Yellowstone fans are unhappy with Travis Wheatley, portrayed by Taylor Sheridan, dedicating a few minutes of the penultimate episode of Season 5 to him. The episode, titled “Give the World Away,” features a few scenes of Wheatley, involving him playing strip poker and his girlfriend’s revelation. After watching the episode, many took to social media to express disappointment, concerning the heavy focus on his character.
Here’s a detailed article on why Sheridan is facing backlash.
Backlash against Taylor Sheridan for Bella Hadid’s Yellowstone casting explained
In the episode, Wheatley’s girlfriend is Sadie, portrayed by Bella Hadid. She shared some scenes with him and Beth (Kelly Reilly). Initially, she is mistaken as a masseuse working for Wheatley, but later, she clarifies that she is his girlfriend.
Moreover, Sadie also reveals that she would never work for a horse trainer. Beth later highlights Wheatley’s “misogynistic” and “condescending” behavior, also questioning how she found him to be a suitable boyfriend. She subsequently replies, “You ever seen him ride before?”
Another scene witnesses Wheatley and Beth playing one-on-one strip poker. Their rules are if Beth wins, Wheatley will help manage cattle and equipment, if she doesn’t, she will strip. She loses and almost takes off her clothes but is quickly stopped by Wheatley. He tells her to hold on as he always wanted to come to the ranch, making Beth angry about his cheesy behavior.
However, Wheatley’s presence for almost 15 minutes in the episode ignited several discussions on the internet, receiving mixed reactions. Some fans believed that this being the penultimate episode, they wanted more of Dutton’s stories rather than Sheridan’s character arc (via Fox News).
Others also found his casting of Hadid as his girlfriend funny while also criticizing Sheridan for being self-centered in writing a dedicated part about his character. Despite the criticism, there were also a few fans who appreciated Sheridan’s acting skills and were happy about him casting Hadid as a guest star.
Originally reported by Shazmeen Navrange on ComingSoon.