'Yellowstone' Recap: 'Winter'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It’s rare when an advertising campaign truly lives up to the hype, but BBC America’s One Amazing Summer has done just that thanks to the magnificent documentaries about our world that the network has put on display for all of us. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and with September upon us, summer is quickly coming to a close. But, that won’t stop this network from fitting in one last documentary for all of us to enjoy before the temperature cools and the leaves change and as it turns out, the network picked the perfect place to bid farewell to summer and prepare all of us for the forthcoming cold by taking us into the heart of an American paradise in Yellowstone.
 
Yes, this incredible National Park, one that boasts all kinds of wildlife and beauty will be our proverbial home away from home on television for the next three weeks as we explore this unique part of the North American wilderness and well, it didn’t take long for me to find myself utterly fascinated by this story since it was inherently clear early on, that this is going to be a different kind of documentary about the park, since this series is going to focus heavily on life within the park, and take us on a journey alongside the incredible wildlife that lives here and I also made mention of the fact that it is preparing us for the cold season to come and it accomplished that, by focusing this opening chapter on ‘Winter’.
 
If anything, focusing on a season, and how life functions during said season ended up being a magnificent way to kick off this series for several reasons. For starters, it provided us with some downright breathtaking visuals. Because truly, Yellowstone is transformed into a work of living art once the snow begins to fall, with fields, and rivers and lakes that glimmer and shine in both day and night thanks to the massive amounts of snow that cover all of those things in the dead of winter and kudos to the network for capturing images that instantly draw you into a harrowing story of survival wherein life actually does find a way to thrive in the midst of winters that can get to 40 degrees below centigrade and Fahrenheit and that’s just downright incredible to say the least.
 
Which brings us to the best part of the documentary, the learning. Because by taking us into the daily lives of the Druid Wolf Pack, and the Bison that roam free in this wonderland, the facts were able to wash over us, like how exactly the winters get so cold here, which is related to the fact that all the volcanic activity beneath the park has raised it higher and higher, allowing for that cold air to settle gently into the basin that Yellowstone resides within and more importantly, we came to learn how life survives these brutal winters. In fact, I didn’t know that Otters were a staple of this part of the world, but they are and like every animal present in Yellowstone, they know exactly where to go to find warmth and food, courtesy of the geothermic activity that doesn’t answer to extreme temperatures.
 
A day after watching this one however, it’s the sheer beauty that I was privy to in this tale that still echoes in my mind because my goodness, there are so many incredible sights to see in this place and the hauntingly beautiful images present in this particular tale, have me hungry for more. Especially now that I am armed with the knowledge that summer is up next on the agenda for this documentary and well, once again, BBC America has hit it out of the park when it comes to stories about our world. Because Yellowstone’s premiere was stunning to say the least and thanks to this breathtaking premiere, I’ll be anxiously awaiting next week’s episode to learn more about this beautiful place and the majestic creatures that roam it. Until next time. 

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