Life Is A Promise

Give The World Away is the fourteenth and final episode of the fifth season of Yellowstone. It first aired on December 15, 2024.

Summary[]

As the Duttons and the Yellowstone cowboys lay John to rest, the fate of the ranch is revealed.

Plot[]

Episode 14 of the fifth season of the series "Yellowstone" is not only the finale of the season, but of the main series as a whole. It presents big emotions - of all kinds!

Spoiler warning - this message may contain references to the continuation of the plot!

The fight for the land

In the Yellowstone episode Life is a Promise, the indigenous people from the neighboring reservation sabotage the large construction site in a cloak-and-dagger operation, which threatens not only the Yellowstone Ranch but also their own land. Police chief Mo (Moses Brings Plenty) leads a group of people who make the pipes for the planned pipeline disappear.

Farewells and new beginnings

The cowboys around Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith), Teeter (Jennifer Landon) and Walker (Ryan Bingham) celebrate the good result of the large auction on the ranch together with Travis (series creator Taylor Sheridan). Before he leaves with Jimmy (Jefferson White), Teeter applies for his Bosque Ranch, as she no longer wants to stay at her old place of work after Colby's death.

Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) want to make a fresh start on their own ranch with their adopted son Carter (Finn Little).

Meanwhile, Kacey (Luke Grimes) and Monica (Kelsey Asbille) meet reserve chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and his right-hand man Mo. Since the inheritance tax on the ranch cannot be paid after John Dutton's death, they sell Yellowstone to the reserve for the original and now only symbolic price. Kacey and Rainwater seal their bond through blood brotherhood. The reserve chief agrees to give Kacey, Monica and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill) a piece of land to live on.

But before all of this can become reality, the family has to get through a difficult journey first. The funeral for the patriarch is coming up, who is to be buried on the ranch next to his deceased wife.

Jamie (Wes Bentley) is meanwhile rehearsing a public speech after the recent developments in order to exonerate himself.

The last walk

The funeral, which is attended by both Rainwater and John Dutton's old love interest Senator Perry (Wendy Moniz), turns into a severe emotional ordeal, especially for Beth. At her father's coffin, she swears to avenge him before it is ceremoniously lowered into the ground. Beth then rushes home in a flash, changes her clothes and drives off in her car while Rip shovels the grave himself.

The day of revenge

Her destination is, of course, the house of her adoptive brother, whose speech has just found some resonance. Rip, of course, suspects what his wife is planning and follows her with Lloyd. She and Jamie face off in a final battle.

Series finale in double length

As we have read several times, series creator Taylor Sheridan is giving fans of "Yellowstone" a finale in double episode length with Life Is A Promise. He directed this himself in addition to his renewed involvement as rancher Travis. And the final quasi-film certainly delivers on its promises, at least on the whole.

Big emotions

Although the inevitable funeral of John Dutton (not seen again in the form of Kevin Costner in flashbacks) only takes place in the much-quoted small circle. But this is likely to prompt quite a few viewers to reach for the tissues. You have the feeling of saying goodbye to a legend who has accompanied us since 2018, and such things can certainly happen. Despite all the emotion, however, the film avoids excessive kitsch, just as it has been from the beginning in "Yellowstone".

This also applies to the farewell to the beloved angular and edgy cowboy and cowgirl characters who have grown dear to our hearts over the past few years. As life often goes, the wind now drives them in all sorts of directions.

Tough as nails until the end

It was predictable that there would be a big bang between Beth and the (at least more or less involuntary) series anti villain Jamie in one way or another. And that's exactly what happens. And in such a furiously evil way that we don't want to give anything more away about it at this point.

It's a bit of a shame, however, that Jamie's ex-girlfriend Christina (Katherine Cunningham) and their son are not discussed again. This ultimately leaves the famous loose threads. On the other hand, however, there is no guarantee that the topic won't come up again in one of the planned sequels. Speaking of which...

Open doors

And so the season and series finale once again presents itself as a great TV movie, which the successful series fully deserves. However, one or two doors are already being pointed out here that will open after the big finale. There are plans for a series about the future lives of Beth and Rip, and after the final episode we now know where it will take place. At least geographically.

And many viewers are happy and glad that the view of the two in the final minutes will not be the last.

Conclusion

Despite the unpleasant departure of the main series star in the second part of the fifth season, “Yellowstone” ends just as brilliantly as the series began.

Of course, it would have been more enjoyable to see Kevin Costner right to the end. But despite the one or two snags, his departure from the series has been integrated reasonably well into the overall plot and comes to an all-round well-rounded finale.

Even though the second half of the fifth and final season had its problems, the show still managed to maintain the high standard until the end. For this reason, we are sticking with the previous rating and awarding the finale a well-deserved four out of five lassos.

The final episode is dedicated to professional rider Bob Avila, who died on November 9, 2024 at the age of 73. He made a guest appearance in the third series season of "Yellowstone."

