The Yellowstone Finale Sells Dutton Ranch and Sets Up Another Spinoff

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Death, taxes, and cowboys. Those are the three certainties in life—or at least Yellowstone, which aired its nearly 90-minute series finale on Sunday.

Taxation was top of mind for the Dutton family heading into the ending to the fifth season’s finale, titled “Life Is a Promise” and both written and directed by series creator Taylor Sheridan. Land developers have long circled the lucrative Dutton ranch, particularly after the shocking murder of patriarch John Dutton (former Yellowstone leading man Kevin Costner, who exited the series amid reported offscreen tensions with Sheridan just before the back half of this season).

But in the Yellowstone finale, son Kaycee Dutton (Luke Grimes) finally brokers a deal to preserve his family’s dynasty and restore harmony with the land’s original settlers. He sells the property back to Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Burningham) of the Broken Rock tribe, whose lineage dates back to 1923—the second Yellowstone prequel series that starred Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. Kaycee sells the ranch to Rainwater for $1.25 an acre, or the price the land cost when his ancestors originally purchased it it.

This reduced price is also what the tribe will be taxed on—chump change compared to the inheritance tax either the Duttons or Rainwater would have to pay if the land had sold at its proper value. “Congratulations on the worst land deal since my people sold Manhattan,” Rainwater says of the $1.1 million total price tag. But there are two conditions for such a transaction. First, Kaycee and his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) must be allowed to retain their place on the property’s East Camp with their son Tate (Brecken Merrill). Secondly, Dutton Ranch may never be further sold or developed. Their deal is finalized with a ceremonial blood oath led by fellow tribe member Mo (Mo Brings Plenty).

“You made me promise not to sell an inch, and I hope you understand that this is me keeping it,” Kelly Reilly’s fiery Beth Dutton says to the casket of her late father, as he’s laid to rest on the property. “There may not be cows on it, but there won’t be condos either. We won.” With the tax evasion settled, Beth also promises to “avenge” Costner’s character by eliminating her brother Jamie (Wes Bentley), who played a role in their father’s demise.

But before that vigilante justice can be carried out, here’s where some of the other ranchhands landed. The unexpected death of Colby (Denim Richards) scattered his fellow cattlemen, including Ryan (Ian Bohen), who reunited with his former flame Abby (played by real-life country artist Lainey Wilson) and promptly joined her cross-country tour. Teeter (Jennifer Landon) traveled to Texas, where she’ll work at Bosque Ranch under Travis Wheatley, the horse trainer played by Taylor Sheridan himself. (No, Bella Hadid does not appear as his nameless onscreen girlfriend this time). And Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith), the eldest Dutton ranchhand, will retire. If he can’t cowboy at Dutton, he won’t cowboy anywhere.

Speaking of consequential endings: Beth leaves her father’s funeral to track down Jamie, which leads to a brutal, bloody brawl between the warring siblings. Beth is nearly beaten into submission, until her husband Rip (Cole Hauser) reaches the scene, busying Jamie just long enough for Beth to fatally stab her brother in the heart. She then instructs Rip to take Jamie to the Dutton “train station,” a local dumping ground for the family’s enemies.

Beth and Rip plan to frame Jamie for John Dutton’s murder, and sit back as he’s officially declared a missing person wanted for several crimes. Then the couple relocates to a new ranch about 40 miles west of Dillon, Montana—just out of reach for most city-slicker tourists or shady land investors. As they prepare to move, Lloyd bestows upon Rip the driveway’s “Yellowstone Dutton Ranch” sign—a nod towards the upcoming Beth-Rip spinoff that will reportedly launch Yellowstone’s next chapter.