Yellowstone, with a hand from the pandemic, kept us waiting more than a year to find out whether Season 3’s unhinged finale was last call for John (who’d been shot), Kayce (who’d been shot at), Beth (who appeared to have been blown to smithereens) or Jimmy (who’d been left all bucked up by his ill-advised latest tumble from a bronco). Aand… ? And if you read on, we’ll not only reveal which if any of them wound up sporting a toe tag in Sunday’s Season 4 premiere double header, we’ll go over all the highlights of “Half the Money” and “Phantom Pain.”
IN EPISODE 1… |As we began the first of the two hours — which were, in a word, spectacular —all hell was breaking loose. While Rip had John choppered to the nearest hospital, Kayce lobbed a grenade (?!?) at his attackers, then gave pursuit with his Livestock Commission deputies. Beth emerged from her office in one piece but worse enough for wear that Kelly Reilly was clearly going to be spending another season in injury makeup. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, an assailant was beating the crap out of Monica when kaboom! Tate freaking shot him! (If this opening was any more intense, I would’ve wished I’d been wearing a diaper when I watched!) Out at the stables, as Laramie sobbed and another gunman was “dispensed with,” a horrified Mia discovered Jimmy looking — but only looking — dead as a doornail. Finally, after a no-holds-barred, completely insane shootout with the bad guys on the highway, Kayce realized that oops, he’d been hit and collapsed. “He’s a goner,” said the music cue. But the music cue, we’d later learn, was a dang liar! And as we were reeling from Jimmy and Kayce’s “deaths,” Rip got back to the Yellowstone only to find his place burned to the ground.
![Yellowstone Season 4 Premiere Recap: You 'Herd' It Here First — [Spoiler] Dies (1)](https://i0.wp.com/tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/yellowstone-season-4-episode-1-gil-birmingham.png?w=300 "Yellowstone Season 4 Premiere Recap: You 'Herd' It Here First — [Spoiler] Dies (1)")
Whew. No sooner had we started to catch our breath than we’d flashed all the way back to 1893 — a decade after the series’ prequel. During our brief stay in that era, a Dutton ancestor gave a group of Native Americans the OK to bury a relative on the land that used to be theirs. (This will be important later; stick around.) From there, we flashed not only back to the present but to far enough into the future that John had grown a beard; he was going to be OK, it seemed. Outside the hospital, Beth met and was almost immediately taken with Carter (new cast member Finn Little), a 14-year-old Mini-Rip whose junkie father conveniently croaked that very day. “F—k you,” Carter told his brain-dead dad, “for leaving me in this place with nothing and nobody.” If Beth hadn’t already loved the kid, she sure as s—t fell right then and there. “I like your style,” she told him. “I don’t have a style,” he replied. “Yeah, you do,”she countered. (Jeez, could maternal Beth be the best Beth yet?) At Rainwater’s casino, a patron named Jesse mouthed off so loudly about being the “party planner” who’d arranged for John to be shot that the chief had Mo incentivize him to reveal the identity of the person for whom he’d planned said party. “What they did to John Dutton hasn’t been done since they did it to us,” Rainwater said. “We need to know who’s trying to take his land, because they’re coming for ours next.”
![Yellowstone Season 4 Premiere Recap: You 'Herd' It Here First — [Spoiler] Dies (2)](https://i0.wp.com/tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/yellowstone-season-4-episode-1-beth-john-kevin-costner-kelly-reilly.png?w=300 "Yellowstone Season 4 Premiere Recap: You 'Herd' It Here First — [Spoiler] Dies (2)")
When at last John was released from the hospital, he glimpsed on his way out Jimmy undergoing PT. “What happened to him?” he asked. “It’s on a list of things we need to discuss,” Beth replied. “A long list.” At the Yellowstone, John immediately ditched his IV and fired his nurse. And who did he see coming across the lawn in camo gear that made him look like Sigmund the Sea Monster but Kayce. (Keep in mind, this was the first we’d seen or heard of him since the show tricked us into thinking he’d been shot dead in the opening.) Though it was all well and good for Kayce to be out hunting whoever had attacked them, John noted that what they really needed was to know who’d sent their attackers. For her part, Beth thought that she already knew. So she paid a visit to Jamie, accused him and promised to kill him. “But when I do it, I’m not gonna farm it out like you, you f–king coward,” she hissed, “I’m gonna do it myself.” Of course she is. Rip, on the other hand, seemed to believe that someone else had been behind the attacks. To that end, he interrupted Roarke’s morning of fly-fishing to ask if a cooler was his. What? No, said Roarke. Nonetheless, Rip tromped into the lake, opened the cooler and hurled a freaking rattlesnake at Roarke’s face! “Good riddance,” Rip muttered as the exec exhaled his last breath.
