Yellowstone Just Brought Back A Crucial Dutton Foe

Angela Blue Thunder (played by Q'orianka Kilcher) is back in Yellowstone season 5.

By Charlene Badasie | Published

When Yellowstone season 5 debuted on Paramount, fans were treated to a resurgence of past and new characters that will play an integral part in the ongoing story. But one of them, who viewers have seen since season 3, is not a friend of Dutton’s: Angela Blue Thunder (played by Q’orianka Kilcher) is back, along with her disdain for the protagonist family’s patriarch. However, her feelings are nothing new as the tribal lawyer has always been vocal about her distaste for John Dutton.

Q’orianka Kilcher as Angela Blue Thunder

So when she speaks to Chief Thomas Rainwater and Mo as John Dutton addresses residents as the Governor of Montana, her words remind viewers of her previous warning. Before Yellowstone season 5, Angela knew that John could be trouble, even though Rainwater assured her that he had the upper hand in their long-running card game. But Blue Thunder didn’t believe it then, and she definitely doesn’t trust him now.

“You had a chance to be rid of him, you did nothing and he grew stronger,” she says in a scene from Yellowstone season 5. “It’s the slave rules for you now and it’s your fault,” Angela continues. But shouldering the blame is something Rainwater wasn’t ready for. So he tells Mo they’ve got to watch out for “that one.” While Angela is powerful, she doesn’t manage hurt and anger in the healthiest way. And that volatile behavior makes her more dangerous.

Angela Blue Thunder made her Yellowstone debut in 2020, long before season 5. She was hired by Thomas Rainwater, in an episode called “Going Back to Cali,” to fend off Market Equities, which is not only a threat to Dutton Ranch, but to Broken Rock Reservation. Though she reluctantly agrees to help, her agenda has always been unclear. It will be interesting to see her plans unfold as the new season progresses.

When the fourth installment ended, the ranch survived a militia attack led by Jamie’s biological father, Garrett Randall. Beth married Rip Wheeler after secretly telling a journalist that Market Equities planned to squash a protest with help from the National Guard. Meanwhile, Jamie killed Garrett, which Beth plans to use as blackmail in the future. With John Dutton serving as Governor in Yellowstone season 5, things are sure to become more complicated.

The series first premiered on the Paramount Network in June 2018. Created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, the plot centers on the ranch-owning Dutton family. The story also deals with the conflict with Native reservations, national parks, and land developers. Yellowstone was renewed for season 5 earlier this year and is currently airing in two installments of seven episodes each.

Kevin Costner, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, and Gil Birmingham reprise their roles from previous seasons and will be featured in Yellowstone season 5. Due to its popularity, the series spawned several spin-offs. This included a limited series starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as the first Duttons to settle in Montana. Taylor Sheridan’s 1923 is also set to hit Paramount+ and will follow an earlier generation of the Dutton family with Helen Mirren as family matriarch Cara, who’s married to Jacob Dutton, played by Harrison Ford. The series will be released in December.