Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, “Life Is a Promise.”
The Yellowstone season 5 finale feels like a series finale (even though Paramount Network didn’t market it as one), featuring full-circle moments, a fulfilled prophecy, death, new beginnings, and more. Taylor Sheridan’s popular neo-Western drama premiered in 2018 and has been a hit ever since. However, all good things must come to an end, especially when they start to lose their magic. Consequently, Yellowstone has (supposedly) come to an end following season 5, episode 14, “Life Is a Promise,” but that doesn’t mean the Dutton family and their stories are gone forever.
Following the reveal of Kayce’s secret plan in Yellowstone season 5, episode 13, the finale addresses the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch’s fate, along with all the characters’ endings. Kayce’s idea works, saving the ranch by keeping it out of the hands of greedy corporations and finding someone who will care for the land. Unfortunately, that means the family and the ranch hands must leave and set off on different paths. By the end of “Life Is a Promise,” each Yellowstone character has a new purpose, for better or worse.
Why Kayce Sells The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch To Chief Rainwater (But Keeps His Family’s Home)
Yellowstone’s Ending Fulfills 1883’s Prophecy
As teased at the end of Yellowstone season 5, episode 13, Kayce approaches Chief Thomas Rainwater with a proposition — he will sell the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to the chief and his tribe for what it cost when the Dutton’s ancestors took it; $1.25 per acre. It’s a steal, frankly, and that’s the point. Kayce and Beth have to sell the land because they can’t afford the inheritance tax, and neither can the members of the Broken Rock Reservation. However, if Chief Rainwater buys it for a small sum, the tax will be based on what he paid for it.
With the tax decrease, Chief Rainwater can afford to purchase the ranch, and he unsurprisingly jumps at the opportunity. While it’s sad to let the ranch go (well, not so much for Kayce), the Duttons know that it’s in good hands as Chief Rainwater and his people will care for it. The land won’t be taken over by wealthy corporations looking to build shopping centers, resorts, etc. Plus, Kayce makes sure that he and his family can keep their home at East Camp as a part of the deal.
Spotted Eagle said, “In seven generations my people will rise up and take it back from you,” and that is exactly what happens during the Yellowstone season 5 finale.
With the sale, Yellowstone‘s story has come full circle. As some may recall, 1883 ended with a prophecy — Spotted Eagle told James Dutton that his people would take back the land one day. Specifically, Spotted Eagle said, “In seven generations my people will rise up and take it back from you,” and that is exactly what happens during the Yellowstone season 5 finale.
Why Beth Kills Jamie & How She Gets Away With His Murder
Rip & Lloyd Take Jamie To The Train Station
The other big moment of Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, is when Beth kills Jamie, which many predicted would happen before the finale’s premiere. The sibling rivalry between Beth and Jamie has been brewing for years, and it finally comes to a head in “Life Is a Promise.” Both vow that they will kill the other, but Beth comes out on top.
Following John’s funeral, Beth’s need for vengeance consumes her. She knows that Jamie had something to do with their father’s death, so, she grabs bear spray and a knife and goes to Jamie’s house. When he gets home, Beth attacks him. Jamie manages to get the upper hand, even after Beth hits him in the eyes with the bear spray. Then, when Beth informs Jamie that they sold the ranch, rage engulfs Jamie, and he starts choking Beth. Rip arrives, though, saving Beth. While Rip holds Jamie, Beth stabs him in the gut and makes sure that her face is the last thing he sees.
After Jamie dies, Rip and Lloyd take his body to the train station in Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, and drive his car to Idaho, where they light it on fire and abandon it.
Beth avenges her father, just like she promised. She hated Jamie ever since he had her sterilized without her consent when she was a teenager. So, John’s death gives Beth all the ammunition she needs to finally kill her brother. After Jamie dies, Rip and Lloyd take his body to the train station in Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, and drive his car to Idaho, where they light it on fire and abandon it. Meanwhile, Beth is taken to the hospital for her injuries and tells the police that Jamie attacked her and fled. They seemingly believe her, and Beth gets away with murder.
