5 Essential Yellowstone Episodes to Watch

Welcome to Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. *tips cowboy hat*

Since premiering in 2018, Yellowstone has remained one of the biggest and most popular TV shows, and Peacock has every episode from Season 1 through Season 5 Part 1 available to stream right at your fingertips.   

Written by co-creator Taylor Sheridan, Yellowstone stars Oscar® and Emmy® winner Kevin Costner as patriarch John Dutton, who leads the modern-day Western centered on the Montana ranching family. Between shifting alliances, unsolved murders, and family in-fighting, the Duttons have their hands full as they clash with local government, land developers, and the indigenous people of a nearby Indian reservation over control of their ranchland. 

Don’t have 50 hours to spare or just need a quick refresher on all the drama that’s taken place so far on Yellowstone? Look no further than these five episodes to watch on Peacock.  

1. Daybreak (S1E1) 

It’s never a bad idea to start from the beginning. Yellowstone’s expanded first episode – it’s 92 minutes long! – introduces John Dutton (Costner), head of the Montana ranching family, along with the rest of the series’ key players who factor in significantly as the story unfolds. There are clear adversaries established from the get-go, from billionaire developer Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) to Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham). A violent showdown caps off the gut-wrenching episode, setting up the bloodshed that awaits the Duttons and those in their orbit. 

2. Blood the Boy (S2E6) 

In this Season 2 episode, John (Costner) looks to partner with two businessmen brothers, Malcolm (Neal McDonough) and Teal Beck (Terry Serpico), who don’t exactly have his best interests in mind. Meanwhile, Jamie (Wes Bentley) makes a drastic move to protect the ranch after he’s forced into a corner. It’s a crucial episode that lays bare the complicated father-son relationship between John and Jamie.  

3. Cowboys and Dreamers (S3E5) 

If there’s one Yellowstone dynamic that’s been rife with tension since Day 1, it’s the intense feud between Dutton siblings Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Bentley). Through a series of effective flashbacks, this Season 3 episode reveals how their toxic relationship got so bad, detailing the inciting (and tragic) incident that fueled years of hatred, animosity, and disdain.   

4. Half the Money (S4E1) 

The Duttons are reeling after being under attack – and John’s (Costner) fate is unclear because of the coordinated bloodbath. A significant time jump catches audiences up on how the Duttons have been changed in the aftermath, including a bearded John who survived his ambush, along with the other family members who were in danger. Revenge is the new mission, and the family begins to put this into practice with every move and decision that follows. 

5. A Knife and No Coin (S5E8) 

The Season 5 midseason finale plants the seeds of an impending Dutton civil war. Many cards are put in play: John’s (Costner) run as Montana governor is in peril after calls for impeachment surface and Beth (Reilly) learns the truth behind one of her father’s most devastating secrets. In the middle of all of this, Jamie (Bentley) and Beth’s ruthless fight reaches new levels as they become hell-bent on destroying each other’s lives – the only viable option, they’ve each concluded, is if the other is dead.  

Stream Yellowstone on Peacock.