Though “Yellowstone” has grown into a genuine phenomenon over the course of its five-season run, many fans will recall that Season 1 of Taylor Sheridan’s neo-western wasn’t nearly as well-received by critics as later runs. Even so, though there has been no shortage of praise for “Yellowstone,” only Season 3 of the series has had a perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
That’s right, Season 3 of “Yellowstone” holds the lofty distinction of having a perfect 100% score on the review aggregate site. So what sets Season 3 apart from the other four seasons? Well, it might just be that the series had truly hit its stride at this point in the story and that it was pretty much firing on all cylinders as a result.
A charismatic new threat is introduced in the form of Roarke (Josh Holloway), and the pasts of characters like John Dutton (Kevin Costner), Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), and Walker (Ryan Bingham) begin to catch up with them. Even with all of these stories keeping viewers enraptured, it’s ultimately how well they’re balanced out with more serene and calming aspects that makes Season 3 such a hit among critics and fans alike.
Season 3 also has the most memorable ending of Yellowstone
Though many real-life ranchers have blasted Taylor Sheridan for the way ranch life in Montana has been depicted on “Yellowstone,” there’s no doubt that the crime and conflict at the heart of the series help to keep fans coming back for more. In fact, it’s a string of explosive and bloody assassination attempts on the Dutton family that most fans will remember from Season 3.
While the implication that Jamie is responsible for the attacks is eventually proven to be false, the end of “Yellowstone” Season 3 has major ramifications for the series going forward. “‘Yellowstone,’ like many good westerns, combines gritty action with the dreamy landscapes of America’s lush frontiers,” wrote Alci Rengifo of Entertainment Voice in 2020. “Yet in its subtexts, it also has a few notable ideas.”
Still, other critics appreciated the quieter parts of ranch life, as depicted in the camp that the Duttons set up away from civilization for much of “Yellowstone” Season 3. “It’s been a quiet season, and honestly, that’s the way I like it,” wrote Dustin Rowles of Pajiba. “Yellowstone is best when it bathes in a mood, and the mood of this season is of a rattlesnake quietly slithering through the desert.”
Even if the genre of westerns may not be for everyone, “Yellowstone” shows that there is still some staying power for television series that invoke the best of them. Furthermore, considering how successful the series’ various spin-offs have been, there may be more of an appetite for these kinds of stories than ever.