The fifth season of “Yellowstone” ends with a murder and a big sellout

Dec. 16 (UPI) — The fate of the Duttons and the Montana ranch their family farmed and protected for more than a century was revealed in Sunday night’s season five finale Yellowstone.

Spoilers ahead.

After the murder of patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner), his adult children Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) faced a seemingly impossible dilemma: raise millions of dollars to pay inheritance taxes or sell them to developers dividing up their vast, pristine property and building resorts, shopping malls, condo complexes and airports.

However, Kayce saves the day when he comes up with the idea of ​​selling the ranch to Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) for a minuscule amount of money to fulfill a promise his ancestors made to the Native Americans in the area years ago the land returned to the indigenous population in seven generations.

As part of the deal, Rainwater promises not to develop or sell it.

Kayce and his family were also allowed to keep a house and a small plot of land for themselves, and the bodies of the dead Duttons, including John, were allowed to remain on the property.

The fact that Yellowstone will no longer be a working ranch means everyone who works there will have to find new jobs.

After an auction of the animals and equipment, a warm private funeral is held for John and the cowboys go their separate ways.

Meanwhile, Beth has one more unfinished business before she and Rip can head to the small new ranch she bought for them.

She must kill Jamie (Wes Bentley), the adoptive brother she blames for her father’s death.

After a brutal confrontation at his home, Beth stabs Jamie and Rip and Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) dispose of his body.

Beth calls the police and tells them that Jamie attacked her and ran away after she confronted him for missing the funeral of the man he helped murder.

The episode, which was intended to be a season finale rather than a series finale, ends with Beth and Rip, as well as Kayce, his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and his son Tate (Brecken Merrill), settling into their new homes.

Back at the ranch, Rainwater watches as other members of his tribe play music, dismantle the giant “Y” on the horse stable, and begin demolishing John’s beautiful lodge house to restore the property to its natural state.

But when some children start knocking over the Duttons’ gravestones, Mo (Moses Brings Plenty), Rainwater’s right-hand man, reprimands them for disrespecting the people who protected the land.

He then removes the stones from John and his ancestor Elsa, who was played by Isabel May in the Yellowstone prequel, 1883.