Costner exited Yellowstone ahead of these final batches of episodes, but it divided the fanbase, especially because it was not as central to the final season as it might have been.
The majority of each episode was devoted to other stories, often featuring the 6666 Ranch in Texas or other tragic events at the titular ranch. Nevertheless, the finale has been praised for how it wrapped everything up, revealing every Yellowstone character's fate and offering a satisfying ending to the Dutton family's saga — even though some characters' endings felt rushed.
15 Colby Was Killed By A Horse
His Death Was As Unnecessary As It Was Tragic
Colby's (Denim Richards) death in Yellowstone season 5, episode 12 was entirely unnecessary. He was trampled to death by an out-of-control horse in the stable while attempting to rescue Carter (Finn Little), who had gotten trapped with the horse while attempting to feed it. Carter ultimately shot the horse after Colby was already dead, but Colby could have done that in the first place rather than trying to play the hero.
The Yellowstone Finale Sets Up Another Character For Taylor Sheridan's 6666 Spinoff
The Yellowstone season 5 finale set up a critical character to Taylor Sheridan's 6666 spinoff series, filling the cast with Dutton cowboys.
This unnecessary death was made even more heartbreaking by the fact that Colby had told Teeter (Jennifer Landon) that he loved her for the first time shortly before his death. Thus, instead of the happy ending that both of these long-time characters deserved, Colby died for no good reason and Teeter was forced to go to Texas and work for Travis (Taylor Sheridan).
14 Beth Kicked Summer Out
Summer Was So Minor She Didn't Need An Ending
Unsurprisingly, after John's death a grieving Beth (Kelly Reilly) ordered Summer (Piper Perabo), the environmental protester that John had befriended and bedded, to leave Montana and never return. Beth never had any love for Summer, who represented everything she hated about outsiders who came to the area and interfered in the cowboy lifestyle without understanding or caring about it, so it was satisfying that she got to take out her rage on this interloper who had aggravated her far too many times.
Still, Summer was not an important enough character for anyone to care about her fate. While it was great that Beth got to unleash her trademark rage on this annoying woman, it would have been far better for her to spend the season getting her revenge on Jamie than waste time with this insignificant character, especially given that there were only six episodes in Yellowstone's final season.
13 Walker Traveled To Parts Unknown (But Might End Up In Texas)
His Loyalty To John Should Have Resulted In A Stronger Ending
Although characters like Walker (Ryan Bingham) had been branded and thus were expected to be loyal to the Yellowstone no matter what they thought of John's decisions, when the ranch was sold, they all said they got other jobs and few of them were given a proper ending. Walker was one of the luckier ones, as he got back together with his girlfriend, Laramie (Hassie Harrison) and they decided to tour the country in her camper.
Ryan Bingham and Hassie Harrison, who played Walker and Laramie, began dating while on set and are currently married in real life.
Walker implied he might eventually make it to the 6666 in Texas, but this ending was too ambiguous. After being branded and forced to remain at the Yellowstone despite wanting to leave, Walker deserved a clearer trajectory for his future career path.
12 John Dutton III Was Murdered
This Was A Strong Exit Story That Was Not Given Enough Attention
The discovery that Yellowstone's John Dutton is dead should have been a powerful story that drove all of the action forward during the final set of episodes. Unfortunately, this strong exit story was not given the attention it deserved and instead, it was given a far lower priority than flashbacks to the past or tragedies like Colby's death. Thus, it did not have nearly the impact it should have, and scenes related to the aftermath of John's death felt rushed and disted.
Yellowstone Season 5 Ending Proves Taylor Sheridan That Kevin Costner Still Has The Last Laugh
The ending of Yellowstone proves that although it is able to continue past his exit, Kevin Costner is still the core of the Taylor Sheridan show.
One egregious example occurred when Colby was killed. Beth had found out that Jamie was going to be arrested soon and told Kayce she would confront him so that he didn't spill any other Dutton family secrets. However, Beth's next scene involved her helping Lloyd pack Colby's things after his death and the confrontation with Jamie did not happen for another three episodes.
11 Teeter Went To Work For Travis
Instead Of A Happy Ending, She Got A Verbally Abusive Boss
If Colby hadn't died, Teeter would have gotten the happy ending she deserved. She and Colby were in love and had finally itted it to each other and they could have gotten the type of ending that Ryan or Walker got with their partners. Instead, Teeter decided that Montana was too full of memories and instead, went to Texas to work for Travis. While this ending could lead to her involvement in a spinoff involving the 6666 ranch, it was far less than she deserved.
