Yellowstone (TV Series) Daybreak (2018) User Reviews

Makes me curious for upcoming episodes

[tosyllam · 8/10 · 9 October 2021]

As a Dutch woman with Asian roots, I know absolutely nothing about Montana, native Americans and raising livestock on an immense scale. But I do like a good drama with people putting on their most difficult faces and beautiful scenery.

Maybe it's just me, but I did have a hard time telling the characters apart. And it's that the series is subtitled, because I didn't understand (hear) much of the dialogue because the men are almost all mumbling. Or is that typical for cowboys?

The build-up of this first episode and introduction of the characters is non-existent. As a viewer, I felt like I started in the middle of a season and missed the first episodes. Nevertheless, I watched an hour and a half without a break and am looking forward to the upcoming episodes.

Great opening

[851222 · 9/10 · 11 March 2022]

Greetings from Lithuania.

The first episode / pilot of "Yellowstone" named "Daybreak" was a superb opening chapter. The look of this episode was epic in every way. Scenery is breathtaking, cinematography is on a point, directing and writing were solid and the there is killer cast. The plot while a bit to much set in one episode so far is intriguing and involving.

Overall, after seeing an opening episode which at running time 1 h 36 min is basically a full feature movie i can only say that I'm in for a ride with "Yellowstone".

The Godfather (in Montana) with a dash of Romeo & Juliet

[joshnack · 9/10 · 3 December 2021]

Impressive writing, decent acting, and fantastic pacing. Many college essays could be written on the various themes of capitalism, America, class, rural living, family, greed, legacy, and libertarianism - to name a few. The great thing is that none of it felt heavy handed.

Excellent Modern Western

[mkschafer · 10/10 · 5 November 2019]

Ignore the naysayers, watch this series! Kevin Costner is at his usual best. Top rated cast, including supporting actors, with Native American actors adding to the authenticity. Good action & suspense, NOT politically correct. Some surprising twists on who the good & bad guys are contributes to the intrigue.

A Great Start

[johndoemofo · 10/10 · 23 June 2018]

This first episode was great, it lays out hopefully what to expect from the series. A patriarchal family of ranchers dealing with corrupt politicians, tribal aggression, murder, greedy businessmen and 'transplants' trying to alter their way of life. Costner did an outstanding job.

Tangled webs and assorted seeds

[jeffstonewords · 9/10 · 21 September 2023]

"Daybreak" opens with the aftermath of a gory accident. An oversized flatbed carrying large construction equipment has overturned. The driver has a head wound that hints at a bullet hole. The scene might be gratuitous. On the other hand, it might be not only a bit of foreshadowing but also a symbol of the central conflict (i.e., residential development versus ranching).

John Dutton (Kevin Costner), patriarch of the largest ranching empire in the nation, is on the scene with gun in hand when the wailing of sirens fills the air. Dutton is struggling to maintain the status quo by holding on to ranch land that others want for development. This is an emotional and financial battle that tests political, legal, social, and personal alliances. When many cattle from Dutton's Yellowstone Ranch are discovered on adjoining land under reservation control, Dutton is matched against an aggressive tribal chief (Thomas Rainwater, Gil Birmingham) whose grand aspirations contribute to a fight with devastating consequences.

While Dutton and his powerful allies face formidable foes and complicated issues, his personal relationships are arguably an even bigger challenge. The Dutton offspring have achieved various degrees of professional success, but all of them seem to be plagued by personal demons often associated with familial dysfunction. Some of the dialogue, especially the exchange regarding closure and penance and where one might or might not find such things, suggests there are dark secrets lurking not far below the surface.

"Daybreak" by itself might seem unsatisfying, but it plants many interesting seeds-which makes it an effective pilot. Some of those seeds, like the governor's lingering hand on Dutton's shoulder, are subtle. There are lots of clues in the dialogue and the episode is worth another watch, albeit a careful one, if you're skeptical.

Everyone wants to be a cowboy

[marcresto · 8/10 · 21 March 2021]

The West is alive and well.

Some people think televisation of cowboys will turn Bozeman into Jackson hole or Aspen I say it's highly doubtful and for a lot of reasons this series tells you why

What a pleasure it is to see the scenery and The cowboy way

The only qualms I have with this series is they try to make it at times into a CMT video there's plenty of beauty and action without putting it to some junk music and It lessens the show

Daybreak

[bobcobb301 · 8/10 · 30 June 2018]

For Kevin Costner to come to TV he was probably looking for the right series and this is that.

