Yellowstone: Ranking Every Main Character’s Fate from Worst to Best

Yellowstone revealed most characters’ fates during the second half of its final season, and some got a far better ending than others. Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western opened Yellowstone season 5, part 2 with the revelation that John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) had died shortly before his impeachment hearing began. This story was necessary because Costner exited Yellowstone ahead of these final batches of episodes, but it divided the fanbase, especially because it was not as central to the final season as it might have been.

The majority of each episode was devoted to other stories, often featuring the 6666 Ranch in Texas or other tragic events at the titular ranch. Nevertheless, the finale has been praised for how it wrapped everything up, revealing every Yellowstone character’s fate and offering a satisfying ending to the Dutton family’s saga — even though some characters’ endings felt rushed.

15Colby Was Killed By A Horse

His Death Was As Unnecessary As It Was Tragic

Colby’s (Denim Richards) death in Yellowstone season 5, episode 12 was entirely unnecessary. He was trampled to death by an out-of-control horse in the stable while attempting to rescue Carter (Finn Little), who had gotten trapped with the horse while attempting to feed it. Carter ultimately shot the horse after Colby was already dead, but Colby could have done that in the first place rather than trying to play the hero.

This unnecessary death was made even more heartbreaking by the fact that Colby had told Teeter (Jennifer Landon) that he loved her for the first time shortly before his death. Thus, instead of the happy ending that both of these long-time characters deserved, Colby died for no good reason and Teeter was forced to go to Texas and work for Travis (Taylor Sheridan).

14Beth Kicked Summer Out

Summer Was So Minor She Didn’t Need An Ending

Unsurprisingly, after John’s death a grieving Beth (Kelly Reilly) ordered Summer (Piper Perabo), the environmental protester that John had befriended and bedded, to leave Montana and never return. Beth never had any love for Summer, who represented everything she hated about outsiders who came to the area and interfered in the cowboy lifestyle without understanding or caring about it, so it was satisfying that she got to take out her rage on this interloper who had aggravated her far too many times.

Still, Summer was not an important enough character for anyone to care about her fate. While it was great that Beth got to unleash her trademark rage on this annoying woman, it would have been far better for her to spend the season getting her revenge on Jamie than waste time with this insignificant character, especially given that there were only six episodes in Yellowstone’s final season.

13Walker Traveled To Parts Unknown (But Might End Up In Texas)

His Loyalty To John Should Have Resulted In A Stronger Ending

Although characters like Walker (Ryan Bingham) had been branded and thus were expected to be loyal to the Yellowstone no matter what they thought of John’s decisions, when the ranch was sold, they all said they got other jobs and few of them were given a proper ending. Walker was one of the luckier ones, as he got back together with his girlfriend, Laramie (Hassie Harrison) and they decided to tour the country in her camper.

Ryan Bingham and Hassie Harrison, who played Walker and Laramie, began dating while on set and are currently married in real life.

Walker implied he might eventually make it to the 6666 in Texas, but this ending was too ambiguous. After being branded and forced to remain at the Yellowstone despite wanting to leave, Walker deserved a clearer trajectory for his future career path.

12John Dutton III Was Murdered

This Was A Strong Exit Story That Was Not Given Enough Attention

The discovery that Yellowstone‘s John Dutton is dead should have been a powerful story that drove all of the action forward during the final set of episodes. Unfortunately, this strong exit story was not given the attention it deserved and instead, it was given a far lower priority than flashbacks to the past or tragedies like Colby’s death. Thus, it did not have nearly the impact it should have, and scenes related to the aftermath of John’s death felt rushed and disjointed.

One egregious example occurred when Colby was killed. Beth had found out that Jamie was going to be arrested soon and told Kayce she would confront him so that he didn’t spill any other Dutton family secrets. However, Beth’s next scene involved her helping Lloyd pack Colby’s things after his death and the confrontation with Jamie did not happen for another three episodes.

