent of Beth’s scheming is revealed. “I Killed a Man Today” spins multiple plates and the same time, but the episode is in complete command of its storylines throughout.
3. Sins Of The Father
Season 2, Episode 10
The season 2 finale of Yellowstone brings about Dan Jenkins’ death once and for all, yet this event is a minor footnote in one of the show’s most action-packed episodes. The Duttons give everything they’ve got to try and see off the Beck brothers.
Crucially, this episode features the transformative moment in which Kayce Dutton proves he’s ready to take the reins of his father’s business, not just as a rancher, but as a gunslinging cowboy capable of ruthlessly taking the life of someone begging for mercy. Yellowstone’s best season finale, “Sins of the Father” is an enthralling conclusion to the Dutton-Beck conflict.
2. Meaner Than Evil
Season 3, Episode 9
If Malcolm Beck is Yellowstone’s best villain, then Wade Morrow’s fate is the cruelest suffered by any antagonist in the series. Wade might have stolen the iconic Yellowstone brand from John Dutton, but what happens to him is still a stunning turn of events that would shock even the most hard-hearted viewer.
Yet, this spine-chilling storyline is just one-third of the episode “Meaner Than Evil”, which also features a crucial scene between Jamie Dutton and his birth father. The episode moves skilfully between familial heartache, corporate subterfuge, and the graphic violence of its most famous scene.
1. Half The Money
Season 4, Episode 1
Rip Wheeler earns notoriety for the vicious manner in which he deals with Dutton family enemies throughout the series. So it’s hardly surprising that Rip is responsible for Yellowstone’s most shocking death, which kicks off season 4 with a snake bite to the face. Yet, this scene is just the epilogue of an episode chock-full of explosive action.
During the course of this season premiere, John Dutton finds himself in intensive care, and his daughter, Beth, narrowly avoids being blown up. Yellowstone would never be quite as exciting again, as “Half the Money” brings the entire series to a tempestuous crescendo.