It is part Dallas, part Dances with Wolves and I am definitely intrigued.

I think we could use about 50 less horse sounds a week, that would be ideal, but this was a good start to the show. We'll see if it can keep my interest, but a strong start.

Great Show but

[dansandiford-223-179331 · 9/10 · 22 June 2019]

Good story and Costner's forte But unfortunately it will help Bozeman to continue to turn into another Jackson Hole and Aspen... discovered by Hollywood and Wall Street

Start off showing breathtaking poor judgment by lead character

[bruce-373 · 6/10 · 24 September 2022]

Unlike his ancestor James Dutton, from 1883, John Dutton is an idiot. In the first episode, he attempts to retrieve a bunch of cattle from an Indian reservation. Rather than negotiating, he chooses to use force, using a helicopter, Land Management officers, and horsemen to attack the Native Americans. In the process his son is killed, and another son is forced to kill his wife's brother and is now being investigated for murder. Way to go John. I will continue to watch and see if he continues to use poor judgement as in the first episode.1883 was an authentic western with a magnificent story and characters. We will see about this.

I love the show but..

[erinray-12257 · 9/10 · 20 May 2022]

I love the show but it's paramount only show which means if you have the paramount + offered through Amazon prime this show should be available which it's not and that's disappointing. Especially since we paid for the app Especially for this show. Paramount needs to do better than this.

Screaming horses

[priscillahodgkins-21456 · 5/10 · 5 February 2023]

Whoever is wrangling stock for this show needs to get in the director's ear about the horses.

The director seems to think horses vocalize every mood or reaction.

They don't.

Horses may nicker and neigh to get some attention from their humans or other horses, but they rarely scream.

Also the injured horse in the first scene looks quite calm, not anxious or in pain. Could have set up that shot better. Maybe from behind the horse, his head wrenched to the side.

Montana is beautiful country, but they squander any opportunity to let the camera just take in the vistas and the land.

Ah well, there's lovely craggy Costner to appreciate.

Will they fit in a baseball game?

Monica

[jjsoltis · 8/10 · 12 July 2022]

First episode and you gotta already dislike Monica. Negative, repulsive disruptive. She doesn't have to try to hard to be unlikable. Great episode though. Great characters.

Missed you so much yellowstone

[Pistol219 · 10/10 · 14 November 2022]

Ok straight to point, how could they still use that same actress to play young beth. She is just as annoying as the real beth and still as annoying as she was when she llayed young beth in past episodes. Get a new actress please??? Other then that, show was awesome and looking forward to rest of the season. Ok straight to point, how could they still use that same actress to play young beth. She is just as annoying as the real beth and still as annoying as she was when she llayed young beth in past episodes. Get a new actress please??? Other then that, show was awesome and looking forward to rest of the season.

Mumbles

[mrb-23137 · 3/10 · 25 April 2020]

Tonight I watched Series 1 Episode 1. Nearly impossible to follow. Were the actors instructed to deliberately mumble and be indistinct. There were no subtitles available. Having enjoyed a holiday in Montana and Yellowstone I was so looking forward to viewing this. Not any longer. By the time I endured Episode 1 - having to go over parts of it a number of times - I still couldn't grasp the conversations. Anticipation collapsed to despairing frustration.

Fake Longmire Wannabe.

[ceasentry · 2/10 · 4 January 2021]

The first scene was totally unnecessary and seemed to be included for shock value only. I could not get past the "horse guy" who, in a couple of hours, had a halter on a wild stallion, had it on a tiny trailer, tied down, and then got on the said trailer with the WILD STALLION while it was still tied and turned it around to back it out. And lived, not even a scratch on him. Did I mention this was supposed to be a wild band stallion being separated from his herd? If the rest of the show is this authentic then it's a waste of time. Lost me at the stallion and I love anything horse and wester related.

Daybreak

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 2 March 2022]

The first episode of Yellowstone gives a Dallas in Montana vibe.

Kevin Costner is the gruff patriarch John Dutton. The largest landowner in Montana.

