We like “Yellowstone.” Big fans, including the recently completed 8-episode first half of the 5th season. In fact, I think most everyone here at Pulltab Sports would be open to starting a cultlike relationship with “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan similar to the one Tom Brady has with his TB12 trainer. That’s right, full disclosure we’re completely open to giving Taylor Sheridan even more control of our lives than he already has. If Mr. Sheridan wants to teach us how to ride horses, or be better lovers, or start his own church, or show us what we should and shouldn’t eat, we’re into it. Actually, maybe he’s already doing that now.

Ever since Beth Dutton was sitting in a bathtub outside the Dutton Ranch Season 1, we knew “Yellowstone” would be different. In Taylor Sheridan, America had found Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing,” “A Few Good Men”) in a Stetson. Sheridan surprised us weekly with his words, restoring water cooler TV in the process. Not to mention, “Yellowstone” had more in common with “Dynasty” or “Dallas” than it did anything we’d seen recently. Long way of saying we’re enjoying the ride, and it appears so is America as the ratings for “Yellowstone”’ continue to soar and the show has even started winning awards, leaving Sheridan to crank out a string of successful prequels and spinoffs.

While Taylor Sheridan is close, the truth is no one is perfect. Which is why we’re going to cast the first few Yellowstones, lobbing up a few constructive criticisms, a few questions, and ideas to keep America’s favorite TV show on top. And while the Dutton’s aren’t big on progress, these 6 tips would keep “Yellowstone” moving forward:

1) Embrace the Western. It’s okay to be boring. boredom builds!

Taylor Sheridan has made it clear he wants to save the American West, so it’s probably safe to say he considers “Yellowstone” a Western. But this is truly a dividing line for fans of “Yellowstone.” On one side we have the people who want action all the time, effectively turning “Yellowstone” into the soap opera it’s been at times. On the other side, we have the people that are more than happy to set down the remote, pour themselves two fingers of bourbon, and watch extended pastoral sequences of cattle drives and horse branding.

It's our belief that for “Yellowstone” to stand the test of time, it’s critical that things slowdown occasionally. Just like a good book, there should be episodes were there isn’t much happening at all. Instead, we’re just carefully moving the chess pieces around the board and setting things up. After all, won’t it be far more satisfying to watch Rip screaming up the highway from Texas when Beth finally presses the nuclear button revealing to him that Jamie killed their unborn child, making her infertile in the process? This drama will be a lot more satisfying after we’ve slowed things down letting Rip simmer down in Texas for a few episodes allowing the drama to cook up real nice in the crock pot.

Besides, a good slow, pastoral Western is also a thing of beauty. Taylor Sheridan seems to know this too as he’s not afraid to put long stretches of the show together without dialogue where we just see cowboys doing cowboy things with cowboy music playing over it. This branding sequence with Zach Bryan music over the top is a great recent example.

It’s almost as if Taylor Sheridan is saying, “this is good for you. Just watch.” He’s giving America its medicine.

2) Please send Monica and Tate to the Train Station . . .

Is there any bigger buzzkill than the Monica & Kayce storyline on “Yellowstone?” Sheridan should play a sad trombone every time “Debbie Downer” Monica comes on screen. Somehow, we’ve taken John Dutton’s military trained, Pat Tillman caliber action hero of a son and handcuffed him with an endless stream of grief.

You could make a drinking game out of the Kayce and Monica storyline. And with bingo squares that would read BABY FUNERAL and SCARY HALLUCINATIONS and HIDDEN MESSAGE FROM WOLF . . .you know this Kayce & Monica storyline is a glutton for punishment.

Good news, it’s an easy fix. And we think Taylor Sheridan is on board. It’s well-known Kayce’s vision quest told him he had to make “a choice” or something bad would happen to his family. Now that Kayce has returned home effectively “choosing” the Dutton ranch, don’t be surprised if Monica and Tate somehow perish next summer, leaving Kayce to wipe away his tears and return to prominence as a character. This sad sack storyline has had Kayce Dutton living a bad dream for far too long, and it’s time to wake him up. Kayce, a former Navy SEAL who can kill a bear with his bare hands and a spiritual specialist has been reduced to a guy who can’t make a decision if it goes against his hallucinations. What’s happened to our boy!?