11Teeter Went To Work For Travis

Instead Of A Happy Ending, She Got A Verbally Abusive Boss

If Colby hadn’t died, Teeter would have gotten the happy ending she deserved. She and Colby were in love and had finally admitted it to each other and they could have gotten the type of ending that Ryan or Walker got with their partners. Instead, Teeter decided that Montana was too full of memories and instead, went to Texas to work for Travis. While this ending could lead to her involvement in a spinoff involving the 6666 ranch, it was far less than she deserved.

The only saving grace here is that Jimmy also works for Travis, so the two of them can support one another against his bullying.

Travis took up far too much screentime as it was during Yellowstone season 5, part 2, and his interactions with Teeter during the finale were obnoxious. It was bad enough that he made disparaging comments about her accent when she first asked to work for him; there was no need whatsoever for a final scene in which she arrives in Texas only for him to make fun of the way her voice sounds a second time. The only saving grace here is that Jimmy also works for Travis, so the two of them can support one another against his bullying.

10Monica And Tate Got A Happy Ending

However, They Had No Real Story During The Season

Monica and Tate’s happy ending was great, but it wasn’t fully earned because the two did not have full stories. Their wrap-up, like their presence during the season, was more or less an extension of what happened for Kayce. Thus, their moving into the house at East Camp and Monica seeing the vision of the wolf too was not as satisfying as it otherwise might have been.

Monica’s only function seemed to be to cry happy tears when the family first moved into their new house and tell Tate she was worried when Kayce got involved in avenging John’s death and selling the ranch. Conversely, Tate had a few strong scenes such as asking Kayce where John would be buried and admitting he had mixed feelings about John. These scenes should have been developed into full stories for Tate and Monica so that their happiness at the end would have been impactful.

9Sarah Atwood Was Murdered To Keep Her Quiet

This Was An Interesting Plot Thread That Fizzled Out Quickly

Sarah Atwood’s (Dawn Olivieri) death made for a shocking cliffhanger, though it was quickly overshadowed in the next episode by Colby’s much less compelling one. Sarah was the mastermind behind John’s murder and could have used her affair with Jamie as leverage to keep him quiet after he learned what she did — but was killed before she could do so.

A character this evil deserved more of an impact from her grisly ending.

Sarah’s murder blocks from Jamie’s home implicated him in both her death and John’s, yet nothing much happened after she was gunned down. Instead, Jamie panicked for half an episode and shredded some incriminating documents before Sarah’s death was mostly forgotten. A character this evil deserved more of an impact from her grisly ending.

8Ryan Reunited With Abby After Leaving The Ranch

This Was A Sweet Ending For A Relatively Minor Character

Ryan (Ian Cohen) got one of the happiest endings of all the Yellowstone cowboys. He decided to retire from cowboy life so that he could join Abby (Lainey Wilson), who was on tour with her band, leaving no open questions about what he was doing next.

Furthermore, Ryan and Abby’s heartbreaking breakup happened because Ryan was stuck working for the Yellowstone while Abby was touring the country. Thus, this ending wrapped up that storyline beautifully and gave Ryan and Abby a second chance at love.

7Senator Perry Was Invited To John’s Funeral

Beth Made Her Peace With Her At Last

The former governor and current senator Lynette Perry (Wendy Moniz) is another woman Beth had no use for, especially when John had an affair with her during Yellowstone season 1. Beth resented Perry’s attempt to replace her mother and was determined to get rid of her.

Her [Beth’s] extension of an invitation to Perry was a tacit acknowledgment and acceptance of the important role the politician played in John’s life.

However, the two women made peace by the end of the series. Beth only wanted those who were close to John to attend the funeral, so her extension of an invitation to Perry was a tacit acknowledgment and acceptance of the important role the politician played in John’s life.

6Lloyd Retired From Cowboy Life

This Was The Perfect Ending For John’s Oldest And Most Loyal Employee

Lloyd (Forrie J Smith) is a fan favorite because he exhibits the perfect blend of loyalty, wisdom, and sarcasm. Throughout Yellowstone‘s five seasons, younger characters often turned to him for advice and everyone from Kayce to Carter respected his opinion. Lloyd was also John’s righthand man and took people to the “train station” when they needed to be eliminated permanently.