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IN EPISODE 2… | At the start of “Phantom Pain,” John and Kayce put their heads together about the sender of their attackers. Kayce, pointing out that Jamie hadn’t sold but merely leased Yellowstone land to Market Equities, didn’t think that his brother was behind the attempted murders. “Killers,” he theorized, “don’t seek their victim’s approval” the way Jamie did with John. So who, then? Kayce reckoned the militia had acted on its own, as payback for what the Duttons had done to them following Tate’s abduction. In that case, said John, “We’re gonna kill every goddamn one of ’em.” Elsewhere, as Garrett whispered in Jamie’s ear that it was time for him to grow his own shadow, the attorney bought a 1,000-acre cattle ranch of his own. At the same time, Market Equities workmen accidentally dug up — told you they’d be important — Native-American relics, thereby bringing progress to a halt. Immediately, in flew Market Equities bigwig Caroline Warner (new cast member Jacki Weaver). How big a wig was she? So big that when Ellis said he wasn’t late to meet her, her plane had been early, she shot back, “I am never early, and I am never late. I am the constant your time adjusts to.” Snap! Quickly, it became apparent that Caroline would have a different approach to Market Equities’ issues than Roarke or Willa had. She’d stop stoking their nemeses’ fears and instead feed their greed. To that end, she offered to fund Rainwater’s casino build if, instead of the usual cheesy kinda casino, he made it the highest of high-end establishments. And what did she want in exchange? With a glance at her paused construction, she said that all he had to do was “stop holding up the thing that will deliver your customers.”
![Yellowstone Season 4 Premiere Recap: You 'Herd' It Here First — [Spoiler] Dies (4)](https://i0.wp.com/tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/yellowstone-season-4-episode-2-finn-carter.png?w=300 "Yellowstone Season 4 Premiere Recap: You 'Herd' It Here First — [Spoiler] Dies (4)")
Back at the ranch, John focused on building a legacy by purchasing from Travis crazy expensive horses and sending him on the road with them. “He puts the whore in horse trader,” Rip had to admit, “but if he’s riding for the Y, he’ll be true to it.” That being the case, John was all in, expense be damned. “When people think of horses,” he said, “I want them to think of the Yellowstone.” Elsewhere, Beth met with Bob, who had the audacity to bring up her severance package. Seeing whole new shades of red, she recommended that he retire before she took everything that was his. “You shouldn’t pick a fight with a bigger bear,” he warned her. Unfazed, she smirked, “Ya gotta read the fine print [on my contract], Bob. I’m the bigger bear.” Returning to the ranch, Beth was met by Sheriff Haskell with a kid who’d tried to rob a convenience store and, when caught, had said she was his guardian. Yeah, guess who — Carter. She wanted to resist the urge to take him in, but c’mon, look at that face. So that evening, she made Hamburger Helper with tuna — mmkay — and told Rip that the kid liked it, at least. The kid? What kid? “I think he might be our kid, baby.” Rip thought not and tried repeatedly to dump Carter. Just because he’d “puppydogged” Beth didn’t mean that he could win over Rip. But, bighearted as the tough guy secretly is, Carter did win him over. So rather than send the boy to foster care, Rip hired him as the ranch’s new stall cleaner.
![Yellowstone Season 4 Premiere Recap: You 'Herd' It Here First — [Spoiler] Dies (5)](https://i0.wp.com/tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/yellowstone-season-4-episode-2-cole-hauser.png?w=300 "Yellowstone Season 4 Premiere Recap: You 'Herd' It Here First — [Spoiler] Dies (5)")
When Jimmy was released from the hospital and brought home to the Yellowstone, John broke it to him that he wouldn’t be staying. Jimmy had broken his promise to John, so the Duttons’ patriarch was done trying to make a man of him. Now that task had been left to Travis, with whom John was sending Jimmy on the road. Aww. Bye, Jimmy. As the second hour of our two-parter neared its conclusion, Rip, the closet softy, couldn’t bring himself to leave Carter at the bunk house. Instead, he brought the kid home to Beth, who’d made Hamburger Helper again — but this time with actual hamburger. And if the three of them weren’t the cutest f—king picture of domesticity, I don’t know what is. The following morning, though John had only said “maybe” Carter could stay on as stall cleaner, the youngster won him over, too, by being first in the stables. Well, second, noted Carter, worried that John had beat him there. No, “you were the first one here,” John assured him. “That’s a good sign.” If he didn’t make it back later, Carter should send a search party. But where? Carter didn’t know where John was going. “Guess they’ll just have to earn the title, huh?” cracked John. Thus ended a fairly perfect season premiere.So, what did you think of the way Yellowstone kicked off Season 4? Grade it in the poll below, then hit the comments with your thoughts, observations, critiques — the works.