The only saving grace here is that Jimmy also works for Travis, so the two of them can one another against his bullying.
Travis took up far too much screentime as it was during Yellowstone season 5, part 2, and his interactions with Teeter during the finale were obnoxious. It was bad enough that he made disparaging comments about her accent when she first asked to work for him; there was no need whatsoever for a final scene in which she arrives in Texas only for him to make fun of the way her voice sounds a second time. The only saving grace here is that Jimmy also works for Travis, so the two of them can one another against his bullying.
10 Monica And Tate Got A Happy Ending
However, They Had No Real Story During The Season
Monica and Tate's happy ending was great, but it wasn't fully earned because the two did not have full stories. Their wrap-up, like their presence during the season, was more or less an extension of what happened for Kayce. Thus, their moving into the house at East Camp and Monica seeing the vision of the wolf too was not as satisfying as it otherwise might have been.
Yellowstone's Gil Birmingham Talks Series Finale, Rainwater Getting The Ranch, Treaty With Kayce, Potential Future & More
Yellowstone star Gil Birmingham breaks down the series finale, Rainwater acquiring the Dutton Ranch, a potential spinoff and Kayce's treaty.
Monica's only function seemed to be to cry happy tears when the family first moved into their new house and tell Tate she was worried when Kayce got involved in avenging John's death and selling the ranch. Conversely, Tate had a few strong scenes such as asking Kayce where John would be buried and itting he had mixed feelings about John. These scenes should have been developed into full stories for Tate and Monica so that their happiness at the end would have been impactful.
9 Sarah Atwood Was Murdered To Keep Her Quiet
This Was An Interesting Plot Thread That Fizzled Out Quickly
Sarah Atwood's (Dawn Olivieri) death made for a shocking cliffhanger, though it was quickly overshadowed in the next episode by Colby's much less compelling one. Sarah was the mastermind behind John's murder and could have used her affair with Jamie as leverage to keep him quiet after he learned what she did — but was killed before she could do so.
A character this evil deserved more of an impact from her grisly ending.
Sarah's murder blocks from Jamie's home implicated him in both her death and John's, yet nothing much happened after she was gunned down. Instead, Jamie panicked for half an episode and shredded some incriminating documents before Sarah's death was mostly forgotten. A character this evil deserved more of an impact from her grisly ending.
8 Ryan Reunited With Abby After Leaving The Ranch
This Was A Sweet Ending For A Relatively Minor Character
Ryan (Ian Cohen) got one of the happiest endings of all the Yellowstone cowboys. He decided to retire from cowboy life so that he could Abby (Lainey Wilson), who was on tour with her band, leaving no open questions about what he was doing next.
Furthermore, Ryan and Abby's heartbreaking breakup happened because Ryan was stuck working for the Yellowstone while Abby was touring the country. Thus, this ending wrapped up that storyline beautifully and gave Ryan and Abby a second chance at love.
7 Senator Perry Was Invited To John’s Funeral
Beth Made Her Peace With Her At Last
The former governor and current senator Lynette Perry (Wendy Moniz) is another woman Beth had no use for, especially when John had an affair with her during Yellowstone season 1. Beth resented Perry's attempt to replace her mother and was determined to get rid of her.
Her [Beth's] extension of an invitation to Perry was a tacit acknowledgment and acceptance of the important role the politician played in John's life.
However, the two women made peace by the end of the series. Beth only wanted those who were close to John to attend the funeral, so her extension of an invitation to Perry was a tacit acknowledgment and acceptance of the important role the politician played in John's life.
6 Lloyd Retired From Cowboy Life
This Was The Perfect Ending For John's Oldest And Most Loyal Employee
Lloyd (Forrie J Smith) is a fan favorite because he exhibits the perfect blend of loyalty, wisdom, and sarcasm. Throughout Yellowstone's five seasons, younger characters often turned to him for advice and everyone from Kayce to Carter respected his opinion. Lloyd was also John's righthand man and took people to the "train station" when they needed to be eliminated permanently.
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The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch secures the loyalty of choice ranch hands through branding, and this results in relationships that resemble family.
Thus, if anyone deserved a perfect ending, it was Lloyd, and his decision to retire from cowboy life out of loyalty to John made the most sense out of all the cowboys' endings. Lloyd had spent his entire life in service to John and the Yellowstone ranch, so he would feel out of place anywhere else. It's sad to contemplate future spinoffs that don't include Lloyd, but he demonstrated his loyalty one last time by hanging up his cowboy hat permanently.
