Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 14 (titled "Life Is a Promise") seemingly brought the story of the flagship series to a close.
Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 premiered after a record-breaking gap between its release and the end of Part 1.
Throughout Part 2, fans got to experience everything from the death of John Dutton to the entire Yellowstone Dutton Ranch being sold. In the emotional season finale, everyone finally started going their separate ways.
Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 14 premiered on Paramount Network on Sunday, December 1. It is worth noting that, due to legal reasons, Yellowstone isn't available on Paramount+.
Yellowstone Season 5 Finale Cast: Episode 14's Guest Stars
Lainey Wilson - Abby
Country music star Lainey Wilson made her epic return to Yellowstone in the Season 5 finale as Abby.
Like Wilson, Abby appeared in the show as a country music singer who formed a close relationship with Ryan, but the two split after Ryan decided to go to Texas instead of be with her.
However, after leaving the Yellowstone following its sale, Ryan found Abby performing and the two picked up right where they left off.
When Wilson's character was first shown on-stage in the episode, she was performing one of the star's biggest hits, "Hang Tight Honey," from her 2024 album, Whirlwind.
Yellowstone is Wilson's only acting credit aside from music videos.
Rory Cochrane - Dillard
Rory Cochrane has appeared in a few episodes of Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 as Dillard, the detective who is investigating not only John Dutton's death but also Sarah Atwood's.
In past episodes, Dillard more or less let Jamie know that he was right in the crosshairs of law enforcement and that they would be looking at him very closely for both murder cases.
Dillard only appeared in a brief scene in the Season 5 finale, but it was at Jamie's house after his and Beth's fight.
Cochrane is best known for his roles in Encounter, Hostiles, and Black Mass.
Taylor Sheridan - Travis Wheatley
Yellowstone creator and writer Taylor Sheridan appeared in the Season 5 finale as Travis Wheatley, a horse trainer from Texas.
Sheridan has been featured in the past three episodes of Yellowstone (and even alongside Bella Hadid in Episode 13), which made many fans quite upset. Some claimed that he was giving himself the spotlight when he should have put more focus on wrapping up the show.
However, his involvement in the Season 5 finale was minimal as he only appeared on-screen for a couple of minutes. At the beginning of the episode, he was featured at the Yellowstone Ranch telling some stories about the adventures he had with Rip in the past.
He was shown again near the end of the episode back in Texas when Teeter went to work for him.
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 such as 1883 and 1923, and also for other shows like Lioness.
Hassie Harrison - Laramie
Hassie Harrison returned to Yellowstone in Season 5, Episode 13 as her character, Laramie, and stuck around for the Season 5 finale as well.
Laramie and Walker seemingly rekindled their relationship in Episode 13, as the first time viewers see Laramie on-screen in the Season 5 finale, she is getting out of the shower in the bunkhouse.
Throughout the episode, Laramie can be seen helping the cowboys dig John's grave, and she later stays for his graveside service.
While not explicitly stated, it seems like Walker and Laramie will be going off together to live their own happily ever after.
Harrison has also appeared in Tacoma FD, The Iron Orchard, Hart of Dixie.
Ned Vaughn - Preacher
Lainey Wilson's cameo was undoubtedly a nice surprise for Yellowstone fans, but anyone who enjoys a classic flick from the 1990s likely thought the preacher at John's graveside service looked extremely familiar.
The preacher, who was played by Ned Vaughn, only had a couple of lines in his only scene in the show, but he did provide some comedic relief when Rip grabbed one of the "symbolic" shovels beside John's casket and began filling the grave.
Vaughn has appeared in tons of movies throughout the years but is best known for his work in the 1990s when he played in titles such as The Hunt for Red October, Apollo 13, and Courage Under Fire.
Here are Yellowstone's main and recurring cast members who appear in the Season 5 finale:
- 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
- Gil Birmingham - Thomas Rainwater
- Mo Brings Plenty - Mo
- Wendy Moniz - Lynelle Perry
- Jefferson White - Jimmy Hurdstrom
Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 13 Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Beth Buys a Ranch
After everyone got done celebrating the $30 million the Yellowstone Ranch made after selling off everything that wasn't nailed down (find out exactly why the Duttons had to sell the ranch's livestock here), Beth came to Rip and showed him a ranch she thought he might like.
She explained that it included roughly 27,000 acres altogether and was located 40 miles west of Dillon, Montana. For reference, Dillon is around a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Missoula, which is where a lot of Yellowstone takes place.