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FAQs
Who dies at the end of Yellowstone? ›
Summer Higgins is Killed
After all, it's not usually a good thing to become so associated with the Dutton Family. Most people who get that close either end up dead or branded into servitude.
That said, the first death in season 5 still makes a huge and surprising impact. With Yellowstone season 5 killing off Kayce and Monica's baby - also named John Dutton - in the first episode, the message is clear: no one in the cast is safe.
What happened to Casey's son on Yellowstone? ›During Yellowstone's first season premiere, Lee Dutton (played by Dave Annable) gets killed after trying to recover stolen cattle from the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. He received a fatal gunshot wound after getting caught in the crossfire.
What happened on episode 4 of Yellowstone? ›John goes to lunch with his former fling, ex-governor/now-senator Lynelle Perry, and she gives him some solid advice about Beth's assault charge: “If it doesn't go away, you just ignore it.” Here's where John gets the idea, we'll see him utilize later, that he can pardon someone early in his career, though she doesn't ...
Is Rip killed on Yellowstone? ›We do know, however, that as of the end of Season 4, Rip Wheeler is alive and well, and going into Season 5, he'll be living his life with Beth Dutton, his lady love, at his side.
Which Dutton dies? ›After Scottish sheep herder Banner Creigton (Jerome Flynn) and his gang ambushes the Dutton family on their way out of Billings, John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale) died immediately from automatic gunfire.
Does Monica know Kayce killed her brother? ›Throughout the series, Monica is kept unaware of her brother's death early on, and after his widow commits suicide in what Monica considers a sacrifice for their children's welfare, she expresses to Kayce that she feels they ought to consider leaving the reservation to spare Tate the sadness of his cousins moving to ...
Who leaves Yellowstone in season 5? ›According to a new report, the actor might not even return for the series finale.
Do Kayce and Monica divorce? ›Yellowstone season 5: Kayce and Monica Dutton split 'sealed' as Luke Grimes confirms ranch.
What happens to Kayce's baby? ›Monica loses her baby after a terrible car crash.
Monica and Kayce seemed committed to starting their own way of life outside of the ranch. Now, after the first hour of season five, the couple has been engulfed by chaos and Kayce and Monica's child is dead.
What happened to Kayce's wife? ›
After having surgery, Monica started a long and drawn-out healing process. In order to speed up the healing of her injury, Monica visits physical therapy while she is recovering. With so many difficulties in their lives, Monica and Kayce's relationship deteriorates as she recovers from her brain injury.
What did Jamie see at the end of Episode 4? ›AND THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTACKS ON THE DUTTONS IS…
Jamie discovers this alarming piece of news when he receives Riggins' prison records and sees Garrett listed as one of his former cellmates. Shocked, all he can do is mutter, “oh my God.” He better hope God is on his side as he plots his next move.
John Dutton's Funeral
Continuing to work through their grief, Monica and Kayce lead a procession of cars to the Yellowstone ranch for the funeral of their infant son, who lived for just one hour before dying. Monica's family tribe dig the grave for the baby, while Rip approaches and offers his help.
Scared to tell her father or Rip about her pregnancy, Beth asked her brother instead. Jamie takes her to an abortion clinic. There, Jamie gets informed that the only way to perform the abortion is for Beth to undergo sterilization.
Is Rip Wheeler Dead? ›In the American neo-western drama Yellowstone, Rip Wheeler is still alive, but since the season hasn't ended yet, we can't be sure he won't die.
Does rip save Beth Yellowstone? ›Though Rip arrived just in time to save her, he took a bullet in the struggle. Confined to bed to heal, he wakes to the image of Beth's battered face. With his first words, he wishes her attackers could come back to life, just so he could kill them again — as true a Rip Wheeler “I love you” as there ever was!
Do Rip and Beth get married? ›During the season four finale, Beth and Rip got married in a shotgun wedding—quite literally, as Beth kidnapped the pastor with a "tiny" pistol to do so.
