This Is a Cry for Help

by

As a longtime fan of western dramas and someone who has spent countless hours observing the intricacies of character development, I find myself both captivated and perplexed by the recent focus on Travis Wheatley in Yellowstone. It’s not that I don’t appreciate a well-executed horseback ride or a good game of strip poker (who doesn’t, really?), but the sheer volume dedicated to this character leaves me scratching my head.

In the 12th episode of Yellowstone’s fifth season, Travis Wheatley, a character portrayed by Taylor Sheridan who is also a horse trainer, states that John Dutton has died. This intricate mockery towards Yellowstone’s former lead actor Kevin Costner, who played John Dutton, stems from the deterioration of their professional relationship, primarily due to disagreements about who could wear a larger cowboy hat more convincingly (these disagreements were mainly about money and schedules). It might seem that, given this public show of personal hostility, Sheridan would no longer write scenes into his main TV series that could be seen as self-congratulatory victories.

It’s quite extraordinary how Episode 13 showcases Taylor Sheridan’s ability to mythologize himself almost beyond belief. This creative endeavor seems to verge on excessive self-indulgence, bordering on narcissistic, pushing the boundaries of expectation so far that one might wonder, “Is Taylor Sheridan alright? Or is this a hidden plea for help, a manifestation of Sheridan’s suppressed feelings of frustration, insecurity, and unresolved desire for retribution, channeled into a barely veiled work of fiction?

The only way to judge is by examining the evidence. Here, in roughly chronological order, are all the things that happen to Taylor Sheridan’s character Travis in “Give the World Away.”

1.
Bella Hadid is his girlfriend.

It’s uncertain if she’s a fictional character or Bella Hadid herself, given her lack of identification and defining traits beyond her attractiveness and affection for Taylor Sheridan. However, she has been cast as Travis’s girlfriend, tasked with conveying to Beth Dutton why anyone would find him attractive. Beth inquires about his appeal, to which Hadid responds by tilting her head, looking at Travis, and offering a sly grin. “Ever seen him ride before?” she queries. Regrettably, no one follows suit by looking into the camera and winking like Lucille Bluth.

2.
He plays strip poker with his friends.

Initially, instead of displaying an expensive horse to Brazilian buyers as he ought to, he chooses to engage in a game of poker strip, demonstrating his rule-bending behavior. In this setting, shirtless, holding a cigar, and surrounded by admiring men and scantily clad women, he leans against the poker table, jesting about the number of aces on the table. Hadid embraces him affectionately in this scene. A woman, attempting to conceal her bare chest with a cowboy hat, enquires about her cards. “Mackenzie,” Travis responds, “there’s a reason you’re bare, and it’s your skillful hands.” This elicits laughter from the audience.

3.
He rides a horse.

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It’s far from my intention to belittle Sheridan’s horse-riding skills. In fact, managing a horse at such a level seems to necessitate an incredible amount of dedication, patience, and hard work, which is evident in the impressive display of skill and talent on show. I can only imagine the time and effort required to attain that level of mastery – something quite different from, say, writing and producing numerous episodes of television for various series.

4.
He’s a fantastic salesman with a few tricks up his sleeve.

His remarkable horsemanship obviously gets the Brazilian buyers interested in this horse, but Travis is so smart and cheeky that he gets the maintenance crew to act like another party of interested buyers, which convinces the Brazilians to cough up an extra million dollars. He’s so charismatic and effective and good at his job! Of course Bella Hadid is his girlfriend.

5.
But he’s honest.

I wouldn’t worry too much about Travis getting caught up in justice issues, as it turns out, horse pricing at Travis’s party is largely a matter of luck. Perhaps the Brazilians made an unfortunate purchase, but that’s not entirely on Travis. He did his best under the circumstances, and let me tell you, his efforts were truly exceptional.

6.
He has a pool party.

The place is filled with numerous attractive women as well, and there’s a scene where Travis is shown, bare-chested, casually posed by the poolside to show off his toned physique.

7.
He plays strip poker with his work associates.

Instead of merely proposing a single poker game, Travis proposes another round against Beth Dutton not long after she labels him as “such an arrogant jerk it’s almost appealing.” The predicament lies in the fact that Beth desires Travis to return to Yellowstone, so he can showcase his sales abilities at a full auction. However, she refuses to compensate him for his services. Intriguingly, Beth agrees to settle this matter through their poker game, as she admits, “I don’t have anyone else who can do that. I don’t even know someone who can do that.

As an ardent admirer, I can’t help but admit that Travis’s exceptional poker skills often lead to his victories, leaving Beth in dismay. Just when she’s about to remove her bra, he playfully reveals it was all a jest. Despite his mischievous nature, there’s something endearing about him that you can’t help but appreciate!

8.
He makes corn dogs and has a stripper pole in his garage.

This information is shared because he mentions his intention to prepare corn dogs for Beth, followed by a statement about a stripper pole being located in the garage.

9.
He was really cool to Rip one time.

In the second-to-last episode of the season, the critically important Yellowstone ranch finds itself in a perilous state. The death of John Dutton has left everything hanging in the balance. However, after two intense poker scenes, a pool party, a display of Sheridan’s exceptional horse riding skills, and an unexpected focus on Hadid, it seems that the primary concern for Yellowstone is for Rip to narrate to Beth the heartwarming tale of how he and Travis became friends. It turns out that Travis, a remarkably cool individual, defended Rip in a bar brawl while under the influence, made witty comments even as he was being beaten up, and then bravely returned to the bar to retrieve their hats. What a remarkable guy, someone who everyone would want to befriend and admire, despite previously having feelings for another character on the show who is now deceased.

10.
He rides a horse again. Presumably this is helpful for the Duttons, but we don’t see how.

Despite refraining from penning additional dialogues to emphasize Travis’s significance at the auction, Sheridan ensures that Travis performs daring stunts on his horse, such as spinning it in continuous circles, thereby underscoring his importance once more.

Approximately one-third of this episode focuses on Travis Wheatley. What does it all mean? If the horse scenes were the sole focus, it would be Sheridan boasting about his riding skills, which are impressive given previous episodes. If the storyline was solely about Travis helping save Yellowstone Ranch, Sheridan’s actions in the finale might seem overly self-promotional and questionable, but could also be seen as desperate attempts to restore order following the Costner controversy. However, when considering everything together – the horses, the plot, the strip poker game, and the revelation that Bella Hadid is his girlfriend – this is not a trivial subplot. Instead, it appears that Sheridan is in a self-created predicament, and the solution seems to be for everyone to acknowledge that he’s as talented as Kevin Costner.

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2024-12-09 06:55