Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 (titled "Counting Coup") contained heartbreak, drama, and huge developments regarding every major plotline.
After Kayce discovered John Dutton's death was not a suicide, fans expected him to spring into action and put his Navy Seal training to use.
On another hand, Jamie witnessed the death of his lover, Sarah Atwood, as he was talking to her on the phone, and it seems as though he may be in law enforcement's crosshairs more than he would like to be.
Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 premiered on Paramount Network on Sunday, December 1.
Who Are Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12’s Guest Stars & Cast Members?
Jefferson White - Jimmy Hurdstrom
Jefferson White returned to Yellowstone for the second time in Season 5, Part 2 when he made a brief appearance in Episode 12 (with his first appearance being in Episode 9).
Jimmy was seen still at the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas training horses when Rip called Travis and told him about John's death.
Rip didn't have the heart to tell Jimmy about John's passing himself, so Travis relayed the message and told Jimmy to take the week off. However, to honor John's memory and legacy, Jimmy decided not to take off from work since John would not have wanted that.
White is best known for being a series regular in past seasons of Yellowstone and has also appeared in Civil War and God's Country.
Taylor Sheridan - Travis Wheatley
Yellowstone creator and writer Taylor Sheridan made a guest appearance in Season 5, Episode 12 as Travis Wheatley, Jimmy's boss and a professional horse trainer.
The mastermind behind the modern western has been featured on-screen in a handful of episodes throughout the series, as his character is often not relevant to the plot due to living in Texas at the Four Sixes Ranch.
It is worth noting that Sheridan recently purchased the real-life 350,000-acre 6666 Ranch in Texas for around $320 million.
Sheridan has also appeared on-screen in shows such as Sons of Anarchy but is best known for his work as a writer for Yellowstone spin-offs 1883, 1923, and Lioness.
Rory Cochrane - Dillard
Rory Cochrane reprised his role as Dillard in Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12.
Dillard is a detective who worked on John Dutton's case after he was killed. However, he was also revealed to be working on Sarah Atwood's murder case.
The character was seen early on in the episode at Jamie's house talking to him about Sarah. After Jamie started acting suspicious, Dillard told Jamie he would start treating him like a suspect.
Dillard also called Kayce to ask him some questions about Jamie, and it seems as though the two of them will work together to bring Jamie to justice.
Cochrane is best known for his roles in Encounter, Hostiles, and Black Mass.
Matt Gerald - Grant Horton
Matt Gerald also reprised his role in Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 as Grant Horton.
Gerald appeared in the Season 5, Part 2 premiere as the man Sarah Atwood talked to about murdering John Dutton.
In Episode 12, he was seen leaving a sporting event with his daughter when Kayce got into their car and held a gun to the girl's head, threatening Grant.
Kayce told Grant that he knew everything about him and his family, essentially telling him that if he spares the Duttons, Kayce would spare his family.
Gerald can also be seen in Daredevil, Avatar, and Dexter.
Jake McLaughlin - Cade McPherson
Another guest star of Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 was Jake McLaughlin, who portrays Cade McPherson.
Cade has not appeared on-screen much in Season 5, but it has been confirmed that he is a Navy SEAL Kayce worked with when he was still in the military.
Cade lent Kayce a hand in figuring out everything he needed to know about Grant Horton, and he may continue to play a role in the future to help Kayce take Grant down.
McLaughlin has also appeared in In the Valley of Elah, Savages, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Here are Yellowstone's main and recurring cast members who appear in Season 5, Episode 12:
- Luke Grimes - Kayce Dutton
- Kelly Reilly - Beth Dutton
- Cole Hauser - Rip Wheeler
- Wes Bentley - Jamie Dutton
- Kelsey Asbille - Monica Dutton
- Brecken Merrill - Tate Dutton
- Ryan Bingham - Walker
- Jen Landon - Teeter
- Finn Little - Carter
- Ian Bohen - Ryan
- Forrie J. Smith - Lloyd Pierce
- Denim Richards - Colby Mayfield
- Mo Brings Plenty - Mo
- Jake Ream - Jake
- Ethan Lee - Ethan
Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Colby and Teeter Finally Say "I Love You"
Colby and Teeter have been in an on-screen relationship for a while now, but the two have never audibly told each other that they love them.
However, this changed in Episode 12 as Colby seemingly said it on accident, but it was clear he meant it.
Teeter, who went to Texas with Rip halfway across the country from Colby, said it back to him. These words seemed a bit insignificant at first, but due to what happened to Colby later in the episode, looking back at their final exchange is nothing but heartbreaking.
All Eyes On Jamie
Jamie Dutton had to deal with the death of his lover, Sarah Atwood, at the end of Episode 11, and now law enforcement is involved.
Jamie likely thought that he could explain Sarah was staying with him and was visiting for personal reasons, but after the detectives started asking questions surrounding her death and revealed she was gunned down in what appeared to be a hit, Jamie became a prime suspect.
After the detectives left Jamie's house, he ran upstairs and began shredding documents which would have likely put him in a lot of legal trouble and could have jeopardized not only his position as Montana's attorney general but also his partnership with Market Equities.
What added even more layers to Jamie's plotline is the fact that Detective Dillard called Kayce right after he left Jamie's house and told him what had happened. It seems as though Kayce and Dillard will be keeping in touch and may even work together to bring John to justice.
A Heartbreaking Death
In what was one of the most difficult-to-watch scenes in all of Yellowstone, fan-favorite character Colby Mayfield was tragically killed at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
After Carter went into a horse's stall to give it new water, he was cornered by the horse and couldn't get away.
Colby just so happened to walk in and see the situation Carter was in and tried to help him by also entering the stall and pushing the horse back so that Carter could crawl out.
Thankfully, Carter made it out okay, but Colby did not. The horse turned around and kicked him before walking up to him and stomping on his midsection, crushing Colby's body and killing him instantly.
What made Colby's death even worse was how everyone blamed themself. Rip thought he should have done something different with the horse and Carter knew he shouldn't have gone in the horse stall by himself to start with.
It was also even more gut-wrenching when Rip called Ryan and told him of Colby's passing seeing as how Ryan and Colby were as close as two friends could get.
The heartbreak didn't stop there, though, because Teeter was also an emotional wreck after she found out the love of her life had died.
Kayce Counted Coup
The title of Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 is "Counting Coup," and that is exactly what Kayce did in the final moments of the episode.
After finding out that a man named Grant Horton orchestrated the hit that killed John Dutton, Kayce found out every sliver of information he could about Grant and confronted him.
Instead of grabbing him privately, Kayce got into the car with Grant and his young daughter after a soccer game.
Holding a gun to Grant's daughter's head, Kayce told Grant that he knew everything about him - his address, his wife's name and information, his parent's name and information, and even more.
Essentially, Kayce told Grant that if he would spare the Duttons, Kayce would spare his family. Confident Grant got the message, Kayce let Grant and his daughter go.
Yellowstone is streaming on Peacock, and new episodes premiere every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.
Find out why Yellowstone isn't streaming on Paramount+ here.
