Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 12.
These final episodes of Yellowstone have been quite a wild ride. John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) death has sent shockwaves throughout the greater Yellowstone universe, and as each episode continues, more bodies are piling up. While one might think that Yellowstone‘s most recent death (sorry, Colby) may have crossed a line, the real moment in “Counting Coup” came at the very end of the episode. Yes, we’re talking about Kayce Dutton’s (Luke Grimes) final threat to Grant Horton (Matt Gerald) and his family, which gave us quite a different look at the youngest Dutton heir.
Kayce Went Too Far Threatening Grant’s Kid in ‘Yellowstone’
At the end of “Counting Coup,” Kayce travels to Texas, a state we’ve seen a lot of throughout Season 5. But unlike Rip’s (Cole Hauser) time at the Four Sixes Ranch or Beth’s (Kelly Reilly) cross-country road trip, Kayce is there for a singular purpose. After we find Grant Horton — a man we’ve only previously glimpsed in a professional context — coaching his daughter Ally’s (Quinn McCarthy) soccer game, the former NSA agent gets in their car and gets ready to drive them home. But once Kayce enters from the driver’s side back door, everything changes. The former Navy SEAL threatens Grant in front of his own daughter, pointing a gun at the adolescent soccer player in the process. It’s a brutal moment, one that gives us a harsher glimpse into Kayce’s damaged psyche and the lengths he’s willing to go to protect his family.
Is This Side of Kayce What Monica Warned Tate About in ‘Yellowstone’?
In the past few episodes, we’ve seen Kayce grow increasingly more aggressive. His father’s m*rder has no doubt brought out a side in him that he can’t fully control, and it’s no wonder then that Monica (Kelsey Asbille) has warned Tate that they’ll need to fight tooth-and-nail to bring Kayce back to them. While Kayce has been at his most interesting this season as he wrestles with the grief of losing both a ch*ld and a father, it’s sparked something in him that Yellowstone has never explored much in depth before. This darkness, this quest for vengeance, can only lead to more bloodshed, and we can only hope that the blood spilled won’t be Kayce’s own.
At the end of Season 4, Kayce sees a vision of “the end” of his family. But when talking with Mo (Moses Brings Plenty) about this in “Three Fifty-Three,” Kayce discovers that maybe this means that he’s going to have to choose between the ranch (his legacy) and his family (his future). Mo tells him that, when the time comes, he’ll know which path to follow, and in “Counting Coup,” the Dutton expresses to his wife that this is it. But Kayce’s threatening of Grant and his family hardly seems like an “impossible” choice that will determine the future of his family (unless it backfires, that is), and it makes us wonder if he misinterpreted the vision entirely. Maybe Mo was actually speaking about the choices he’ll ultimately have to make concerning his brother, Jamie (Wes Bentley), and the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch itself. Right now, it still feels like a mystery.
‘Yellowstone’ Previously Revealed One of Kayce’s Darkest Moments
Of course, Kayce’s controversial actions at the end of “Counting Coup,” as shocking as they are, don’t come as a shock. We shouldn’t be fully surprised to see that Kayce would be willing to threaten ch*ldren for the sake of his own family’s safety. After all, while in armed combat, he k*lled ch*ldren as well. Back in Season 2’s “Touching Your Enemy,” Kayce tells his father a “war story” about his time overseas. He explains that, on one mission as a Navy SEAL, he once k*lled an entire family during an operation in order to both protect his team and neutralize their target. “Soldiers don’t tell war stories anymore, Dad,” Kayce explains to John, “’cause wars these days, it’s just about trying to live through them.” These actions still haunt Kayce. While it’s unlikely he’d ever k*ll Ally Horton or any other ch*ld, knowing that he’s previously stared that darkness in the face is important context.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 airs Sundays on Paramount Network. Previous seasons can be streamed on Peacock.
