Marshals Season 1 Blu-ray Review
“Marshals” is a low point in the “Yellowstone” franchise.
Created by Spencer Hudnut (who is also the showrunner), “Marshals” is a spin-off of the hit series “Yellowstone.” The 13 episode debut season revolves around former US Navy SEAL turned rancher Kayce Dutton who is now raising his son Tate alone in Montana after losing his wife Monica. After being approached by a fellow Navy SEAL (Cal), Kayce decides to join a U.S. Marshal team that includes Belle, Andrea and Miles. Throughout the series, the Marshals take on cases involving militia, domestic terrorists, missing persons, human traffickers, fugitives and escaped prisoners, and protection duties. Other key plotlines involve Broken Rock, Kayce and Cal’s past, and kidnappings.
For those expecting “Marshals” to be on the level of a “Dutton Ranch,” it’s not. It feels less like an extension of “Yellowstone” and more like a CBS procedural with Kayce embarking on a case of the week with some ongoing story arcs being spread across the show. The show desperately misses the voice of Taylor Sheridan who isn’t involved in this series creatively at all. Sure, you get some “Yellowstone” connections here particularly with the inclusion of Thomas Rainwater (played by the great Gil Birmingham), but it’s not enough.
The biggest problem here is the creative decision to kill off Monica. After following Kayce, Monica and Tate all through “Yellowstone,” it feels like an absolute slap in the face to write her out of the show. Why bother even making the show without the family unit that fans were invested in? No disrespect to Luke Grimes, but Kayce is one of the least interesting characters in “Yellowstone” and making a show about him was already an odd choice. Without Monica present, “Marshals” loses so many storytelling and character opportunities. Seeing Kayce adjust to life without her and adjusting to a new job just isn’t enough to make “Marshals” feel like anything more than a forced cash-in on the “Yellowstone” brand. Sure, you get some insight into Kayce’s past with the inclusion of Cal (played by the best new cast member here in Logan Marshall-Green), but none of it makes you want to tune in for future episodes unless you are a “Yellowstone” completest.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.00:1 1080p. How does it look? This is the best the show has looked. Pristine episode transfers all around.
Audio Track: Dolby TrueHD 5.1. How does it sound? The 5.1 track hits all the right notes.
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