Yellowstone’s most “insane” character isn’t who you think

Jessica Cullen
Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton in Yellowstone, sitting in a car and leaning back

Yellowstone fans have spoken, and they’re picking out an unexpected character from Taylor Sheridan’s Western drama as the worst of the bunch.

There are plenty of loose cannons in Taylor Sheridan’s TV show. From cowboy hitmen to an entire family that cannot once follow the law, nobody is considered to be a person with good conscience. However, there’s one Yellowstone character who fans have a real hate for, and it’s not one of the main suspects.

In fact, it’s someone who’s not been in the Western series for a very long time; Evelyn Dutton. As the late wife of John and the long-dead mother of the Dutton children, Evelyn is often referred to as a saintly figure. This is particularly evident with John, who often laments about the passing of his wife in moments of vulnerability or stress.

But Evelyn, who died after being thrown from horseback, was not completely innocent. In fact, her harsh treatment of Beth as a child is the reason for the only Dutton daughter’s hatred of those around her. Upon her death, Evelyn told Beth that the accident was her fault. As a result, Beth is damaged in adulthood, and it all comes from Evelyn Dutton unfairly blaming her with her dying words.

Evelyn Dutton in Yellowstone

So, despite Evelyn’s angel status within her family’s memories, Yellowstone fans are more than aware of her negative impact on the Dutton family legacy.

As one Reddit user wrote: “I get that the family with four children always worships the passed away mother, but I bet they would have a lot to say about her parenting and horse riding coaching skills if they would actually be raised up by her till adulthood.”

Others agreed, with another user adding: “Yeah I don’t understand why the family acts like she was a fricking saint. She gave Beth lifelong trauma for something that was completely the mother’s fault.”

“The mom was so insane. Hating her daughter so much she decided to die on that hill,” said another.

“I got the feeling from the mother’s death scene & storyline that the mother was a narcissist and that this — along with a toxic highly narcissistic family dynamic — was the final straw in determining Beth’s character,” said one comment.

“However, in later seasons, they refer to the mother like she was the rock for John, the more emotionally healthy one. But this doesn’t fit for me with what we saw very early on, as they seemed to be as bad as one another.”

For more Yellowstone, check out our guides to Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, the Yellowstone cast, and everything you need to know about 1923 Season 2.

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About The Author

Jessica Cullen is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's previously written for The Digital Fix, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, Slate and more. Aside from being the residential Yellowstone expert, she also loves Westerns, '90s action movies, and true crime. You can email her here: jessica.cullen@dexerto.com.