What happened to rip at the end of Yellowstone? ›Rip is marked with the ranch brand to prove he will accept "a second chance" after having killed his father. Rip works his way up as time passes, eventually gaining authority over other ranch hands and even becoming the foreman of the ranch.
Is the 5th season of Yellowstone the last? ›In May 2023, Paramount announced that season 5 will be Yellowstone's final season. However, a sequel series is slated to air the following month. Keep reading to find out more about Yellowstone season 5.
Which Dutton son survives? ›(James Badge Dale) is ultimately the great-grandfather of Kevin Costner's John Dutton III, he dies in the gunfight, leaving only one surviving child, Jack (Darren Mann). (The industry continues to criminally underuse James Badge Dale).
Who is Spencer Dutton's wife? ›
John Dutton Jr. Alexandra Dutton is a British woman whom Spencer Dutton meets while safari hunting in Africa and later became his wife.
Has Jamie Dutton killed anyone? ›He did kill his own [birth] father, but Beth is closer to him than his father. You know, they have a close relationship. Part of the pain and hate between them comes from the loss of that wonderful relationship they had before.
Why does Kayce hate his father? ›Kayce and John have been estranged for sometime at the beginning of the series. It is later revealed that part of what drove them apart was that Kayce got Monica pregnant and they planned to keep the baby. That is when John forced Kayce to take the brand.
Does Monica and Kayce get pregnant? ›In the second episode of the new Paramount series, the character is pregnancy with her second child. She can be seen driving erratically to the hospital, despite an ambulance already on its way for her that her husband had called.
Do Monica and Kayce have babies? ›The young Dutton shares that Monica and Kayce named the baby boy, John, after him. The second episode, "The Sting of Wisdom," opens with the immediate moments of the devastating crash, with Tate the only one conscious and in the car.
Why did Costner quit Yellowstone? ›According to the outlet, the rumored decision was made after Kevin requested to only “spend a week shooting” the remaining six episodes. Sources told Deadline that Paramount Network “declined” his proposal and were moving on with a new Yellowstone spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey.
Is Kevin Costner's daughter on Yellowstone? › Who is replacing Kevin Costner on Yellowstone? ›Although it's unclear if Kevin Costner will be returning, Matthew McConaughey will be taking on his own role in the untitled spinoff, not replacing Costner in 'YellowStone. ' The new adventure for McConaughey marks the actors first project since 2019, taking time to focus on his memoir, Greenlights.
What did Kayce say to Monica in the finale? ›Facing trouble in either path, Kayce told Monica that he “saw the end of us.” This clearly meant that it's time for Kayce to choose between his two lives: being a Dutton and being a member of the Broken Rock Indian Reservation.
Does Kayce cheat with Avery? ›Kayce and Avery are kissing in the vision and many fans thought that it was foreshadowing Kayce would be unfaithful to Monica. However, nothing has happened between Kayce and Avery so far in season 5 of Yellowstone.
How did Monica and Kayce lose their baby? ›
The resulting crash throws Monica several feet from the wreckage, and her son dies shortly after an agonising labour. John's first grandson Tate (Brecken Merrill) tells the Dutton patriarch he had a brother for just an hour before he passed away.
Is Tate Kayce's biological son? ›Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton
Brecken Merrill plays Tate, Kayce and Monica's son and John's only biological grandchild. Tate Dutton has a unique relationship with this father Kayce and a firm, supportive – and unaware – relationship with his grandfather John.
The final shot of Tate featured him in Kayce's arms as they headed away from the carnage. Tate is alive and back with his family, and the only physical cost was apparently a lost boot and shaved head.
Why is Monica so mad at Kayce? ›Throughout her recovery from brain surgery, Monica and Kayce had a rocky relationship. Monica doesn't approve of Kayce's relationship with his father John, and fears for her and their son Tate's safety.
What happened to Kayce's mom? ›So, how did Evelyn Dutton die? She lost her life on March 30, 1997, during a horseback riding accident. Her horse got spooked and fell on her while she was out riding with Beth and Kayce. Before the tragic incident, Beth was nervous while on her horse, causing it to get spooked.
Is Kayce's wife Native American? ›The wife of Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), Monica is a Native American who lives with her family on the Dutton ranch.
What is Jamie's secret in Yellowstone? ›Back in Yellowstone season 3 it was revealed via flashback that Jamie helped Beth go to the reservation to have a secret abortion after she fell pregnant as a teenager.
