As a long-time fan of Taylor Sheridan‘s work, I must say that this man is truly living his dream! His recent foray into acting as Travis Wheatley on Yellowstone has been nothing short of impressive. But it’s not just his acting skills that are on display – it seems like every week, we fans get a sneak peek into Sheridan’s real-life passions.
Taylor Sheridan has been super generous to Taylor Sheridan on Yellowstone recently.
In the series, the co-creator and showrunner takes on the role of Travis Wheatley, a horseman and trainer. This character has had minor appearances before, often seen riding a horse while conducting business with ranch hands on his Paramount Network hit show. However, in the final season, Travis’s part is more substantial than expected. Moreover, Sunday’s episode presented Travis in the most favorable light possible within the Yellowstone creative universe.
The scenario unfolds as Travis initiates a strip poker match involving three charming young ladies, each dressed in varying degrees of attire (naturally, Travis holds the lead). However, it’s later disclosed that one of these women is none other than Travis’ girlfriend, portrayed by renowned supermodel Bella Hadid.
Beth Dutton, the beloved hard-edged character played by Kelly Reilly, confronts Travis about breaching workplace harassment regulations. She candidly declares that she’d prefer an uncomfortable situation like receiving a gasoline enema over participating in his schemes.
In the following scene, Beth and Hadid’s character find themselves in a rodeo setting, where they observe Travis display his exceptional equestrian talents. Beth then confides in Hadid, saying, “He’s likely the most arrogant person I’ve ever encountered. Misogynistic, condescending, and older than you by twenty-five years. Could you enlighten me on why he’s appealing?” In response, Hadid muses, “Have you witnessed his horse-riding before?” The scene continues with shots of Sheridan/Travis masterfully maneuvering a horse, leaving Beth to acknowledge, “Alright, I see what you mean.
For Hadid, this feeling resonates with her everyday experiences – she’s currently in a relationship with equestrian champion Adan Banuelos and has been immersed in the bustling rodeo environment of Fort Worth quite extensively lately.
In the next sequence, muscular and bare-chested Travis is seen enjoying a pool party with attractive females. He entices Beth into a private game of strip poker. Unsurprisingly, Travis emerges victorious once more – even though he avoids making Beth feel embarrassed by asking her to disrobe. (This comes after Travis showcased his physique in another series on Paramount+, titled Lioness, where he portrays CIA operative Cody Spears).
In the last episode, Sheridan had a unique promotional moment when he visited a hotel bar in Amarillo. Beth requested a Tito’s and soda, but the bartender informed her that only Four Sixes brand vodka was served in this cowboy town. This vodka is actually owned by Sheridan’s spirits company, named after the massive 277,000-acre Texas ranch he purchased in 2022. The bartender then suggested “Sixes and soda,” which sounded like an attempt to make this drink order trendy (although it does sound quite catchy). Beth was impressed by the cocktail, much like she is with Sheridan’s horse riding skills, as it served as a subtle advertisement for the writer-producer’s spirits company. By the way, that bar is the real-life Paramount Recreation Club in The Barfield, and according to their current menu, they do indeed serve Tito’s.
Summarizing this, we find that over the past two episodes, Yellowstone seems to be subtly highlighting or implying some remarkable traits about its character John Dutton (Sheridan), the owner of Four Sixes spirits brand. He’s a skilled equestrian, a formidable poker player, and has an impressive physique at 54 years old. Despite being portrayed as somewhat arrogant and misogynistic, he continues to garner affection from many female characters in the series. Remarkably, even Beth Dutton, who typically leaves a trail of destroyed men across her path (except for her husband Rip and a few family members), seems to hold him in high regard. This phenomenon could be referred to as the “Supporting Character Syndrome,” where a character with multiple appealing traits captivates audiences despite less screen time compared to the main characters.
This action is quite daring, without a doubt. It’s as if the creator Shonda Rhimes decided to play the role of the world’s top surgeon on Grey’s Anatomy, then began romantically pursuing Derek Shepherd during a brain operation, immediately following Meredith Grey’s praise for an authentic Shonda Rhimes line of healthcare products.
In a fascinating twist from earlier this season regarding Travis and John Dutton (Kevin Costner), Sheridan provided an intriguing scene last week where he informed Travis about Dutton’s supposed demise. Considering the rumors of off-screen disagreements between Sheridan and Costner, which ultimately led to Costner departing and being written off the show, Travis’ nonchalant “Oh really? What happened?” response to learning about Dutton’s murder was quite bizarre. Essentially, this writer who supposedly “killed” John Dutton on screen seemed genuinely surprised by the character assassination he orchestrated.
Christina Voros, executive producer and episode director for several season 5B episodes, shared with The Hollywood Reporter last week that the meta-quality of the scene didn’t raise any questions because it felt very authentic to her. She explained that the sequence of events just seemed logical. Jimmy (Jefferson White) is now working under Travis, and their storyline unfolds at the Four Sixes ranch, where Travis discovers John Dutton’s demise. What particularly stood out to Voros in this scene was the portrayal of how John’s death was impacting… the collective weight of grief and powerlessness.
The final episode of “Yellowstone” will be broadcast next Sunday, with speculations running high that it will conclude in a manner that paves the way for a subsequent series, given the ongoing discussions between Reilly and Hauser regarding a potential sixth season.
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Yellowstone releases its finale next Sunday at 8 p.m. on Paramount Network, followed by a linear premiere on CBS at 10 p.m. Head here for how to stream Yellowstone and follow along with THR‘s season 5B coverage.
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2024-12-09 05:25