Review[]

Trivia[]

Why Kayce Sells The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch To Chief Rainwater (But Keeps His Family's Home) ???

Yellowstone's Ending Fulfills 1883's Prophecy

As teased at the end of Yellowstone season 5, episode 13, Kayce approaches Chief Thomas Rainwater with a proposition — he will sell the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to the chief and his tribe for what it cost when the Dutton's ancestors took it: $1.25 per acre. It's a steal, frankly, and that's the point. Kayce and Beth have to sell the land because they can't afford the inheritance tax, and neither can the members of the Broken Rock Reservation. However, if Chief Rainwater buys it for a small sum, the tax will be based on what he paid for it.

With the tax decrease, Chief Rainwater can afford to purchase the ranch, and he unsurprisingly jumps at the opportunity. While it's sad to let the ranch go (well, not so much for Kayce), the Duttons know that it's in good hands as Chief Rainwater and his people will care for it. The land won't be taken over by wealthy corporations looking to build shopping centers, resorts, etc. Plus, Kayce makes sure that he and his family can keep their home at East Camp as a part of the deal.

Spotted Eagle said, "In seven generations my people will rise up and take it back from you," and that is exactly what happens during the Yellowstone season 5 finale.

With the sale, Yellowstone's story has come full circle. As some may recall, 1883 ended with a prophecy — Spotted Eagle told James Dutton that his people would take back the land one day. Specifically, Spotted Eagle said, "In seven generations my people will rise up and take it back from you," and that is exactly what happens during the Yellowstone season 5 finale.

Mo honored the sacrifice the Duttons made in protecting the land for so long by keeping their graves intact, as well as berating the younger generation when they tried to tear them down. Despite the initially sour relations between them, Mo saw them as people instead of enemies.
But there is another aspect thats not really mentioned in the show but is real history. The Free Homestead Act of 1862 allowed people claim up to 160 acres of federal land land for free if they lived on it for 5 years, or for $1.25 an acre after six months. That, with various other acts, fueled western expansion. And what the natives had to say about it didn't matter at that time. I imagine back then, one just had to be a mildly successful rancher and you could have easily bought up the land from your less successful or desperate-to-survive neighbors.

Notes[]

Jaime is the textbook definition of treat someone like a anti villain long enough and they become a villian?

The man has been trying to make logical decisions for this family which isn't even his, yet he is made a villain by John and Beth. I am glad he is fighting back after years of emotional, psychological and physical abuse he had to endure.

John and Beth are the reason Jamie is the way he is. It always bothered me how people make Jamie out to be the bad guy without looking at the context. He's no angel, but compared to the rest of the family, he's a saint. He isn't at all selfish, hence him saying he doesn't want the ranch for himself. Rather, for his nephew and son. It all starts when he was 17.

Back then, John asks Jamie what he wants to be when he grows up. Jamie said with a big smile on his face, "You, Dad. I wanna be just like you and do your job." But then, John said "Well, son, I want you to go to school to be a lawyer." Jamie's smile immediately disappeared and he was clearly shocked and disappointed (even asking some questions on the why). He was shocked because he knows John hates lawyers, but John's only response was "Be one I like." Because Jamie was so loyal, he did what he was told.

As far as the Beth abortion issue, that scene clearly took place not long after his above-mentioned Lawyer thing with John, hence Jamie saying it was his last day on the ranch. Jamie, again, was only 17. Barely older than Beth. She wasn't asking him for lunch money or handling a bully. She asked him to help her gut a baby in secret. A teenaged girl has no business asking her teenaged brother to handle an adult-level situation like that. And secrecy is basically impossible when your family is ranching royalty. And if people paid attention to Jamie's facial expressions and body language, they would realize he was hesitant to have her go through with the procedure that would render her barren. But in his teenaged brain, combined with seeing how scared and desperate she was, this was the only way. He didn't do it out of spite. He did it out of love.

20 years later, Jamie has faithfully served John and the ranch and yet you can see in the first episode, before Beth even came home, that John seemed to treat him indifferently and refused to listen to his sound advice. Jamie told his Dad that the ranch needed money and that his old -school wild west approach to protecting cattle and preserving the land was a bad idea, but he didn't listen because of his stubbornness and recklessness. And because he didn't listen to him, the mission went sideways and Lee was killed. Jamie also warned John about Beth, how she would end up tearing the family apart and that the longer she stayed on the ranch, the worse she'll be. We see he was right about that too. Since then, John has yelled at, cursed at, threatened, disrupted, and even hit Jamie despite his years of loyalty and service.

