The main source of drama in Paramount Network’s Yellowstone is the Dutton family, but no one should forget the hard workers who actually run the ranch. In fact, the ranch hands are a vital component of the Dutton dynasty.
John Dutton (Kevin Costner) fights to keep hold of his American dream with the help of dutiful children Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes). The men — and women — who work the ranch, however, are the levity that the series needs. Over the years, viewers have grown accustomed to the familiar ensemble that lives in the bunkhouse and their loves and heartbreaks. The most heartwarming of them all is the romance between Teeter (Jennifer Landon) and Colby (Denim Richards).
Since she first burst into the series making no apologies, the entire ranch was taken aback by Teeter’s attitude and incomprehensible way of talking. She grows on the ranch, including Colby, one of those most resistant to her charms. Teeter makes her intentions with Colby clear, though he holds back on his attraction for her for a long time. Only after getting thrashed in the face by one of Dutton’s rivals does Colby admit his feelings. He takes care of her, despite what Teeter calls bad timing. This bad timing is unfortunately a running theme with the couple as season 5 of Yellowstone reveals one devastating plot twist.
A heartbreaking death comes to Yellowstone
Yellowstone season 5B has already had more deaths than one season can excuse, and that was before the devastating event of episode 12. After confessing his love for Teeter, Colby goes in a way that isn’t uncommon for cowboys. Beth and Rip’s (Cole Hauser) adopted son, Carter (Finn Little), has been cornered by a horse in a stall and by saving him, Colby gets fatally kicked in the chest. Colby has been a recurring cast member since season 1, finally getting main cast member status in season 3. Even true love couldn’t save him, as Yellowstone director Christina Voros told The Hollywood Reporter.
“It’s a dangerous job, and this kind of thing happens and it happens in a split-second. My husband is a cowboy and a wrangler, and he’s lost friends this way. In a world of very high-stakes drama, this death comes as a shock because it’s so simple and it’s so grounded in the world in which all these characters work that it’s profoundly tragic because there’s no enemy here. It’s the risk of the job. And especially because of the way that Colby and [ranch hand] Teeter’s [Jennifer Landon] relationship has been playing out — absence makes the heart grow fonder; and their relationship had really just begun to take root in a different way — the timing of it is just gut-wrenching.”
As realistic as Colby’s death may be, it only adds to the chaos of the final season. Kevin Costner’s departure from the series has resulted in turmoil, causing the creative direction of the series to go in a different direction. As it is supposedly the final season, Colby’s death only brings more tragedy to the Dutton’s door. Ranch hands such as Jimmy (Jefferson White) have already had their fair share of trauma because of their proximity to horses. If there was one couple that deserved to make it out of the series intact, it was the unassuming couple, Colby and Teeter.