Did Jamie order the hit? ›Jamie, of course, finds out that Riggins' previous cellmate was Garrett Randall, Jamie's biological father. When Jamie confronts him, Garrett admits to organizing the hit—and implies he would do it again.
Does Kayce know Jamie is adopted? ›In the third series, Jamie says to Kayce: "I need some advice, brother... If I can still call you that." Kayce then replies: "Until the day you die, you better never call me anything else." This shows Kayce does know about Jamie not being his biological sibling but is accepting of him anyway.
Why does John hate Jamie? ›The underlying reason for John Dutton's dislike of Jamie is their differing personality and views on life. It is why they often fight, argue, and even work against each other in various stages of their life. Of course, it's also possible that John dislikes Jamie because he's adopted and not a true-blooded Dutton.
Who does Jamie sleep with on Yellowstone? ›
Market Equities operative Sarah [Dawn Olivieri] made the startling confession to Jamie [Wes Bentley] after waking up naked with him in his bedroom.
Why did Monica put her hair on the casket? ›While Monica (Kelsey Asbille) — along with the other Native American characters on the show — comes from the fictional "Broken Rock" tribe, the custom of cutting your hair when an immediate family member dies is something found among real tribes.
Is Carter Beth's son? ›In season 4 of Yellowstone, Beth (Kelly Reilly) befriends a young orphan named Carter (Finn Little) as the two await news of their respective fathers, both clinging to life. The chubby-cheeked boy found his way into Beth and Rip's (Cole Hauser) life after sadly childless Beth took him in.
Do Beth and Rip adopt Carter? ›She adopted a son (Carter) after finally marrying Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) in season four.
Does Rip know Beth is sterile? ›Does Beth Tell Rip She Can't Have Kids? Though she is scared it will change things between her and Rip, Beth does tell him that she is unable to have children. Rip assures her that the fact she can't have children doesn't change how he feels about her.
Who dies in episode 6 of Yellowstone season 5? ›The episode also benefits from a bit of tragedy mixed in with the peace: That night, Emmett dies in his sleep beneath the stars, the type of death every cowboy dreams of.
How did the end of Yellowstone end? ›Yellowstone season 4 ended with Market Equities CEO Caroline Warner (Jackie Weaver) promising to use the billions at her disposal to pave over the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Also, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) got married, and John Dutton (Kevin Costner) ran for governor.
Who kills John Dutton? ›(Though possibly not for much longer!) After Scottish sheep herder Banner Creigton (Jerome Flynn) and his gang ambushes the Dutton family on their way out of Billings, John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale) died immediately from automatic gunfire.
Who dies in episode 7 of Yellowstone Season 5? ›Rowdy attacks Rip with a knife, and the latter "hit him in the head with a rock, too hard I guess," as he tells John. "He talked about your daughter in a way he shouldn't." Finding Rowdy dead, John and Rip bury the body. Rip vows to be in debt to John for the rest of his life.
Does Jamie get killed in Yellowstone? ›Jamie Dutton does not die in Yellowstone and is still alive at the end of season 4.
What main character is leaving Yellowstone? ›
According to a new report, the actor might not even return for the series finale.
What did Beth text rip before she was attacked? ›Rip saving Beth's life
She manages to get a text sent to Rip saying "office help" just before they start savagely beating her and her assistant, Jason.
The Girl In White Represents The Wolf, Kayce's Spirit Animal
Facing trouble in either path, Kayce told Monica that he “saw the end of us.” This clearly meant that it's time for Kayce to choose between his two lives: being a Dutton and being a member of the Broken Rock Indian Reservation.
Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton will die in the second half of Season 5, but according to a new report, the show will go on. Sources tells Showbiz411 that producers are figuring out a way to wrap Kevin Costner's iconic character, and they're planning to give him a sendoff like Logan Roy in Succession.
What happens to Walker on Yellowstone? ›Walker never had his heart set on working or joining in on the fighting. After quitting, Kayce drove him out of state to a train station in Wyoming, warning him never to set foot in Montana again, especially knowing that Rip would have killed him.
What happened to Jack Dutton? ›Other members of the Dutton clan who were seriously injured included Jack and his fiancée, Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph), both suffering gunshot wounds.
Does Monica divorce Kayce? ›Yellowstone season 5: Kayce and Monica Dutton split 'sealed' as Luke Grimes confirms ranch.
What happens to Kayce and Monica's baby? ›Monica loses her baby after a terrible car crash.
Monica and Kayce seemed committed to starting their own way of life outside of the ranch.