Antiheroes have always been common in television and film history. We love them—despite their flaws. Cinema gave us antiheroes like Travis Bickle (taxi driver) and Max Rockatanski (road warrior), while television gave us Tony Soprano (Montenegro family), Walter White (breaking Bad), and the entire Dutton family (yellowstone park).
We were surprised by how lovable these types of characters are. On the face of it, we shouldn’t support them. Their morals and ethics are mixed, and we don’t always agree with the decisions they make. But we do understand these decisions in the context of their circumstances – a side we don’t usually see in most antagonists or villains (can you imagine seeing Die Hard From Hans Gruber’s perspective?
What yellowstone park What creator Taylor Sheridan has done with his family of antiheroes is simply amazing. He succeeds in making us root for not just one antihero—most likely Kevin Costner’s John Dutton (similar to James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano)—but Props to the antihero as a whole. family Antihero.
Here, we briefly explore the redeeming character traits of each member of the Dutton family to show why we love rooting for them (and why we also love hating one of them).
redemptive character traits yellowstone parkcharacters
1. John Dutton/Patriarchal Loyalty
Despite John’s ruthlessness, his dedication to protecting his family’s legacy and the land he loved was unwavering. His loyalty to family and tradition often served as a beacon in his cold, sometimes cruel decisions.
When you also consider the legacy of Darden Land, which dates back to the spin-off’s limited series 1883 and 1923John Dutton redeems himself in our eyes as he looks to continue the Dutton legacy and knows how generations of his family have fought against more ruthless foes.
We root for him because we know his flaws—and we know that while his actions on the surface may appear blatantly heartless (and sometimes even evil) to most people, his decisions come from a place of love, loyalty, and heritage. We also get hints of his own conservatism when it comes to the land—even as he faces off against sometimes enemy, sometimes ally Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), who is The land in Dayton has long-term ownership.
“Yellowstone” (2018-)
2. Beth Dutton/Ruthless Fierce and Loyalty
John’s daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) is stubborn and fierce, and her business tactics are ruthless. Her love for her family, especially her father and brother Keith (Luke Grimes), makes her character vengeful.
Her ability to be vulnerable in front of them allows us to see her humanity.
We’ve learned why Beth is the way she is (no spoilers in this article), and one thing we love about antiheroes is their ability to do the unthinkable. More specifically, the ability and willingness to do the things we all love to do in specific situations when faced with mean people and situations. When we leave mean people and situations without a word, they always fantasize about doing it.
That That’s why Beth is one of the show’s most beloved and cherished characters. We live vicariously through her.
We also grow to love her as she reveals a more vulnerable side to her father, brother, and boyfriend Rip (Cole Hauser).
“Yellowstone” (2018-)
3. Keith Dutton/Compassion and Sense of Justice
Case is a former Navy SEAL with a traumatic past who is always willing to do what he believes is right – even if it comes at great personal cost. His love for his wife and son highlights his gentle side and sense of responsibility.
He is the youngest of the Dutton family. He is a man who thinks first and then acts. Despite his compassion for all, he never lost his sense of justice, especially when it came to his family.
In a way, Case becomes our eyes on the Dutton family. We see a different side of this family that goes beyond fierce loyalty and revenge. We see him standing on the shoulders of the Dutton family listening to the voices of angels and demons. This is cute to us.
He is Michael Corleone (godfather) Dutton family. He was a war hero, which makes us respect him even more. He wants nothing to do with the dark side of his family. He was in touch with nature and the native culture of the land.
But make no mistake – he’s a Dutton. He can be more ruthless than his sister or father when justice is called for.
Read more: Breaking down the character archetypes of the hero’s journey
“Yellowstone” (2018-)
4. Jamie Dutton/Vulnerability and Intellectual Ambition
Jamie’s (Wes Bentley) desire to prove himself and gain his father’s approval may push him to dark places, but he possesses a deep intellectual ambition that often benefits the family. His moments of vulnerability and desire for recognition make him relatable.
We don’t like Jamie a lot of the time, but we do relate to him because of the way his family treats him. He is very weak. We can understand this, especially when seeing the extreme strength of those around him. He made bad choices out of desperation.
Once we get over our empathy for his vulnerability, we end up rooting for him, not to win, but to lose. Why? Because he broke the coda of what John, Beth and Kathy believed in—undying loyalty to the Dutton name and land.
“Yellowstone” (2018-)
5. Rip Wheeler/Unquestionable Loyalty and Devotion
As John’s right-hand man, Rip’s rugged appearance hides his deep loyalty to the Dutton family and his eternal love for Beth. His self-sacrifice to his ranch and family demonstrates rare depth of character.
Rip is unique because he has all the redeeming qualities of the Dutton family:
- He has the dedication, loyalty and leadership of John Dutton.
- He has Beth’s ruthlessness, albeit a more restrained version of her.
- He has the compassion and sense of justice that Case has, especially when it comes to Beth.
- He has the vulnerability that Jamie has with Beth, and the intelligence to handle any situation.
When you mix all these personality traits together, you might get this The best character among them is Rip Wheeler.
“Yellowstone” (2018-)
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We love and root for (mostly) the Duttons because the flawed characters are relatable—and because we love the fantasy of watching a family do incredible things in almost every episode. It’s curious which path one of them will choose when faced with conflict.
Conflict is the essence of any great story and character, yellowstone park maybe this A perfect example of a story that showcases the greatest conflict and the greatest cast of characters to deal with it.
Read more: 3 Ways to Add Conflict to Your Story
Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.
As a production writer, he participated in numerous studio meetings with companies such as Sony, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, Disney, Warner Bros., and numerous production and management companies. He previously signed a development deal with Lionsgate and has had several writing assignments, including producing the miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Hayley Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric Larsa and Bruce Bucklina star in the thriller Hunter’s Creed, as well as many Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @ken电影 and Instagram @KenMovies76.