Hot on his heels is a land developer Dan Jenkins who wants to build golf courses, hotels and housing. Then there is Native Indian Thomas Rainwater who wants to buy back ancestral tribal lands by building more casinos.

John Dutton has four children, some are close to him and others are not. It seems John can be manipulative and will do anything to retain possession of what he has.

Nothing much original here although it climaxes in a shootout over the cattle.

Kelly Reilly is the tough as nails daughter Beth who has returned to the ranch for some reason. Wes Bentley is Jamie, the ambitious family lawyer.

The standout character in the opening episode was Gil Birmingham as Chief Thomas Rainwater. He was adopted and his parents told him that he was Mexican. Only realising the truth about his heritage when he was 18.

Director Taylor Sheridan hit paydirt with the movie Hell or High Water. This is a frothy soapy modern western.

Boring

[vincent-93104 · 1/10 · 26 August 2020]

One solid hour of two old dudes arguing about cows? Also, Beth is gross. She is poorly written and completely one dimensional and predictable. I hope she's not on the rest of the show.

Thinking, rational, sensible people gave this episode 7, 8, 9, 10??

[dalemuchow · 2/10 · 14 February 2021]

How? Why?? What are people viewing that give these ratings? I am not saying everyone has to agree with my 2 (or less), but come on people - this episode was terrible! So many flaws. Poor writing. And then they off one of the two or maybe three characters worth scene time?!? I have never watched a show with this high of ratings start off with 92 minutes filled with so many derivative, uninteresting characters and plot-lines. I will continue to watch it because it cannot be this awful based on what I've heard...can it? Plus, I paid $20 for season 1.

Came here because of 1883. What a disappointment.

[PFFAW · 1/10 · 2 February 2022]

Why is a woman executive wearing a black bra under a silk blouse? Serious overacting and gratuitous violence. This is like something out of the 80s. Glad I didn't have to pay to subscribe.

Great story lines, but language and sex ruin it.

[GreggoWhitehead · 5/10 · 29 May 2021]

I like the story. I like Kevin Costner. There's beautiful scenery. The different angles makes it interesting. But I think the writers made up problems for them that could be easily settled. If I had 300,000 acres and cows up the ying yang, it wouldn't bother me to give some away to maintain peace and maybe even develop friendship. I think they're trying to make a modern-day Bonanza. But the language is awful and the sex is totally unnecessary. Neither add to the story, but detract from it and it irritates me.

Cliched soapy trash

[tom-1662 · 1/10 · 1 December 2022]

After hearing so much about Yellowstone I finally watched the pilot episode. Was stupefied to discover that they had clearly re-recorded all of the location audio via ADR. That's a Hollywood techniques for cleaner/richer sound quality but you loose the on-set performance magic. And they often did not do it well enough - you can tell the audio is slightly out of sync with the actors performance. I found that painfully distracting. And the heavy-handed cliches were just unforgivable. The campfire scene where the young boy throws food at his Uncle and says something about protecting his father/family is so on the nose I almost spit my beer out.

Tense

[sudiniup · 3/10 · 6 January 2023]

The first episode, in the first few minutes , a terrible accident has killed many people and severely hurt a horse. Kevin Costner's character, John Dutton, shoots the horse. Then a cow is in extreme pain and men help her with her "calving." Later, an older Native American man is in a group of other people, all on horse back. He rides ahead of everyone and shoots a bison, most people seem to be in agreement with his shooting.

This was what seemed like the first twenty minutes of Yellowstone's first episode, first season. Too much tense watching for me, worried about what animal was next on the hit list. I am with the other people that don't understand how or why this show has such high ratings.

Might be a good show but...

[sandy-52085 · 2/10 · 17 August 2020]

I couldn't get past the first scene. Did the writer just put that in for shock value?

Dancing with wolves 1.1

[nemesis-88 · 1/10 · 17 October 2020]

Quick summary of the first episode:

• Growing up in Denver is bad.

• Going to "a big university" is badder yet.

• All women in oil industry are angry and cruel.

• Costner still thinks he's cool

Best exchanges:

Someguy: I wouldn't wish the week you're having on my mother-in-law

SuperCostner: It's only Tuesday.

SuperCostner: We'll do it my way.

SomeOldGuy: There was a time when your way was the only way, and the world was better.

Total: CRAP