Yellowstone prequel 1923 airs on Sundays on Paramount Plus and the latest outing included a challenging scene involving Donald Whitfield (played by Timothy Dalton) and sex worker Lindy (Madison Elise Rogers).

During a particularly sadistic moment, Donald encouraged Lindy to inflict pain on newly-recruited worker Mabel (Virginia Gardner).

Viewers took to YouTube to share their thoughts, with @ehickey1202 sharing: “I feel violated. I am ashamed to even tell anyone I watch the show.”

Donald’s actions have become more disturbing as the series continues and Billy Dukes from Taste of Country felt the latest scene had “gone too far”.

He shared: “Episode 6, ‘The Mountain Teeth of Monsters’, went too far. I’m not going to describe what happened in any detail (a bed and a pillory was involved), and I certainly won’t justify it.

“There simply had to be another way — a better way — to illustrate how cruel and perverse this man is.

“Had the action simply been left to our imaginations, instead of shoved down our throats, we may not even be here.”

Lindy actress Madison Elise Rogers admitted she was equally shocked when she first read the script, saying she “wasn’t expecting any of it”.

Speaking on the Pop Culture Unplugged podcast, she said: “She’s going through such a big transformation because she’s being brainwashed and the stakes are just very high.”

“I think there’s a big power dynamic,” she said of Whitfield, noting how his ability to brainwash Lindy shows just how powerful he is.

“She, I think, has kind of leaned into this relationship with (Whitfield) because … I don’t know what else she would do.”

Lindy was tasked with recruiting Mabel following the death of the previous resident sex worker. When Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) walked in on Donald instructing Lindy to hurt Mabel, he said: “That’s someone’s daughter.”

“That she is,” Whitfield agreed placidly, before adding “and if her mother were here, I’d do the same to her”.