This article contains spoilers for “Marshals” episode 1, “Piya Wiconi.”
One of the biggest unanswered questions from “Yellowstone” (*cough* plot holes *cough*) pertains to the bomb on the plane. To sum it up, Kayce Dutton plants a bomb on the evil Beck brothers’ aircraft in a season 2 episode … then nothing ever comes of it. Did it explode? What happened? Are we supposed to forget about it? Yikes. What’s more, the storyline also chronicles Kayce’s mission to save his kidnapped son from the clutches of the villains. Therefore, it’s quite interesting that “Marshals” episode 1 sees Kayce embark on a mission that’s reminiscent of his season 2 adventures.
In “Marshals” episode 1, Kayce is out to save another child from the hands of wrongdoers, only this time, it’s connected to a conspiracy against the Broken Skull Reservation. Like the aforementioned “Yellowstone” storyline, it requires him to locate and find the baddies, culminating with him shooting one of the guilty parties to save the kid. There aren’t any explosives involved, but the nature of the mission makes it impossible not to think about Kayce’s old bomb stunt.
Given that “1923” repurposes a hated “Yellowstone” storyline, it wouldn’t be surprising if the “Marshals'” callback was intentional on the writers’ part. After all, the “Yellowstone” franchise is no stranger to repetition, as evidenced by all the times it’s killed off major romantic pairings. Still, “Marshals” kicking off with a plot that reminds viewers of such a baffling creative decision on “Yellowstone” is a questionable storytelling move.
Yellowstone’s bomb blunder is the subject of ridicule from fans
Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” is full of wild and ridiculous moments, ranging from bulls invading bars to cowboys telling their lovers about throwing daddy’s bones out of the window of a speeding vehicle. Some of them are intentionally ludicrous, while others stem from plot holes that ignite ridicule from fans. The bomb plot hole in season 2 lives in infamy, often cited as one of the series’ most glaring blunders. As one Redditor joked about the plot hole:
“The writers thought it would be super cool to blow up a plane. Taylor agreed and let them start the plan. An accountant pointed out how freaking expensive that would be. Kayce went all Kayce on the Becks instead for $20 in blanks.”
Of course, it’s worth noting that “Marshals” episode 1’s similarities with “Yellowstone” can’t be blamed entirely on Sheridan. The series was created by Spencer Hudnut and other scribes, with Sheridan being less hands-on with this project. The first episode is also fairly tight story-wise, unlike the “Yellowstone” caper that features the infamous plot hole. That said, any time a show from this franchise features a kidnapping angle, it conjures memories of the bomb. It’s gonna take a while to make us forget.
