SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the Season 5, Episode 14 episode of “Yellowstone,” “Life Is a Promise” which premiered Sunday, Dec. 15 on Paramount Network.
Even if Paramount Network isn’t calling it the series finale, Sunday’s “Yellowstone” episode certainly felt like the end of the show fans have known for five seasons.
Coming in the wake of last week’s fire sale of nearly everything on the ranch, the series’ wandering souls were left adrift.
There were some goodbyes early on, as Jimmy (Jefferson White), Mia (Eden Brolin) and Travis (Taylor Sheridan) headed back home to the 6666 in Texas, with Teeter (Jen Landon) promising to come down in a week looking for work. Walker (Ryan Bingham) says he’s going to follow his rodeo champ girlfriend around the circuit. Beth announces she bought a ranch outside of Dillion — far away from tourists and airports — for her to live with Rip. Rip offers Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) a job on their new ranch, but he declines, saying he needs to find himself.
Meanwhile, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) prepare for the funeral of her father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner). At the same time, Kayce (Luke Grimes) tells Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) of his plan from the end of the last episode, specifically to let the Broken Rock Reservation buy the Yellowstone for $1.25 an acre, as it was sold to the Duttons originally.
It’s a nice moment, as Chief Rainwater and John Dutton were always the men most concerned with keeping the land pristine, and given how their conflicts in the past were always mild, it’s a sensible partnership. Additionally, Kayce works out a deal to keep his small ranch with Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and Tate (Brecken Merrill), which is a sweet touch.
Cut to everyone on the ranch preparing for John’s burial — and the metaphorical funeral of the Yellowstone itself. Jamie (Wes Bentley) spends the time prepping for how he’s going to start an investigation into both John and Sarah’s (Dawn Olivieri) murders, hoping to wiggle out of any political repercussions, as was discussed in the previous episode.
The funeral was classy and small, with Beth promising retribution to John’s coffin, and then Rip burying it himself and saying he’ll take care of Beth. Of course, immediately after, Beth tears off in her car, armed with bear spray and a big ol’ knife.
After sneaking up on Jamie at his house, Beth and her estranged brother have a bloody, knockdown brawl. It looks like Jamie might choke Beth to death, only for Rip to interrupt, grab him and free up Beth to deliver a fatal stab wound to Jamie. Farewell, Jamie — your scheming always kept things interesting!
Rip and Lloyd take one more trip to the Train Station with Jamie’s body as Beth promises to work with the police to tie him to both John and Sarah’s murders.
As things wrap up, cowboy Ryan (Ian Bohen) apologizes to country star Abby (Lainey Wilson) and heads off with her for life on the road. Rip walks through the empty grounds of the ranch, shutting the door on the bunkhouse, while Beth surveys the big, empty main house one more time with Kayce.
As the episode ends, the tribe takes over the land and starts to remove the Dutton signage, while preserving the graveyard. The closing voiceover is from Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), their ancestor who appeared in prequel series “1883” and “1923,” as Kayce’s family starts ranching on their own terms, as does Rip and Carter (Finn Little) on their land with Beth.
As for the future of the show? Just this week Reilly and Hauser signed up for a new spinoff of the series, so it’s clear “Yellowstone” will return — even if it’s in a different capacity.
Happy trails, “Yellowstone” fans!