Yellowstone season 5, part 2 was disappointing in many ways, but the finale got several things right. The decision to end the neo-Western came soon after the news broke that Kevin Costner was leaving Yellowstone. Thus, there was a lot of speculation about how Costner’s John Dutton III would be written out and what the final six episodes would look like. John’s exit was handled in the premiere episode when he was found dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but Beth and Kayce agreed that this was staged and set out in search of the truth.

The revelation that Yellowstone’s John Dutton was dead could have led to an exciting final season, but the series instead focused on seemingly meaningless flashbacks and life on the 6666 Ranch in Texas. Additionally, Taylor Sheridan’s decision to appear regularly as Travis was divisive, as Travis took screen time away from fan-favorite characters and from the story of avenging John’s death. Despite these missteps, Yellowstone wrapped things up well in the series finale, doing many of the things that most needed to be done for a satisfying ending.

Rip and Beth Got Their Happy Ending
The Two Moved to Dillon To Start A New Life

The worst thing that could have happened would have been if Rip or Beth had died during the finale, with their breaking up permanently being a close second. Fortunately, neither of these things happened. Instead, Beth and Rip finally got the peace they were looking for when they moved to Dillon after all the dust had settled. Their last scene involved both of them admitting they were finally happy, and Beth was especially thrilled that the bartender laughed at the idea of tourists coming through the area.

Of course, Beth and Rip’s happiness came at a great cost, as Rip helped Beth kill Jamie and then he and Lloyd disposed of the body in such a way that it will never be found or traced to them. They appear to have escaped legal problems as a result of the confrontation with Jamie, but it’s possible someone knows something and will cause trouble during Beth and Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff. However, for now, they got the happy ending they deserved after all the heartache they’ve experienced throughout their lives.

Kayce Finally Got His Freedom From The Ranch
John’s Youngest Son Cried Tears of Joy After Selling The Property

Kayce’s joy after he sold the ranch was one of the most beautiful aspects of the Yellowstone finale. Although he seemed to be grieving after signing the papers, he hugged Monica and said that he was “finally free.” This resolution had been a long time coming, as Kayce struggled with dual loyalty to the Duttons and their Indigenous neighbors since the series’ first episode. Additionally, trying to help John meant getting caught up in shady and illegal activities which caused Kayce nothing but trouble, so gaining his freedom was a huge relief.

The vision symbolized the new prosperity Kayce would have as a result of selling the rest of the property to Rainwater.

The moment where Kayce cried over realizing that he was now free would have been a perfect ending, but Yellowstone made it even better by including the shared vision of a wolf digging in the field that Kayce, Monica, and Mo all saw. The vision symbolized the new prosperity Kayce would have as a result of selling the rest of the property to Rainwater. It also suggested that Kayce had completely embraced his identity as an honorary part of the tribe, as he was able to see the same things the Indigenous people did.

The Indigenous People Got Their Land Back
Mo Kept Rainwater’s Promise To Be John’s Protector

It was jarring to watch the Indigenous people removing the ranch house and other structures once they got the land back, but it was also a victory for them. Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) has wanted to reclaim the property since Yellowstone’s first episode. Additionally, an 1883 prophecy foreshadowed Yellowstone’s ending, as it said that it would return to Indigenous control after seven generations. Fulfilling that prophecy connected Yellowstone to its spinoff and was thus the perfect way to wrap up the series.

Mo fulfilled Rainwater’s promise to Kayce to be John’s protector by ensuring that his resting place and that of his family members remained intact.

That said, one of the most powerful scenes in Yellowstone’s ending took place at the Dutton burial ground, which Rainwater had promised would remain undisturbed as both Indigenous people and Duttons were buried there. Several Indigenous people began knocking over the Duttons’ gravestones and laughing, but Mo put a stop to their behavior, telling them: “They protected this land. They died for this land. And this land is where they will stay.” Thus, Mo fulfilled Rainwater’s promise to Kayce to be John’s protector by ensuring that his resting place and that of his family members remained intact.

Elsa Dutton’s Narration Ending Yellowstone
She Summed Up Yellowstone’s Central Conflict

The graveyard sequence led directly to Elsa’s final narration, which further cemented the idea that the prophecy had been fulfilled as well as pointing out that everyone had triumphed over Yellowstone’s central conflict. Elsa’s comment that “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.” beautifully explained why the land being returned was such a victory —the developers who had wanted to turn the land into a ski resort had failed completely.

Elsa was the perfect person to narrate this scene because the prophecy had started with her father being given the land when she was dying. Thus, her ending narration reinforced the idea that everything had come full circle and now the Indigenous people were in charge of the land and would never again allow it to be destroyed by greedy settlers who cared only about how to profit from it.

