‘Yellowstone’ finale sets up the possibility of more in a post John Dutton world

The following article contains spoilers for Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 14: “Life Is a Promise.”

Just like that, the biggest show on television is over. Yellowstone has come to a close after five seasons and a lot of drama.

While Yellowstone may come back for a Season 6, the last episode of Season 5 feels final in many ways. Fans were thrown for a loop when the star of the series, Kevin Costner, publicly took his leave of the series half a season into Season 5. For the most part, Yellowstone has made it work. Season 5B starts with the supposed suicide of Costner’s character, John Dutton, only for his children to realize that it was all for show. John was killed on the order of Sarah (Dawn Olivieri), his estranged son Jamie’s (Wes Bentley) lady friend. The death gives the latter half of the season heightened stakes and ultimately a satisfying conclusion.

The Yellowstone ranch is given over to Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and the Indigenous people of the area, who promise not to sell it for parts. While this is the end of the titular ranch that has been in the hands of the Duttons for generations, it is not necessarily the end of the story. Passionate couple Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) make it out of the series alive and settle on a new ranch, leaving the door open for more content.

Even though they are arguably the most reprehensible characters in the series, they get their happy ending together. A Yellowstone spin-off has been rumored to be in the works and as of the finale, there is no official confirmation. Hauser teased to stay tuned to see what happens, but if he kept his lips sealed. In a way, he isn’t wrong. While Beth and Rip have blood on their hands, they are unequivocally the most popular part of the series.

Beth and Rip have been a draw for Yellowstone fans since day one

As multi-generational dramas have taught us, every story needs a good romance. In Beth and Rip, viewers got that and more. The two were full of angst, passion, and devotion from the beginning. This brought in fans of not just Westerns but television in general. From their first scene together, it is clear there is some unfinished business between the two of them.

Yellowstone picks up with a sort of game of cat and mouse between them. Beth has moved home from her financial job, as her former lover continues to run the ranch she grew up on. The two initially first met as teens after John took in Rip following the murder of his abusive father. The young lovers could never seem to make it work, but now that they are existing on the same ranch again, all bets are off.

Beth and Rip strike up a sexual relationship before things get serious. Beth’s trauma always seems to get in the way for this pair. She has endured more than any one person should, and it turned her into a viper. But despite the insecurity she harbors from her harsh mother and the brutal sterilization in her teens, she still finds love. Fans flock to the couple who prove they are willing to do anything for each other at any cost, including murder. If there are characters that fans will follow in another series, it’s these two. Yellowstone has essentially already become the Beth and Rip Show. Whether they return in Yellowstone Season 6 or a series of their own, it will likely be a success.