Thus, if anyone deserved a perfect ending, it was Lloyd, and his decision to retire from cowboy life out of loyalty to John made the most sense out of all the cowboys’ endings. Lloyd had spent his entire life in service to John and the Yellowstone ranch, so he would feel out of place anywhere else. It’s sad to contemplate future spinoffs that don’t include Lloyd, but he demonstrated his loyalty one last time by hanging up his cowboy hat permanently.

 

5Jamie Was Killed And His Body Disposed Of

There Was No Other Way His Story Could Have Ended

While there was a time Jamie (Wes Bentley) could have been redeemed, he passed the point of no return when he mentioned murdering John and then acted surprised when Sarah went through with it. The only satisfying ending for him was the one he got: a violent death at Beth’s hands, with some help from Rip, who then recruited Lloyd to help him dispose of the body. However, it’s disappointing that instead of a sustained war throughout the final season, Beth and Jamie barely interacted before the final episode and thus his ending was rushed.

4Carter Was Finally Accepted As Part Of Beth and Rip’s Family

They Took Him To Dillon With Them

When Carter first joined Yellowstone in season 4, he was a young child who longed for a family, only for Beth to refuse to allow him to call her Mama because of her heartbreaking past. Thus, it was a perfect, and emotional ending for Beth to finally treat him as her adopted son several years later.

Beth’s difficulty accepting Carter stemmed from her inability to have biological children because of a botched abortion process.

Beth’s acceptance of Carter began after Colby’s death when a distraught Carter hid in the barn, sobbing. Beth reassured him that Colby’s death wasn’t his fault and invited him into the house, telling him: “You are family.” Even better, Beth and Rip took Carter with them when they moved to Dillon. Although Carter was supposedly invited along because they needed a ranch hand, it was clear the real reason was that they were moving as a family.

3Beth and Rip Moved To Dillon

They Have Their Own Ranch In A Less Populated Area

Beth and Rip’s happy ending sets them up for a Yellowstone spinoff. The couple moves to a ranch in Dillon, 40 miles west of Bozeman. It’s a more isolated area, so Rip is surprised that Beth wants to move there, but it’s exactly what she wants. Beth is thrilled that the sparsely populated area is far enough away from town life that tourists have no interest in it.

This ending mirrors Kayce’s, as now both surviving Dutton siblings are free of the obligations of John’s ranch and can live on their own terms.

Beth is especially excited that she will never have to worry about developers trying to take the land to turn it into a ski resort or other business since no one lives in this area. Yellowstone’s Beth and Rip thus end their run by sharing their happiness. This ending mirrors Kayce’s, as now both surviving Dutton siblings are free of the obligations of John’s ranch and can live on their own terms.

2Chief Rainwater, Mo, and the Other Indigenous People Got Their Land Back (And Protected John’s Memory)

This Near-Perfect Ending Fulfilled The Prophecy From 1883

Chief Rainwater had always wanted to reclaim the Indigenous people’s land, and Yellowstone‘s ending gave him that opportunity when Kayce sold it to him for only $1.25 per acre. This ending fulfilled the prophecy that began in 1883, which promised the tribe would reclaim the land after seven generations.

Additionally, Rainwater made good on his promise to protect the Duttons’ memory when Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) stopped some tribal members from desecrating the graveyard where the Duttons were laid to rest. Mo’s declaration that the graves were to be left alone signified the end of the long feud between the Duttons and the Indigenous tribe.

1Kayce Finally Got His Freedom

The Youngest Dutton Got The Happiest Ending of All

Kayce (Luke Grimes) got the happiest ending imaginable when he sold the ranch to Chief Rainwater. After signing the papers, he burst into tears of joy because he was finally free of the burden of John’s legacy and the expectations that he never felt he lived up to.

Yellowstone would have been perfect if it stopped there. However, Kayce also got one last scene where he, Monica, and Mo all had a shared vision of a wolf digging in the field, proving that Kayce was on the right path — and even better, that he’d finally resolved the conflict between being born a Dutton and feeling loyal to the Indigenous people.