Yellowstone: Season finale leaves fans frustrated and 'let down' - ending explained and will there be another season?

Some fans were left frustrated by the show’s conclusion, with some even comparing it to the disappointment of the Game Of Thrones finale. One fan said: “#YellowstoneTV finale was a letdown that never should’ve happened.”

Another added: “Yellowstone finale was a big let down for me. Too predictable and Taylor Sheridan [show’s co-creator] put himself in too many scenes when he was not an integral part of the family. Kevin Costner was Yellowstone and the day he left the show, it died with him. Too bad for a great series.”

Yellowstone has become one of the biggest shows in the world since its premiere in 2018. One of its biggest stars, Kevin Costner, shocked fans when he announced that he would not be in the series’ final few episodes following a contract dispute with show bosses.

Yellowstone Season 5 ending explained

In episode 14, Yellowstone prepared to say goodbye to the series for good. The final instalments saw Beth reveal to Rip that she has found a ranch in Dillon, leaving the Dutton ranch’s future in question, while Mo and Thomas Rainwater stage a protest at a pipeline being placed through the reservation by hijacking the construction site and moving the pipes.

Before heading back to Texas with Jimmy and Emily, Travis is approached by Teeter who asks him for a job. After telling him to ask Jimmy what it is like working for him, Teeter tells Travis that she’s be travelling to Texas within the week.

Thomas and Mo arrive at Monica and Kayce’s house where they discuss Kayce’s proposition for the Yellowstone ranch - while they can’t afford the inheritance tax and Thomas can’t afford to buy it, Kayce proposes selling it to him at $1.25 per acre, the same price it would have been when the Dutton family first took over the land in 1883.

He tells Thomas that they can make the deal under two conditions - that Kayce keeps the East Camp and that the Yellowstone ranch must never be sold or developed on. Thomas agree and the pair confirm the deal with a blood oath, cementing the Dutton prophecy.

Then comes John’s funeral, which Beth has opted to keep to only the close family, the cowboys and Lynelle Perry. Beth is emotional at the service, telling her late father at his coffin side that she will avenge him after he was murdered by a hitman hired by Sarah Atwood, his son Jamie’s estranged wife. While at the funeral, Thomas, who now owns the ranch, vows to John that he will protect the land.

Shortly after, Beth gets to work on avenging John, heading straight for the home of Jamie. Jamie had been giving a press conference at the time of the funeral under the ruse of avenging his father, returning home satisfied with his deception.

Beth attacks him with a crowbar when he enters the home, with a fight between the two ensuing. After telling her that he will pin the murders of John and Sarah on her, Beth reveals that the ranch has been sold and that his plan has been for nothing.

As Jamie begins to choke out Beth in a fit of anger, Rip, who had tried to stop her from going to the home earlier, arrives and saves Beth. As Rip hold Jamie back, Beth grabs the knife she brought from home and kills Jamie by stabbing him in the stomach.

Later, when police arrive, Beth tells the officers that she came to confront Jamie about why he did not attend his father’s funeral and he attacked her in response. The police believe Jamie to have fled, but Rip and Lloyd have actually transported his body to the train station and set it on fire to cover Beth’s tracks.

At the end of the finale, we see Beth, Kayce and Rip say goodbye to the now-empty Dutton home. After they leave, the reservation workers begin work dismantling the home and Thomas celebrates the return of their land.

Beth, Kayce and Tate watch on as their cattle are brought to the East Camp, with the series ending as Rip saddling up a horse to go for a ride with Beth.

Will there be another season of Yellowstone?

It has been confirmed that this is the final season of Yellowstone. However, for fans not ready to say goodbye to the show’s universe just yet, reports suggest that actors Kelly Reilly (Beth) and Cole Hauser (Rip) have signed deals to appear in a spin-off series.

However, it might be some times before they are back on screens again, with the spin-off series still in development.

Yellowstone is available to watch in the UK on the streaming service Paramount+. The finale episode will be available from 8am on Monday, December 16.