Where Do Beth & Rip Go After Leaving The Ranch?
The Couple Stays In Montana
At the beginning of the Yellowstone series finale, Beth tells Rip that she bought property in Dillon, Montana. She knew that Kayce’s pitch to Chief Rainwater would work, meaning she had to find a new home for herself, her husband, and Carter (their adopted son who they technically haven’t adopted). Beth wanted a place far from tourists where they could build a new ranch, and Dillon was the best option.
During the episode’s final moments, Beth, Rip, and Carter get situated in their Dillon home, which is two hours from the Yellowstone. The three of them start a new life there, leaving their old one behind. Although they get a happy ending, Beth and Rip’s story will continue in a Yellowstone spinoff, assumingly taking place in Dillon. Carter’s return is unknown as of the writing of this article. However, Deadline reported that more familiar faces will appear in the spinoff, suggesting Finn Little might reprise his role as Carter in the cast.
Every Ranch Hand’s Fate In Yellowstone’s Finale Explained
Travis Hires Teeter
Since the Duttons leave the Yellowstone during the Yellowstone season 5 finale, so do the ranch hands. Most of them find work elsewhere, while others seemingly retire or keep their options open. After Colby’s death in Yellowstone season 5, episode 12, Teeter wants to get out of Montana. So, she sets her sights on Texas. Teeter asks Travis for a job at Bosque Ranch, which he grants her, but on one condition — she must lose her “hillbilly” accent.
Teeter joins Jimmy in Texas, while Lloyd and Ryan have different ideas for their future. Rip offers to give Lloyd a job at his and Beth’s new ranch in Dillon, but Lloyd declines. He explains that if he can’t work at the Yellowstone, then he doesn’t want to work at all. As for Ryan, he chooses to be a free spirit after leaving and seeks out Abby at one of her concerts. Ryan convinces Abby to give him a second chance, and the two lovebirds also get a happy ending.
Who Narrates Yellowstone Season 5’s Final Scenes
Isabel May Returns
As the Duttons move out of the Yellowstone, a voice narrates their ending in Yellowstone season 5, episode 14. Those who watched 1883 might recognize the voice as Elsa Dutton, played by Isabel May in the prequel series. Elsa says:
“141 years ago, my father was told of this valley, and here’s where we stayed. Seven generations. My father was told they would come for this land, and he promised to return it. Nowhere was that promise written. It faded with my father’s death, but somehow lived in the spirit of this place. Men cannot truly own wild land. To own land, you must blanket it in concrete, cover it with buildings, stack it with houses so thick, people can smell each other’s supper. You must rape it to sell it. Raw land, wild land, free land can never be owned, but some men pay dearly for the privilege of its stewardship. They will suffer and sacrifice to live off it and live with it and hopefully teach the next generation to do the same. And if they falter, find another willing to keep the promise.”
As mentioned above, Kayce fulfills his family’s prophecy when he sells the ranch to Chief Rainwater. The prophecy began with Elsa’s death, when her father, James Dutton, searched for a place to bury her body. Spotted Eagle gifted him the land near Yellowstone but warned that his people would take it back one day. Now, the Yellowstone universe’s story has come full circle, and Elsa narrates the end as it all began with her.
The Real Meaning Behind Yellowstone’s Ending
Is Season 5 Really The End?
The Yellowstone season 5 finale ends with the Duttons giving up the ranch because that was always their family’s destiny. Ever since the late 1800s, it was only a matter of time before they lost their land. Unfortunately, it comes at a great cost to some, but it opens up new doors for others. If this is truly the neo-Western drama’s finish line, its story concludes how it was always supposed to. However, the Yellowstone season 5 finale certainly isn’t the end for Beth and Rip, as their spinoff is in the works, and other characters might join them.
