Billy Oduory delves into fan theories about the ending of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone…
“This is my home. I made a promise to protect it, care for it, and love it. Me and this family can’t break it,” John Dutton reminds his family of his solemn promise to his father in Yellowstone. However, with the confirmation of Kevin Costner’s exit from the show, many fans can’t see John Dutton keeping this promise. The rest of his dysfunctional family won’t keep this promise either because Jamie and Beth can’t stop trying to kill each other, and Kayce isn’t as interested in the Dutton family legacy as his father. The fate of the Yellowstone Ranch, therefore, is in limbo, with endless possibilities that the show’s giant fan base can’t stop talking about on Reddit.
Most of the Yellowstone fans have acknowledged that a happy ending won’t happen, especially with John Dutton out of the picture for the second part of Season 5. Many still trust Taylor Sheridan to come up with a befitting, albeit bittersweet, ending that will not destroy the show’s longstanding legacy. While most fans would hope for the Duttons to vanquish their many enemies and live on the ranch forever undisturbed, the opposite feels more likely as the enemy within, Jamie, has the upper hand in the midseason finale. most fans on Reddit still hope that Beth, Rip, and Kayce can turn the tide against Jamie, and here is a look at their most interesting theories of how Yellowstone will end.
John Dutton cedes the ranch to the reservation
John Dutton will have to have a say on the fate of the Yellowstone Ranch. However, with Kevin Costner leaving, most of his final moves to protect the ranch will either be done offscreen or in flashbacks. Many fans still believe that he will have done enough to protect the ranch and the Dutton family legacy by the time he is written off, and this theory is one of the most credible ones on Reddit about how he can do that. “John Dutton will essentially cede the entire ranch to the Reservation with a few conditions…” Maiorana said as they proceeded to list the conditions that John Dutton would give Thomas Rainwater before ceding the ranch to Broken Rock.
According to the Reddit user, handing over the land to the reservation is the only way John Dutton keeps his promise to his father because the reservation will protect it from being developed in posterity. We also support this solution because it would keep the land in the family since Kayce, Monica, and Tate are already part of the tribe, hence keeping John’s promise to his father. The theory also supports the prophecy made by The Spotted Eagle to James Dutton in 1883 that the land would return to the Indians after seven generations, which is essentially Tate and any other Duttons born to Kayne and Monica. However, a time jump or a flashback would have to come into play to explain how John Dutton put the plan for the reservation to annex the ranch in motion.
SEE ALSO: Yellowstone: What Happens to John Dutton in Season 5 Part 2? Fan Theories Explained
Beth hands(ed) everything to Tate
“I think Beth is going to (I actually think she did it already, and Jamie missed it) make the ranch Tate’s, and when Tate comes of age he’ll revert it to tribal land,” Countess-Persephone suggested in another Reddit thread. Their theory supports Taylor Sheridan’s writing which has always pointed at Beth playing a big role in the fate of the ranch. Beth can’t have any kids, but she will burn down the ranch before letting Jamie or his son have a piece of it. Handing it over to Kayce or Tate would be the perfect ending for her. According to the Redditor, Beth also builds a legal barrier around the ranch to ensure that Jamie can never lay his hands on the Yellowstone.
We strongly support this theory because Beth has always insisted that she is not loyal to the ranch, she is only loyal to her father and the Dutton family legacy. Jamie has also underestimated Beth’s legal prowess since the first season, and this theory would be a perfect way for the writers to prove Jamie wrong and get Beth some revenge against Jamie for what he did to her. Tate eventually signing the land over to the reservation would also be a happy ending for both the tribe and the remaining Duttons (Kayce and Monica) because they can jointly protect it from the hungry developers.
