Yellowstone Fans Question Beth And Kayce's Lack Of Screen Time Together
"Yellowstone" is the kind of series that has consistently built itself out by developing its side characters and gradually revealing new layers to the central cast. Of course, many of the most pivotal characters in Taylor Sheridan's neo-western are members of the Dutton family, who own and run the titular ranch.
Among them are the notoriously prickly Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and the cowboy family man, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). While the two characters have long been among the most important characters on the show and even share the same home, fans have rightly noticed how little time the duo actually spends together on "Yellowstone."
On the r/YellowstonePN subreddit u/FierceDeity88 created a thread to address this odd creative decision and wondered about why it has been so prevalent throughout the five seasons of "Yellowstone." "Assuming it's not a writing issue, I'm not sure why they don't interact more," the user mused. "I can't tell if Kayce cares much about Beth," they went on. "Beth does seem to care about him, [as she was] visibly disturbed when he saw how messed up his face was back in Season 1."
However, the OP went on to point out how little Kayce reacted to Beth's own violent assault in Season 2.
Fans wonder why Beth and Kayce share so little screen time
The user also noted other narrative developments on "Yellowstone" that indicated a strange dynamic between Kayce and Beth Dutton. "She doesn't invite him or Monica (who she has a good relationship with) or Tate to her wedding, and doesn't console him after Monica loses the baby in Season 5." When you consider how important family is to Beth, these oversights do seem a bit strange to consider.
Other users quickly jumped in to agree with the OP's assertion. u/MontanaJoev noted that both Luke Grimes and Kelly Reilly have expressed interest in sharing the screen more as well, but suggested that maybe "Yellowstone" creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan doesn't know how to bring the two very different characters together without offsetting either one.
"I think it's because Sheridan can't figure out how Kayce should react to Beth's histrionics," they said. "It's kind of in his nature to pretty much ignore it, and her. That kind of unnecessary drama just really isn't his thing. So, it would seem, he's content to co-exist but not get sucked into her crazy. And I expect Monica probably feels the same."