Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 Recap

It’s been an emotional few weeks for Yellowstone fans. Just as the series finally returned to television, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) unceremoniously died in his bathroom. It increased the chances that the Dutton family will lose the ranch at the end of this saga. If that wasn’t enough, assassins killed another main character. If Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) is no longer terrorizing the Duttons, what’s left for Yellowstone outside of a showdown between Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley)? With three episodes left, it’s time to find out.

This week, we begin with another Taylor Sheridan cameo. Playing horse trainer Travis Wheatley, he has the job of telling Jimmy (Jefferson White) that John Dutton is dead. “He was the only one who ever…” Jimmy says, before trailing off. “He was a cowboy.” The 6666 Ranch was set to receive its own spin-off at one point, but Costner’s exit may have killed that future for our pal Jimmy. As Sheridan tells him, “The best thing you can do is just outrun it.” Taylor, you wrote these characters yourself. You know that no one holds grudges like the Duttons.

Jamie is the only real villain left in the series. He panics after Sarah dies—shredding documents this episode like a drug addict flushing their supply down the toilet before the police arrive. What’s your plan, Jamie? I imagine that there isn’t much left to do on Yellowstone but see Beth kill Jamie. He must know that’s coming. She’s told him multiple times now. “You leave Jamie to me,” Beth tells Kayce (Luke Grimes) this week. Yes, Beth, we’re all waiting for it!

Meanwhile, Kayce is on another mission entirely. While Beth plans to take care of Jamie, Kayce tracks down the outlet that pulled off the hit on his father. He calls up his new buddy Cade McPherson (Jake McLaughlin), who points him in the direction of Grant Horton (Matt Gerald). It’s a bit difficult to feel the emotional weight here, especially since Grant is a brand-new character with no connection to the Duttons. Nevertheless, Kayce threatens Grant and his daughter at gunpoint, telling him, “He doesn’t want this fight.” He points the gun at Grant’s daughter and asserts that he will kill his entire family if he tries to make a move. According to Mo (Mo Brings Plenty), this technique of intimidation is a Native American tradition called counting coup. Hopefully it worked.

Kayce also has another wet blanket of a conversation with his son, Tate (Brecken Merrill). When the boy isn’t bemoaning his parents’ kissing, he’s acting like he has one brain cell left in his noggin. Maybe the ranch shouldn’t go to Tate in the end after all. Kayce tells him that he wants to be buried next to him at the ranch when he dies. Tate’s reply is: “I’ll be at home, unless this is our home.” Kayce doesn’t really know what to make of that statement. “No, here’s not our home,” Kayce says. “Not anymore.”

Tragically, the family is hit with another death this week. It’s one of the most random deaths on the series so far, but this week was proof that even a somewhat predictable series like Yellowstone can still shake it up every season. Colby (Denim Richards), one of our ranch hands, is brutally kicked by a wild horse this week. Rip calls the crew in Texas, who are heartbroken to lose another one of their own. “I just lost my best friend,” Walker (Ryan Bingham) tells Jake (Jake Ream). Props to you if you could name either of those guys before. Teeter (Jennifer Landon)—who was romantically involved with Colby—bursts out into tears. “Nothing is okay,” Rip says. “Not anymore.”

It’s the second line this episode in which someone finishes up their statement with “not anymore.” I couldn’t think of a better way to explain Yellowstone season 5 so far. Is Kevin Costner still on the show? Not anymore. Generations of blood have led to this? Not anymore. Do you think you know how the series will end? Not anymore!