Yellowstone finale ends season in dramatic fashion with another major death

Season 5 part 2 kicked off with original lead John Dutton (Kevin Costner) being killed off screen in what first appeared to be a suicide, but was later revealed to be murder.

The orchestrators of the plot were Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), who hired assassins to take down their rival and stage the scene to throw authorities off the scent.

Unluckily for them, it was far from the perfect crime they had envisioned; Sarah paid for her role in the conspiracy with her life earlier in Yellowstone season 5 part 2.

Now, John's daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) was targeting her estranged adoptive brother in the hunt for vengeance.

Following her father's funeral, she takes him on in a violent brawl and initially gains the upper hand by using bear spray to temporarily blind him, but eventually the effect wears off and the tables turn on Beth.

Fans watched with pulses pounding as the feuding siblings battled, wondering which would survive the climactic events of the finale – but in a twist that pleased many, Beth prevailed over her villainous brother.

She delivered a killing blow after receiving a much-needed assist from Rip (Cole Hauser), who quickly and efficiently disposed of the body and soiled Jamie's reputation in the process, falsely claiming that he had initiated the confrontation and fled.

Earlier in the episode, Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) achieved his long-held goal of regaining the land that the Duttons had acquired generations earlier.

The deal came about as the family found themselves cornered by estate taxes that could force them to sell the land to a major corporation, who would develop it in ways that fly against the wishes of the late John.

Therefore, they make the bold decision to sell it to Rainwater's tribe for an incredibly low price, which thus drives down the tax they will have to pay on the purchase, in exchange for assurances that the land will not be developed.

Beth and Rip also secure themselves a small plot on the land, to live out their days quietly as they please.

All in all, the finale puts Beth and Rip in a strong position, leaving the door open for a potential spin-off, as has previously been rumoured, although some fans remain disappointed that Costner's central character couldn't be part of the final chapter.

Yellowstone season 5 part 2 also makes efforts to connect the show's prequel offshoots – most notably 1883, with references to James Dutton (played by Tim McGraw in the miniseries) and Elsa Dutton (Isabel May).

Yellowstone is available to stream on Paramount Plus. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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