Rip kills Jamie
“… Jamie Would kill Beth or have her killed, take full control of the ranch ascending to his role as the show’s final antagonist. Ultimately Rip would learn of Jamie’s actions and be the one to hunt down and kill Jamie maybe with the help of KC,” another Redditor suggests in what sounds like the perfect continuation of the plot from the first half of Season 5. Jamie revealed to Sarah Atwood in Season 5 part 1 that he had hired a hitman to kill Beth, and this outcome would make his dreams come true, at least until Rip comes after him. However, none of Jaime’s plots have gone according to plan in the past, and we don’t believe his plot to assassinate Beth will succeed.
According to the Redditor, John Dutton would have been assassinated by the developers or died from cancer by this time, so he wouldn’t be around to protect Beth. In their theory, the ranch eventually goes to Rip, or in the worst-case scenario, no one, if Rip’s actions eventually catch up with him. Rip killing Jamie would be satisfactory because many fans have never forgiven Jamie for forcing Beth to have a hysterectomy, essentially ruining her life, and Rip will definitely kill him for that. So whether this theory comes true or not, fans will still definitely see Rip take on Jamie before the show ends, and it will be interesting to watch.
Jamie takes over the ranch and gives it to Kayce
The fan base largely sees Jamie as the ungrateful adopted son who is trying to bring down the very family that made him everything he is. However, a few people in the fan base believe that Jamie’s hatred of the Duttons is justified because he has never been treated as family by John and Beth. “Jaime crushes John and Beth leaving them penniless and takes over what’s left of The Yellowstone and gives it to Kayce and goes off to live a normal life,” one Jaime sympathizer proposes in the Reddit thread. Their theory is supported by some of the fans who argue that Jamie deserves better.
We highly doubt this outcome though, because Jamie is not the good guy in Yellowstone. John Dutton has never been the best father, but he always treated him as family despite Jamie’s open rebellion against the Dutton family and the interests of the ranch. Jamie almost exposed the ranch’s deepest secrets when he wanted to defeat John Dutton in the election, proving how unstable he is, and the show would never allow such a person to get the ranch, judging by how the inheritance of the Yellowstone has gone down over the years. Jaime is more likely to lose the ranch to Sarah and the developers than hand it over to Kayce, which would be an atrocious ending to the show.
Kayce’s visions are fulfilled
The visions that Kayce had during his quest in the fourth season of Yellowstone ended in another warning that the first half of Season 5 didn’t cover conclusively. After returning from his quest, Kayce told Monica, “… I saw the end of us,” although he didn’t clarify whether he meant him and Monica or the Dutton family as a whole. Many fan theories have emerged on Reddit about Kayce’s visions during the quest, with some fans suggesting that the two paths he saw have a role to play in how the show ends. “I think it might be something to do with the ranch and the Dutton way of life. At least I hope it’s not the end of him and Monica,” one Reddit user suggested.
Most theories in the thread agree that Kayce could have seen two possible endings for the Duttons and the ranch as a whole, with each ending being equally difficult for the family. The most obvious ending is that Tate ends up as the owner of the ranch and finds a way to make it part of the reservation. We are not yet sure what direction the writer wanted to take with Kayce’s vision, so we can’t support or disapprove any of these theories. We still believe that Kayce, Monica, and Tate will be at the center of whatever ending Taylor Sheridan comes up with.
Jamie and Beth kill each other
The feud between Beth and Jamie will prove destructive to either of them before the show ends, although most of the fans hope that Beth is the one who survives. “Jaime and Beth kill each other in a Leone-style shootout,” another Reddit user suggested in a thread. However, this would only be a perfect ending for many fans if Beth survives that shootout because Beth’s anger against Jaime is largely justified. Jaime was supposed to be an elder brother, to protect and guide Beth, but instead, he ruined her life by lying to her into having a hysterectomy against her wishes. Furthermore, Jaime is out to ruin the Dutton family legacy, which is essentially the only thing that Beth cares about now because of her connection to Rip and John.
In the first half of Season 5, Jaime confessed to Sarah Atwood that he already hired a hitman to kill Beth. However, this would never have been revealed in the show if that plot would succeed, so fans can expect a twist. Beth already learned from the previous assassination attempt that Jaime and his father are up to no good and she will likely have an equally devastating response to Jaime’s plot. We believe that both of them will survive to the end of the show, but Jaime will come off worse.
