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 ranch hands 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 ranch hand, 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 toward the upcoming Beth-Rip spin-off that will reportedly launch Yellowstone’s next chapter.