To think, all Jamie wanted was to be a cowboy and rancher like his Dad. He never wanted to or asked to be a lawyer or politician. His Dad looks down on him for being the very thing he forced him to be, when he didn't even want to be the thing in the first place. Jamie was always the most loyal of the four Dutton kids in the sense of being what his Dad told him to be and do. Lee didn't want to mingle with people to build relations with the ranch, Beth moved to SLC to be a financier (and has made it clear on many occasions that she doesn't care about the ranch), and Kayce relocated to the reservation with his wife and son to train horses. Jamie, however, sacrificed his dreams to be a good son and all he got in return was contempt, mistreatment, and belittlement.

I, for one, am glad he has turned on his toxic family and really hopes he brings them down, especially Beth. That triumphant tirade against her when she broke into his house was just the tip of the iceberg I suspect...

His family is not the world's standards. That's the whole point. The Dutton's aren't inherently wrong, but neither is Jamie. That's the problem. This show tries to frame it as the Dutton's are flawed, but are still in the right. They aren't.

"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth." [In this case, it's a ranch.]

His father drilled it into him to save the ranch at all cost... never really treated him as his son, and his daughter constantly bullied him, threatened him, and said she would take his child from him. He did everything for the family, apologized for a youthful mistake, and when his father did everything to lose the ranch he demanded jamie protect, he went against his father to do so.

The abortion itself wasn't the problem she had. It was him getting her a hysterectomy without telling her until it was too late.

The final episode of Yellowstone marks the conclusion of a saga of power, loyalty and sacrifice, as the Dutton family makes difficult decisions to protect their legacy.

The ranch, a symbol of the family for decades, is emptying out. Rip takes one last walk around the stables before closing the barn door for the last time. Beth walks through the now-empty house and asks Kayce if he wants to keep anything personal from John's office. However, he responds that he has spent his life trying to get away from the ranch and that there is no point in holding on to the items now. Beth insists that Tate might want to know the story of his grandfather, as it is "a story worth remembering."

Kayce leaves the ranch with two rifle cases, while Rip and Lloyd remove the iconic Yellowstone Dutton Ranch sign, a symbol that has marked generations. Before leaving, Rip promises to help Kayce if he needs it. Father and son attend a cattle auction, and Kayce teaches Tate how to evaluate animals before they win the auction, beginning a new chapter for the family. Meanwhile, the Broken Rock Reservation reclaims the land. The main house is demolished as Thomas Rainwater and Mo watch. The iconic "Y" on the barn is removed, and some Native American children attempt to tear down the Dutton family's headstones, but Mo stops them, reminding them that these men died protecting this land and must remain there. He replaces John Dutton's headstone, while Elsa Dutton's narration echoes the true meaning of land ownership: "Men can't really own wild land. To own it, you have to cover it with concrete, fill it with houses until people can smell their neighbors' cooking. The raw, free, wild land can never be anyone's. But some pay dearly for the privilege of tending it, suffering and sacrificing for it, hoping to teach the next generation to do the same." Meanwhile, Beth and Rip start over on a new ranch, where Carter helps them drive cattle. Rip admires the quality of the grass and Beth, pleased, comments that she found a quiet bar for dinner, away from the tourists. The couple prepares to ride together, sealing their new beginning.

Meanwhile, Kayce and Monica work on their land, taking care of their 300 head of cattle. Monica smiles and says that she always imagined this life, showing that, despite all the difficulties, there is still a future for the family.

The final episode of Yellowstone ends an era, but leaves a living legacy. The ranch may be gone, but the promise of caring for the land and honoring the Dutton history lives on for future generations.

Cast[]

Opening credits[]

Starring[]

Kevin Costner (as John Dutton) - credit only

Luke Grimes (as Kayce Dutton)

Kelly Reilly (as Beth Dutton)

Wes Bentley (as Jamie Dutton)

Cole Hauser (as Rip Wheeler)

Finn Little (as Carter)
Ian Bohen (as Ryan)
Forrie J. Smith (as Lloyd Bridger)
Denim Richards (as Colby) - credit only

And[]

Gil Birmingham (as Thomas Rainwater)

Closing credits[]

Special Guest Star[]

Lainey Wilson as Abby

Guest Star[]

Rory Cochrane as Dillard

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Arlene Victoria Conrad as Nurse
Ruby Snowber as Counter
Alex Nibley as Old Man
Tyler King as Police Officer
Jason Potter as EMT
Genevieve Glass as News Reporter

Jason M. Owen as Detective
Christian Wassana as Martin Kills Many

Aslan Freeman as Abby's Band (Guitar)
Kevin Nolan as Abby's Band (Utility)
Matt Nolan as Abby's Band (Drums)
Tommy Scifres as Abby's Band (Bass)
Sav Madigan as Abbys Band (Fiddle)

Uncredited[]

Isabel May as Elsa Dutton - voice only

Crew (and other credits)[]

Opening credits[]

