10 Shocking Blunders That Will Forever Taint Yellowstone’s Epic Finale! Uncover the jaw-dropping errors that left fans reeling and critics stunned in the final season of this iconic series. You won’t believe what went wrong behind the scenes of Yellowstone’s dramatic conclusion!

Yellowstone has been one of the most popular TV series in recent years, but the last season undoubtedly left a bad taste in people’s mouths. After years of character development and setting up a compelling story, the show called it quits out of the blue without giving the storylines a proper ending. Kevin Costner’s absence seemed to prompt a quick wrapping up, disappointing the fans, who had invested time and energy in the series.

Additionally, Yellowstone has been slowly and steadily losing quality. Character development was faulty for several seasons, and self-indulgent scenes became increasingly prominent. The series is still a worthwhile watch for fans of the Western genre, but there is no doubt the show could have closed on much better terms.

10The Final Season of Yellowstone Is Full of Confusing and Unnecessary Flashbacks

Yellowstone Ended with 5 Seasons

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To explain and give more meaning to present events, Season 5, Part 2 of Yellowstone, decided to include flashbacks to moments before John Dutton’s death. While there is nothing wrong with contextualizing a TV series, Yellowstone included these flashbacks among present-day scenes without giving any sign of the time of the event. For example, it shows moments between Rip and Beth in Texas that are hard to appreciate because viewers don’t know when they occur in the past or the present.

Additionally, it seems like these flashbacks don’t move the plot forward. They explain a bit about John’s death and how it happened. However, people didn’t need a step-by-step explanation, including a scene of Sarah Atwood hiring the murderer, and much less the moment of John’s actual murder without Kevin Costner on the scene. Other scenes, such as Beth and Rip’s, are even more unnecessary. These are characters people already know, love, and understand, so these fillers didn’t add much to a show running out of time and trying to salvage the storyline.

9A Lot of the Final Yellowstone Episodes Felt Like Fillers

The Last Season of Yellowstone Was Divided into Two Parts, with 8 and 6 Episodes

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In this age of streaming services, people would argue that shows lack the iconic fan service episodes that characterized many weekly TV shows in the past. However, no one wants a filler episode when the show is ending. After following Yellowstone’sfamily dynamics and complex plotfor almost a decade, people expected a satisfying and well-crafted final season.

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However, the final season of Yellowstone abuses flashbacks, self-indulgent scenes, and fan service. Many moments, such as Colby’s death, continue to illustrate the dangers of cowboy life without really adding necessary information to the plot. For example, how come a governor can be killed in his sleep without causing social chaos? This and many other questions are ignored as the show continues to showcase the cowboy lifestyle as if a catastrophic and political event didn’t happen.

8Too Many Cowboy Corny Scenes Plague the Last Season of Yellowstone

The Last Episode Aired on December 15, 2024

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Yellowstone has always been a self-indulgent show on some levels, but the last season took it too far. It’s hard to find the plot and the character development among many panoramic scenes with cows and other animals. There are also too many scenes of cowboys riding horses and flexing their skills, especially Travis.

It makes sense that a Western would delight viewers with some moments of bucolic life and feature real-life cowboys. The problem is that Yellowstone ​​​​​​is a TV show, not a cowboy lifestyle documentary. While the fandom appreciates Taylor Sheridan’s attention to detail, the setting is, after all, just the background for a particular story that explores themes and motifs.

7Beth and Kayce’s Visions Are Ridiculous

Only Beth and Kayce Survive Out of John’s Children

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The last season of Yellowstone took its cheesy elements to the next level, and the one that caused the most cringe among the audience was Kayce and Beth’s visions of John’s death. The two siblings felt John’s death physically and emotionally, even when they had no way of knowing their father had been murdered. Beth strongly thinks something is wrong, and Kayce even has a nightmare.

The problem is that the show had never introduced any supernatural or spiritual element. John Dutton had been about to die a couple of times, but Beth and Kayce didn’t feel it or forebode it in any way. The fact that Beth, and especially Kayce, who wasn’t close to John, suddenly developed such a bond with their father made the series seem like a soap opera, exploiting the drama and creating emotional porn.

6No One Liked Travis’ Character

Taylor Sheridan Played Travis Wheatley

Image by Surya Punjabi Image via Paramount Image via Paramount Image via Paramount

Image by Surya Punjabi Image via Paramount Image via Paramount Image via Paramount

Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone, introduced a character in the show, played by him, Travis Wheatley. He first appeared in the early stages of the show, but became a recurring face in the last season. However, it’s impossible to take Travis’ character seriously because he is extravagantly self-inserted.