Jamie Got The Death He Deserved
There Was No Other Way His Story Could Have Ended After He Betrayed John

It was disappointing that Yellowstone’s war between Jamie and Beth was mostly saved for this one final battle, but there is no question that Jamie got what he deserved. During Yellowstone’s early seasons, Jamie was a complex character who was often on the outs with John because he refused to sacrifice his law license to protect him in illegal ways, but that version of the character was long gone by the time he died — Jamie had killed his biological father and had put things in motion to kill John so that he could help the developers get the land.

Thus, the only satisfying ending for Jamie was for him to be taken to the train station. Beth got the revenge she wanted since they were children and avenged her father’s murder, and Jamie’s body was disposed of in the way he deserved. While this means there is no hope for redemption for Jamie, there wouldn’t have been any way to believably redeem him after he went as far as he did, so his death is a victory for the Dutton family.

Ryan Got Back Together With His Girlfriend
He Reunited With Her After Listening To Her Sing In A Bar

Yellowstone could have ended without letting the audience know what had happened to many of the cowboys who worked on the ranch, but that would not have been true to the show’s spirit. At its heart, the Neo-Western was a love letter to the cowboy lifestyle that Rip feared was dying, and thus it took the time to follow several of the cowboys. Ryan’s (Ian Bohen) ending story was one of the best, as it appealed to the audience’s romantic side as well as reassuring them that he had a happy ending.

This ending also demonstrated that Ryan, much like Kayce, regained his freedom now that the ranch was gone and he didn’t have to tend to it.

Ryan had previously broken up with Abby (Lainey Wilson) because he needed to focus on his cowboy duties and couldn’t follow her all over the country while she established her music career. Thus, his ending was particularly poignant, as he sought out Abby while she was singing in a bar and listened to her entire concert before asking her for a second chance. This ending also demonstrated that Ryan, much like Kayce, regained his freedom now that the ranch was gone and he didn’t have to tend to it.

Beth Accepted Carter As Part Of The Family
She Had Previously Refused To Let Him Call Her Mama

Carter was one of Yellowstone’s best characters even though he only joined in season 4. Initially, he was a young enough child to latch himself onto Beth after his mother’s death and to call her “Mama,” which she quickly shut down. Carter quickly matured into a young adult and became a ranch hand who lived in the bunkhouse but maintained relationships with Rip and John despite Beth’s aloofness, which made Beth’s eventual acceptance of him more poignant.

Beth’s new attitude toward Carter began after Colby’s death when she invited him to stay in the ranch house overnight and told him that he was family. However, it was solidified when Beth and Rip invited him to come with them to their new ranch in Dillon. While Carter’s help is needed to make the new ranch a success, Beth and Rip could have hired any ranch hand; the fact that they chose Carter suggests that they now see him as their adopted son.

Teeter Moved On Past The Memories of Colby
She Was Too Heartbroken By His Death To Stay In Montana And Went To Texas To Work For Travis

Colby’s death was one of the most heartbreaking parts of Yellowstone season 5, part 2. Although the death seemed unnecessary — Colby could have shot the horse in the first place instead of entering the stall — it was devastating for Teeter (Jennifer Landon), who had first told him she loved him only hours before.

Thus, Yellowstone made the right move by allowing Teeter to move on from the Yellowstone ranch and her memories of Colby. Even if heading to Texas to deal with Travis doesn’t seem like the best situation for her, this made sense.

Lloyd Decided To Retire Out Of Loyalty To John
He Didn’t Want To Work On A Different Ranch

Sadly, Yellowstone had to say goodbye to Lloyd, but that was the perfect ending for him. Lloyd has been John’s right-hand man for many years, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to pick up and move to another ranch now. His choice to retire instead demonstrated he was loyal to John until the end, as he will never work for another man as long as he lives.

That said, it would have been fitting if he had chosen to work with Rip on Rip’s new ranch, as Rip was always equally committed to John and took his Yellowstone branding seriously. However, Lloyd might have felt disloyal to John if he worked on Rip and Beth’s new ranch because Beth was in favor of selling the Yellowstone to Rainwater, which John would likely never have done if he were still alive.

Every Cowboy Was Taken Care Of After The Ranch Closed
Rip Gave Them Severance Pay And Tried To Check In On Their Plans

Although the cowboys’ exit stories should have stretched over several episodes to demonstrate how hard it was for them to leave the Yellowstone, the little they did get was perfect. Yellowstone has always been a tribute to cowboy culture, and the scene where Rip gave them their severance pay and checks in on who had found a new job helped reinforce that idea.

While Rip asked them to do one last job after he gave them their pay, they all would have chipped in to help bury John even if he hadn’t, and the fact that he was concerned about where they were going next demonstrated how important the cowboys were to Yellowstone’s titular ranch without belaboring the point.