The Last Season Of “Yellowstone” Is Coming—Here Are My Predictions

After all the twists, turns, and near-death experiences for every character, we know that anything could happen in the promised-to-be-epic conclusion of Yellowstone. The final installment – Part 2 of Season 5 – will premiere November 10 on Paramount. Here are my main predictions and what I’m most excited about. 

The Violence Will Continue

Not only will the violence continue, but I predict this will be the bloodiest and most ruthless season by far. Season 5, part 1 concludes with a declaration of war between siblings Beth Dutton (Kelly Reily) and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), and given that Kevin Costner will not be continuing his role as father John Dutton, there is no doubt that this war will be the end of an era for the ranch as we know it. 

Even though this has been the conflict all along, without the father figure at the helm, this conflict will go from organized crime warfare to full guerrilla-style terrorism. Let's be honest, Beth and Jamie hold themselves back out of respect for their father, so without him, things are bound to get especially ugly – to the point that peaceful Kayce (Luke Grimes) will be dragged into it, most likely against his will.

What Happens to John Dutton?

Is John Dutton in or out? He appears in the trailer, but Kevin Costner already stated that he was leaving the show and would not appear in the remainder of Season 5. Are he and the producers just playing with our hearts? As much as we’ve been warned about his absence, I hope they give a heroic and meaningful ending to our beloved cowboy. Will Jamie kill him, as he hinted in the last episode of Part 1? Will it be an accident? With so many enemies and such a difficult job, anything could happen. He clearly cannot simply disappear from the ranch and the family he’s led.

It’s understood that Kevin Costner’s reasons for leaving the show are both professional and personal, as he is focused on a new film saga called Horizon and simultaneously navigating a messy divorce. It’s also known he has been butting heads with a real-life rancher and creator of Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan, who is now the proud owner of the legendary 6666 Ranch in northern Texas. Sheridan insisted on having creative authority over the direction of the show, and Costner had his own ideas about what the future of John Dutton should look like. It was said there was also a conflict of schedules and disagreements over pay, all resulting in Costner’s departure. Regardless of how it ends, there is no doubt that John Dutton’s legacy will be a crucial aspect of the plot line, and the impact will be felt in every corner of the ranch. 

Does Kayce Finally Choose a Side?

For most of the plot, Kayce has struggled to balance life as a cowboy married to a Native American woman – a typical Romeo and Juliet story. It looks like he finally made a decision, as the trailer shows a blood pact between Kayce and Rainwater. What could this mean? Is he leaving his siblings behind?

Kayce’s struggle is quite relatable as all of us leave our nuclear families when we get married and start a new one, and this transition is not always easy. Kayce was never fully able to balance this, as he has always been torn between his loyalty toward his wife and son, and his father and siblings. Perhaps there’s something to say about how the dynamic of the ranch affects family life since Jamie doesn’t seem to have romantic relationships and Beth married the one man who never leaves the ranch. (Who can blame her? Rip is a catch.) But without John Dutton at the helm, will the siblings actually go their own way? And in that case, who keeps the ranch?

What Will Happen to Yellowstone Ranch?

Another interesting element regarding the family dynamic is that, at this point, all the siblings have sons of their own, so are they being protective of what their children will inherit? Ironically, none of them seems interested. Kayce always tries to keep Tate away. In this iconic scene, Beth tells her foster son, Carter, that he won’t inherit money, and Jamie has never been too keen on ranch life. So, who will inherit the Yellowstone Ranch? This question is certainly going to be central for this new season. 

Will Kayce take the ranch for himself and Rainwater to split the land with the Native Americans it was stolen from?

Will Jamie's sinister girlfriend get involved in some shady business to steal the fortune away from the siblings?

Will Rip inherit the ranch that he's dedicated his life to and that Beth has fought so hard to protect?

There is even a theory going around online suggesting that, in this final season, Beth will kill Jamie’s son in retaliation for his role in the abortion and hysterectomy that left Beth unable to bear children. Could things truly escalate to this point, or can we hope for a more Hallmark ending in which this deep wound finally finds some healing?

Is Beth Entering Her Feminine Energy Era? 

While we may not know who the ranch is going to quite yet, we do know that Beth's transition and growth are certainly worth keeping an eye out for in this final season. Beth has increasingly leaned into her femininity since her marriage and we've seen her let husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) take care of her much more. In a surprising twist, she's even become a bit submissive when it comes to him. The scene above is one of my favorites as her feisty character we all love so much is on full display, but so is her tenderness toward Monica, and we get a clear idea of where her values stand. 

She has gone through countless changes since the series began which is what makes her such a fascinating character to watch and root for. She started as a the epitome of a stone cold girl boss crushing it as a banker. Despite her career success, Beth was single, chaotic, defensive, and depressed. To put it plainly, there wasn't much to admire about her in the first season of Yellowstone. As we embark on this final season however, she is now much softer and more compassionate without losing her ability to stand up for what she wants. She's a wife with a foster son and the executor of her family estate.

Has anyone else noticed how this is reflected in her outfits? Beth can rock a suit like no other, but when she is at the ranch, she usually wears beautiful dresses with cowboy boots to match. According to the trailer, Beth will be wearing a lot more of these dresses, perhaps reflecting the changes going on in her life. Will Beth give up the fight for the ranch after her father is gone? The tough woman we first met while destroying every developer’s dreams may now be more focused on building a loving, traditional family home.

What’s Next? 

While Taylor Sheridan insists that this is in fact the end of Yellowstone, it has also been alleged that Rip and Beth have signed for another season. Could a spinoff be in the works? Or are they inheriting the ranch and continuing the story? While nothing related to what these two could be doing next is confirmed, we do know there are plans for another prequel, 1944. It’s rumored that Matthew McConaughey and Morgan Freeman will be leading 1944, and the story line will revolve around how American ranches experienced World War II. This would also make Matthew McConaughey John Dutton’s father and would give a lot of context to John Dutton’s upbringing. It’s rumored that 1944 will premiere in Fall 2025, and it’s only a matter of time until this is confirmed.