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Travis is a cocky yet talented rider that comes at the right time to save the day. He helps Yellowstone Ranch sell its horses at great prices, making them look good. Travis has no relationship with any characters, although he’s supposedly a good friend to Rip. Still, the story follows him looking great, selling horses, and even making a fool out of Beth. Still, the show gave him a lot of spotlight in the last season, and since the character isn’t a part of the story, he doesn’t grow as a character, nor add anything to the show’s themes.

5Yellowstone Had Terrible Character Development in the End

All the Yellowstone Characters Act Erratically in the End

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Yellowstone introduced a fascinating group of characters at the beginning of the show, but the storylines faltered as the series progressed and eventually crashed and burned in the series finale. The all-powerful, fearless Beth ends the story doing her father’s bidding and buying another ranch for yet another man, the academic and social justice activist that was Monica decides to have a rancher’s life, and Jamie amounts to a low-ranking villain with no depth and is pretty easy to defeat.

This was no news. In the beginning, the audience roots for Jamie, but after he kills the woman, he seems to go to the dark side without even considering his bond with his family. It’s hard to believe that someone who had put so much on the line for his father, even killing a person not to disappoint him, would eventually fully turn his back on the Duttons. Tom Rainwater, who began as a ruthless businessperson and leader, softened his approach and eventually received the Yellowstone land as a present.

4The Ending Was Clearly Rushed

Yellowstone Was Wrapped Up in Only 6 Episodes

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It is not news that Kevin Costner abandoned Yellowstone in the last season. However, the show’s writers did not adapt it to their audience; instead, they wrapped it up as fast as possible. It seems that the creators did not believe the show could survive without John Dutton, which is a sign of poor writing.

While John Dutton was Yellowstone‘s patriarch and main driving force, a well-built TV series should be able to survive his absence. The series, instead, killed off the character and rashly tried to give anyone an ending that made sense. Five years of trying to save the Yellowstone land were solved by John dying and his children finally letting go of the land within a few months, without any political or economic obstacles. In fact, Jamie, a legal son of John Dutton, did not even have to sign any documents for them to transfer ownership of such vast and coveted land.

3The Last Season Is a Walking Advertisement for Yellowstone Spin-Offs

The Franchise Continues with Spin-Offs Like 1883, 1923, 1944, and The Madison

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Instead of respecting the storyline of Yellowstone, creators evidently set up the show’s last season to continue the franchise through spin-offs. The final season includes an excessive number of scenes at the Four Sixes Ranch (6666), a real-life Texan ranch partly owned by Taylor Sheridan. The Four Sixes Ranch will be the setting for one of the many Yellowstone spin-offs, but it did not need to be such a big part of the last season of Yellowstone.

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In the same way, the last season emphasizes Beth and Rip’s relationship. The couple is unrealistically happy, portraying a twisted romance in which Rip is unquestioningly loyal and Beth is unhealthily devoted to him. However, since the couple will lead another Yellowstone spin-off, it’s evident that the creators were setting up the new generation of Duttons.

2Kevin Costner’s Absence Truly Hurt the Show

Kevin Costner Left Yellowstone to Focus on His Film Horizon: An American Saga

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Yellowstone could have survived Kevin Costner’s absence with good writing, but it would always hurt the show. As the main character in the series, Costner’s presence was vital. Even if Sheridan always planned to kill off the character, the audience deserved to see him die on the screen.

Without Costner’s presence, John Dutton’s death lacked the impact it should have had. Production issues arise in any TV show, but negotiating a proper schedule with Costner was a priority in this case. Moving on without the actor was a poor choice that will forever haunt Yellowstone.

1The Ending of Yellowstone Is a Big Deus Ex Machina

5 Seasons of Unresolvable Problems Are Fixed in a Couple of Episodes

Image via Paramount Image via Paramount Pictures. Image via Paramount Image via Paramount.

Image via Paramount Image via Paramount Pictures. Image via Paramount Image via Paramount.

The main issue with the final season of Yellowstone is that the ending is genuinely unsatisfying, and there’s no way of fixing it. Beth easily kills Jamie at his own house, even though she has taken a significant risk. It’s hard to believe Jamie wouldn’t hire security, especially since Beth had threatened him several times, and his girlfriend was already dead. He did not even look for a gun to kill the woman quickly.

In the same way, Sarah Atwood’s supposed threat disappears when she is killed off, and Kayce and Beth easily solve the tax issue. Beth is cleared of any murder charges and is free to pursue happiness with Rip, while Kayce and Monica obtain the piece of land they need. The end seems like a fairy tale, and the happy-ever-after confuses many viewers.