About Yellowstone Show and Tell
Post 1313:
So if you’re one of the people that watches TV, maybe you're aware of Yellowstone and its origin stories, 1883 and 1923. They’re super popular, well acted, and better than most series out there. I do have some issues, though. Hey, nothing’s perfect. And I’m kinda pissed they skipped 1903. That was a year. Guess when they were milking this thing they got tired. Maybe they ran out of film.
It all revolves around a family trying to keep their land in Montana, some of the most desired real estate in the world. People want to take it. The only way to keep it and raise cattle is to fight. I know because they say it. They say it a lot. Most of the writing and characters are great, but the show runners feel the need to tell us how precarious it is to own this land. We get it. You’ve shown us. Frigging government feuds, blood feuds, family infighting, wealthy developers—they’re all a constant threat. They do threatening things. We don’t need to be told.
I’m not some sage writer with all the answers. Showing and telling can be good or bad. There’s no perfect formula. Just, we get it. You have one of the biggest ranches in the country and somehow the whole thing is an episode away from dissolving into the ether.
I hate to do this but I’m going to be a prick and say that there’s a little too much showing at times. Long sequences of guys doing horse stuff and cow stuff with country music playing in the background. This isn’t worthless, mind you. It shows us what ranching is like. It establishes setting and mood. Great. Too much though, and it feels like filler. If you’re trying to make me wish I was in Montana, job done.
When I’m writing, I try to keep it in balance. Dialogue, action, setting the scene, description—you need all of it. Too much of anything spoils the soup.
Then again, I could be wrong on this one. Tons of establishing shots and telling us the theme of the story a whole bunch might just be the formula. Seems to be making these folks mad cash. Maybe it’s the horses. I wrote a western myself, but it isn’t as popular as Yellowstone. I probably didn’t tell people the theme enough. I’ll do better next time.
Cheers and see you after.