Rip eventually inherits the ranch
“I think Rip ends up inheriting the Ranch when John realizes that he loves the Ranch in the way that he always dreamed his own children would,” one Redditor suggested. In their theory, the Dutton family is way bigger than just blood, and those who embrace the Dutton legacy and are willing to preserve the family’s way of life should be able to inherit the ranch. In the show, Rip is the only person who cares for the ranch as deeply as John Dutton does, and since he is married to Beth, he is essentially a Dutton. Rip has also fought for the Yellowstone ranch more than any of John Dutton’s children, and will happily take anyone that threatens the ranch to the Train Station.
While this theory is likable, we have serious doubts about its practicability considering the political nature of the threats that the ranch faces. Giving the ranch to Rip would only condemn the next generation of Duttons to war with the developers that John Dutton is fighting with. We, therefore, believe that John Dutton will come up with a more permanent solution when choosing the ultimate heir of the ranch, but Rip will always have a home on the ranch if he survives to the end of the show.
Rip and the other cowboys stay at the 6666
The show introduced the 6666 Ranch in the fourth season, and it is set to continue playing a role in the plot as John Dutton leased land in Texas to feed his herds during the dry season. Rip and Beth could, therefore, start the second half of Season 5 in Texas, and the 6666 ranch, dabbed as “the home of true cowboys,” could prove to be Rip’s dream home. “I think the majority of the fan-favorite characters will leave Yellowstone, move to Texas, and start filming the 6666 series,” one fan suggested in another Reddit thread. Their theory suggests that the Yellowstone spinoff, 6666, will be directly connected to the flagship series.
Another fan theory on Reddit also suggests that moving to Texas is the only way for Rip and the cowboys who care about ranching to survive since Jamie essentially ruined the Yellowstone Ranch when he talked to Beth about the Train Station in Sarah Atwood’s hearing. Moving the entire storyline to Texas is a wild theory, but still possible. However, Rip and Beth will still have a big role to play in the fate of the Yellowstone Ranch, so writing the entire bunkhouse crew out of the show would ruin the show as it would mean that Yellowstone stops being a ranch.
Someone talks and the Train Station is discovered
The Train Station is the dark cloud hanging over the entire Dutton family, and most fans believe that the show’s ending could have something to do with its discovery. Jamie has always used the Train Station to justify his hatred of John Dutton and the entire Dutton family legacy. For the show to end properly, someone will have to face consequences for the Train Station, and the whole Dutton family could end up paying the price. “How many enemies can the Duttons go through before someone seriously starts looking for a body or a ranch hand talks to another reporter?” one Redditor asked in the thread insisting that the Train Station will come to haunt the family at some point.
To give the Train Station its appropriate weight in the show’s ending, we believe that John and Rip will face some legal consequences. Since the whole family is affected, John Dutton or Rip will also likely orchestrate Jamie’s death to prevent the knowledge of the Train Station from ruining the family.
Kayce sells the ranch to the Rez
“I think Kayce will end up selling the land to Broken Rock for a fraction of what they would get. Broken rock annexes the land to stop development. Kayce’s family stays in the house,” another Redditor said. In their theory, the many fan theories about John Dutton handing the ranch down to Tate are wrong. We also agree that it would be immature to hand over the ranch to Tate in season 5, so John would be more likely to leave it to Kayce.
However, Although Kayce is capable of running the ranch, he is not as connected to it as John Dutton is, and will not win the many political battles that will come his way if he owns the land, so giving it to the reservation would be the wisest decision. We also believe that part or all of the Yellowstone ranch would have to go the reservation for the entire Rainwater plot to have some meaning at the end of the show.
SEE ALSO: Landman: What To Expect As Taylor Sheridan Moves Into the Oil Industry
How do you think Yellowstone will end? Let us know on our socials @FlickeringMyth…
Billy Oduory