If you watched “Yellowstone” from the beginning, you remember a time when Kayce was a trusted Dutton force. He was the son who did the things that needed to be done. Several seasons later Rip and Beth could have their own spinoff show, and Kayce has been reduced to a sad shell of himself.

Can we please bring this guy back.

It will be addition from subtraction if Sheridan decides to pour Monica and Tate a glass of warm milk and read them “Goodnight Moon” on the way to the train station. John Dutton needs Kayce back, and so do the viewers. Don’t be surprised to see Monica and Tate snuffed out here sometime soon so Kayce can get back to being Kayce.

3) The Flashbacks Are Hard Enough. Did Young Rip Really Need to Look Exactly Like Finn?

Between the string of “Yellowstone” prequels, and the constant flashbacks throughout the show—the creators didn’t do us any favors having the Young Rip that appears in flashbacks look nearly identical to the actor who plays Finn in the current season. We can only assume that some of this was just a bad break as the actor who plays Finn matured a ton between seasons. But it sure is confusing to have those two characters be mirror images of each other as we flip around the timeline. I’ve heard stories of mothers who had twins, and how they used a Sharpie to mark their arms to help tell them apart. Maybe that’s why Sheridan had Finn break his arm. Either way, for sure most of America has mixed up Young Rip with Finn at various points this season. They’re way, way too close. It’s like they’re deliberately messing with us at this point.

4) Let’s Increase the Body Count!

Just because we said we like a little boring, doesn’t mean we don’t want some blood. The West is violent, and the Dutton’s haven’t protected what they have without getting plenty of blood on their hands doling out quite a few one-way tickets to the train station. Don’t get us wrong, Beth and Rip have a relationship that most would envy, but if we’re choosing between the endless and exhausting back stories on how our favorite couple was developed, we’d opt for more, good old-fashioned revenge. It’s not every prime-time program you can stamp your Tecovas and shout, “Where is the killing!” And, you know what, you wouldn’t be wrong.

5) More Bunkhouse, please!

Just like a great hockey team, the “glue guys” and “glue girls” of the “Yellowstone” squad all live in the bunkhouse. We’d be down for triple the amount of card playing, barrel racers poking their heads out of bunk beds and showers, Walker guitar playing, and the occasional fistfight or two. This is what happens in the bunkhouse, and more bunkhouse is more better.

The Dutton ranch is like Buckingham Palace, and with it comes a whole different sense of obligations. Every now and then we’d prefer to stop worrying about the Dutton crown, and just mosey on down to the bunkhouse for a little hold ‘em and a few yellow jackets.

6) Alarm Clocks and Texas Vs. Montana

One question “Yellowstone” must bring to mind for even the passive viewer, is how do these cowboys and cowgirls drink and sleep the way they do, yet somehow everyone is miraculously ready to go at 4am, when any normal person would be dead. I’m not sure what these folks are putting in their cowboy coffee, but it must be strong. Would it kill ya Taylor Sheridan to show us just one hungover cowboy, just one! Let us know they’re human.

The current half season also made us wonder if “Yellowstone” now has the equivalent of a TV quarterback controversy? With Rip headed to Texas, and Jimmy already sent to the Four Sixes to become a man—we’re on the verge of a Big Sky versus Big 12 smackdown. There can only be one alpha male in Dutton World, so how come John Dutton keeps sending people to Texas to get tough? Do the Four Sixes cowboys think the Yellowstone crew is soft? And, if so, why in the world haven’t we had the Four Sixes spinoff show, because those must be some tough ass cowboys.

In summary, thank you Taylor Sheridan. You are a gift, and we thank you for your gifts. That said, someone had to cast the first Yellowstone—why not us? Constructive criticism just makes you better. We look forward to the second half of season five this summer. And if you want us to drive Monica and Tate to the train station, you know where to find us.