Beth also explained to Rip that it was a long way from any airport or major civilization, and the two agreed that it wouldn't be somewhere many tourists would come visit.
Rip thought Beth was just throwing ideas around at first, but she then revealed that she already bought the property.
The Cowboys Work One Last Job Together
The last job the Yellowstone Ranch's cowboys ever got to work together was the digging of John Dutton's grave. It only seems fitting that the man who hired them and believed in them got put to rest by those who essentially gave their lives to him.
Before they dug the grave, however, Rip made sure that they all had plans for the future before giving them each an envelope of money.
After spending so many years together, it was clear that digging the grave was hard for all of them since they knew that they would likely never work another job together.
Six Generations
In the final moments of Episode 13, Kayce explains to Beth that he has a plan to save the ranch. If the Duttons sold it for an extremely low price, the buyer would not have to pay a lot in sales tax.
In the Season 5 finale, Kayce's plan is fully explained. He summons Thomas Rainwater and Mo Brings Plenty to his house on the ranch to meet with them, explaining that the family can't afford the inheritance tax on the land.
In order to save it, Kayce offers every acre to Thomas and the Broken Rock Reservation for $1.25 per acre, which Kayce explains was the exact price the land was bought for when the Native Americans were driven out.
In total, that would mean the Reservation could acquire the entirety of the Yellowstone for roughly $1.1 million, which doesn't even remotely touch what the land is actually worth.
It is worth noting that in the 1883 series, James Dutton is told by the Native Americans that in six generations, the Yellowstone will be taken back form him by their people. However, James tells them that in six generations, they can have it back.
When looking at the Dutton family tree, Tate is notably the sixth generation from James. So, the founder of the Yellowstone Ranch kept good on his promise that in six generations, the Native Americans could have all of their land back.
John's Burial
The Season 5 finale of Yellowstone finally featured the burial of the Dutton patriarch, John.
Every surviving member of the family (except for Jamie) attended, and also some close friends such as Lynelle Perry. Of course, the cowboys that worked on the ranch were there as well.
Everyone said their goodbyes to John and laid a white rose on his casket, but Beth did something a little bit different. Instead of saying goodbye, the last thing she ever said to her father was that she would avenge him.
Beth Vs. Jamie
Beth kept good on her promise to avenge John's death. Before the funeral was even finished, she went back to the main house, got in her car, and started speeding off.
About an hour later, Rip realized where she was going to go and decided to follow (along with Lloyd).
When Beth made it to Jamie's house, she attacked him with a crowbar and the two got into an extremely bloody and brutal fight.
In minutes, both had been punched, kicked, hit with the crowbar, and even more. At one point, Beth even used spray to somewhat blind Jamie.
However, Jamie ultimately got the upper hand on Beth and was ready to kill her. He also revealed that he would spill all of the Duttons' secrets, but Beth then revealed that they sold the ranch.
In a rage, Jamie was about to kill Beth when Rip finally arrived and wrestled him away. It is untelling what Rip would have done to Jamie if Beth hadn't stopped him, but she wanted to be the one to kill who she hated most in the entire world (find out why Beth hates Jamie so much here).
Beth ultimately stabbed Jamie in the stomach with a knife she brought to the ranch and watched him bleed out on the floor.
In the aftermath, she told Rip to take Jamie to the train station to dispose of his body, which Rip did along with Lloyd. They also took Jamie's car to an undisclosed location and set it on fire to make it look like Jamie had beaten Beth to a bloody pulp and then tried to get away.
Separate Ways (But Not Worlds Apart)
After John's burial, Jamie's death, and the purchase of the Yellowstone, all of the show's major characters essentially went their own way.
Rip, Beth, and Carter traveled to the new ranch west of Dillon that they now own, and Kayce stayed on the Yellowstone with his family. As part of the agreement with the Reservation, part of the land would be reserved for Kayce and his family.
Teeter traveled to Texas to begin work for Travis (she will more than likely be featured in the Four Sixes spin-off series that is in the works), and Ryan reunited with Lainey Wilson's Abby, seemingly finding his happy-ever-after with her as she toured the country singing.
The rest of the cowboys will likely find work at other ranches moving forward, but there is a good chance they could all be featured in at least one of the various spin-off series that are being developed by Taylor Sheridan.
It is possible that a few of them may even be cast in the upcoming Michelle Pfeiffer-led show called The Madison.
Yellowstone is available to stream on Peacock, except for Season 5, Part 2, which will likely be added to the platform sometime in the future.
