It took a bit longer than expected, but Yellowstone season 5 part 2 is finally on Paramount Network Sunday, November 10, arriving two years after the first half of the season premiered. In that time there have been some major developments that likely fundamentally changed the show and possibly some of the storylines that were originally being set up in the first eight episodes of Yellowstone season 5.
Most influential was the decision that Kevin Costner would not be returning for the final batch of episodes, removing the series protagonist to date, John Dutton, from the board. As a result of Costner’s exit, it was reported that Yellowstone season 5 part 2 would mark the end of the flagship series, though spinoffs were possible (and some have already been announced, i.e. The Madison); however, there are now rumors though that Yellowstone season 6 could still happen.
Long story short, Yellowstone fans likely have a lot of questions about where the show is going, and possibly need a reminder of where things left off. Of course you can always rewatch the episodes: the show is streaming on Peacock in the US and Paramount Plus in the UK, while Paramount Network is having a mini marathon from November 8-10 of season 3-5 leading up to the premiere.
But if you don't have the time to rewatch the entire first half of Yellowstone season 5, I've compiled what I think are the six biggest questions about Yellowstone season 5 part 2 and am offering the background and my own perspective on them. Let’s fire away.
How is Yellowstone going to deal with the Kevin Costner exit?
Since the beginning, Yellowstone has been about John Dutton’s fight to protect the land that his family has called home for more than 100 years, hoping to preserve it for his own children. But Costner, who has portrayed John for the entirety of the show, won’t be around to see that fight through.
After reports of a falling out with show creator Taylor Sheridan over scheduling conflicts with Costner’s movie Horizon: An American Saga, Costner denied those reports but confirmed that he would not be returning for Yellowstone season 5 part 2. So, how will the show deal with Costner’s exit?
When we last had a new Yellowstone episode, Jamie (Wes Bentley) had moved to impeach John as Montana’s governor, citing his moves to cancel the Market Equities deal had opened the state up to a $4 billion lawsuit. Jamie also was talking with Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri; more on her in a bit) about getting in contact with some professional killers, but that may have been more about Beth (Kelly Reilly) than John.
Though Yellowstone director Christina Voros told The Hollywood Reporter that “His [John’s] presence is integral,” to these new episodes, the most likely bet is that John is going to have died when episodes return. Perhaps from something like a heart attack (he had major health issues in the first few seasons and has gone through some tough battles since), but it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Jamie and Sarah had him assassinated (in the Yellowstone season 5 part 2 trailer Jamie is trying to destroy documents; evidence?)
Yellowstone season 5 part 2 scripts were redacted to prevent leaks like John’s fate being revealed ahead of the show’s return.
Who will win the Jamie and Beth fight for power?
Jamie and Beth’s relationship has grown from bitter sibling rivalry to all out war, with the first eight episodes of season 5 setting up what we can only expect to be a winner take all showdown in these final episodes.
To recap, Beth entered Yellowstone season 5 with the upper hand, having photos of Jamie dumping his biological father’s body at the train station and using them to keep him in check. However, after Beth discovers that Jamie has a son (something he had kept hidden from the rest of the Duttons) she promises to take his son from him as payback for having her sterilized as a teen. This is too far for Jamie, as he aligns himself with Sarah Atwood, moves to impeach John and possibly hire assassins to go after Beth (he ruins Beth’s blackmail attempt by revealing John knows about the train station and would be implicated too if she revealed it).
With John presumably out of the picture in Yellowstone season 5 part 2, Beth will have even more motivation (likely blaming Jamie for whatever happens to John) and no restraints on how to go after him now that John isn’t there to try and protect Jamie. Jamie, however, will have Sarah and presumably the support of Market Equities behind him, which are powerful resources.
It’s likely only one of them will come out on top, so who will it be? I’m picking Beth.
Who is Sarah Atwood?
We’ve mentioned her a bunch already, but who exactly is Sarah Atwood?
Sarah made her Yellowstone debut in season 5 episode 2, when she was brought in by Market Equities specifically to combat the Duttons. She quickly set her eyes on Jamie as her primary target, wooing him both romantically and appealing to his ambition by saying they would help him become the next governor once John is ousted.
However, there is potentially much more to Sarah’s story. At one point Beth does some snooping on Sarah, but she can’t find any legitimate information about her, leading her to believe that Sarah Atwood isn’t her real name. Who is she, and why does she have contacts with professional killers? She should be one of the more fascinating characters in these final batch of episodes.
What’s going on with Rainwater’s leadership fight?
Taking a break from the Dutton storylines, there is one with Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) that still needs to be addressed in the second half of the season.
The first half of season 5 saw Rainwater’s role as leader of his tribe threatened by Angela Blue Thunder (Q’orianka Kilcher), as she attempted to replace him with a younger candidate. In addition to that, the federal government was proposing putting not one but two pipelines on reservation land.
Solving these two problems could go hand in hand. Rainwater may see the only way to push back against negative sentiment toward his leadership to be defeating the pipelines being imposed on his land. So what will he have to do in order to ensure that?
Again, with John likely out of the picture, Rainwater will likely rely more on Kayce (Luke Grimes), who he's always had a better relationship with anyway, to help him in his cause.
Rip’s return to the ranch?
The last we saw Rip (Cole Hauser) he was heading down to Texas with a number of the Yellowstone cowboys to look over their cattle herd after disease was found in their fields and they needed to be relocated. It always seemed strange that Rip would be away from the Yellowstone for long, but this is one of the storylines that may be the most impacted by Costner’s departure.
In the season 5 part 2 trailer we see that Rip is back with Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith), who did not go to Texas, so it seems he is back at the ranch. That’s not overly surprising, presuming something does happen to John you can’t expect Rip to not make his way home, as he'll certainly be looking for some measure of revenge and to be there to protect Beth.
Are we going to see more of Jimmy?
Piggy backing off of the Rip storyline, does his presumed quick exit from Texas mean we’re not going to get any more of Jimmy (Jefferson White) in Yellowstone season 5 part 2?
We only saw Jimmy briefly in the first half of season 5. As a reminder, Jimmy was allowed to move on with his life by John after he matured on the 6666 ranch and got married at the end of Yellowstone season 4. Jimmy seemed happy and in a good place with his life on the Texas ranch, where he presumably would be reuniting with some of his old Yellowstone friends.
If Rip’s removal from the Texas storyline means that won’t be followed too much, then it’s possible we don’t see Jimmy much more than the glorified cameo he had in season 5 part 1. However, Jimmy does still wear the Yellowstone brand. He may have been allowed to start his life anew, but if his old home was threatened as we think it is going to be, would Jimmy’s new outlook on life compel him to go support those who helped him become the man he is today?
Jimmy has long been a favorite character, and it would be great to see him used more in these final episodes. So here’s hoping.
Yellowstone season 5 part 2 premieres at 8 pm ET/PT on Paramount Network in the US. It will be available for streaming on Paramount Plus in the UK as of November 11.