This episode is dedicated to Bob Avila | See you down the dusty trail, amigo
Casting by: John Papsidera, CSA, Emily Bohbrink, CSA
Music by: Brian Tyler and Breton Vivian
Edited by: Chad Galster, ACE
Production Designer: Yvonne Boudreaux
Director of Photography: Robert McLachlan ASC, CSC
Created by: Taylor Sheridan & John Linson
Written by: Taylor Sheridan
Directed by: Taylor Sheridan

Closing credits[]

Executive Producers: John Linson, Art Linson
Executive Producer: Taylor Sheridan
Executive Producer: Kevin Costner
Executive Producers: David C. Glasser, Bob Yari
Executive Producer: Stephen Kay
Executive Producer: Michael Friedman
Executive Producer: Christina Alexandra Voros
Co-Executive Producer: Hilton Smith
Producer: Rajeev Malhotra
Co-Producer: Jason Altieri

Unit Production Manager: Brian Tanke
First Assistant Directors: Jason Altieri, Kether Abeles

Second Assistant Directors: Jared Hopkins, Alex Salazar

Second Unit Directors: Michael Friedman, Robert McLachlan, ASC, CSC

Music Supervisor: Andrea von Foerster

Costume Designer: Johnetta Boone
Key Costumers: Stacy Scarborough, Leo Castro
Costume Supervisor: Conan Castro, Jr.
Art Directors: Rachel Aguirre, Tarn Lerdjarudech
Set Decorator: Suzanne Stover
Art Department Coordinator: Ricky Romine
Property Master: Ian Roylance
Special Effects Supervisor: Garth Steinheimer
Department Head Make-Up: Greg Moon
Department Head Hair Stylist: Tim Muir
Second Second Assistant Directors: Ardy Carlson, Turner Andritz

Script Supervisor: Mellanie Bradfield
Sound Mixer: Andrejs Prokopenko
Boom Operator: Carlos Garcia
Stunt Coordinators: Jason Rodriguez, Jordan Warrack
"A" Camera Operator: Scott Dropkin
"B" Camera Operator: Abby Linne
"C" Camera Operator: Jed Seus
Supervising Location Manager: Mitchell Jarrett
Location Manager: Eleni Fleming
Key Assistant Location Managers: Dan Hastings, Katy Martin, Evan Eastham, Nick Thomas

Production Supervisors: Paula Kramer, Megan Selden
Production Coordinator: Chika Helton
Production Controller: Mary Jasionowski
Production Accountant: Matt Dawson
Assistants to Mr. Sheridan: Monica Bousa, Ann Scott
Assistant to Ms. C Voros: Christian Wassana
Assistant to Mr. Friedman: Rami Fritz
Production Counsel: Sheppard, Mullin, Richter, Hampton LLP

Casting Assistant: Daryl Baboulis-Gyscek
Local Casting: Jeff Johnson
Gaffer: John Gorman
Key Grip: Craig Sullivan
Second Company Grip: Alex Stein
Location Coordinators: Nicole Nelch, John McBride
Construction Coordinator: Lanny Henson
Transportation Coordinator: Rich Bennetti
Dailies by: Company 3
Dailies Associate Producer: Matt Riera
Dailies Colorist: Troy Davis

Associate Producer: Cory Hubbard
Post Production Coordinator: Morgan Tandy
Supervising Sound Editor: Jay Nierenberg
Re-Recording Mixers: Brad Zoern, CAS, Josh Sieh, CAS
Music Editor: Kyle Clausen
ADR Casting: Fabiana Arrastia
Additional Editing by: Brooke Rupe
Assistant Editors: Colby Bartine, Michael Goldberg
Colorist: Bob Festa
Online Editor: Jason Keehne
VFX Editor: Jeff Beattie
Dailies Coordinator: Abe Kurien
Main Titles Design: Elastic

101 Studios Executive: James Allen

Clearance Supervisor: Are We Clear Production Clearances, Mark Meloccaro
Product Placement by: Stone Management, Inc.
Product Placement Coordinators: Cat Stone and Adam Stone, Megan Soliah

Production Financing Provided by: East West Bank
Sponsored by: Molson Coors, Frito-Lay North America, Inc. (C) 2024, Ram Trucks

Filmed in Montana

Images[]

Episode guide[]

Yellowstone - Season 5 episodes
01 - One Hundred Years is Nothing	06 - Cigarettes, Whiskey, a Meadow, and You	11 - Three Fifty-Three
02 - The Sting of Wisdom	07 - The Dream Is Not Me	12 - Counting Coup
03 - Tall Drink of Water	08 - A Knife and No Coin	13 - Give The World Away
04 - Horses in Heaven	09 - Desire Is All You Need	14 - Life Is A Promise
05 - Watch ‘Em Ride Away	10 - The Apocalypse of Change

Note: episode guides may only be visible on the desktop version of the site. Click here for an overview of all season 5 episodes.

External links[]

Life Is A Promise on IMDb