The show starts with Beth acting tough again in the most stupid ways and reasons. She runs her mouth, but her character has yet to show why she has power or clout. Just a trashy character
The indentured service hands get into a fight. One gets a knife to the heart about 4 inches deep. Then the next scene it's in his clavicle and still looks critical. Then the next morning they brawl one in one for an hour as if they were prized fighters and zero believable aspect that the one had a knife to the chest the night before.
My takeaway is these guys are ranch slaves. Without saying the word, they are treated like it. Like Roman gladiators they are to work for the man in charge, their lives, pleasures, aspiration are forfeit. They are even branded like cattle with the owners stamp
Beyond giving RIP a wife, almost no ranch hands have been given any meaningful backstory, trial, development. And if it is, it is really as a dialogue to show how Costner and RIP are tough guys with huge egos.
The only exception to this is the young cowboy sent to the 6666. He seems to have several beginnings if a story arch, but poor writing (or lack thereof) does not finish it in any meaningful way each time. So it leaves me with the only plot this show has is, cowboys workethic and egos can WILL away anything because they are just that tough. Gun shots, knife wounds to the heart, broken spine, criminal acts in public....it can all just be willed away.
