Warning: This article contains spoilers for Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, “Life Is A Promise.“There’s a harsh reality aboutYellowstone’s lowest-rated episodes, proving Kevin Costner’s prowess in Taylor Sheridan’s modern Western TV show. Due to several factors, Costner didn’t return as John Dutton III in the final chapter of Sheridan’s neo-Western, leaving manyfans disappointed that Costner and Sheridan couldn’t resolve their disputes to close the show. Rather than include Costner’s return,Yellowstoneseason 5, episode 9, “Desire Is All You Need,“chronicles John Dutton’s fate, explaining how the state’s leader died in the Montana governor’s mansion.
AfterJohn Dutton dies inYellowstoneseason 5, episode 9, the back half of the season focuses on John’s children. While Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) had complete endings, season 5 faltered without John Dutton, and its ratings reflect this. While there are hints in plain sight that John Dutton was always supposed to die inYellowstone,Costner’s exit forced John’s death to happen in the premiere. This then clouded the series with divisive flashbacks necessary to bridge the gap between part 2 and the previously aired part 1, while lacking a powerhouse performance.
Yellowstone’s Lowest-Rated Episodes On IMDb ALL Came In Season 5, Part 2
Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 Was An Unpopular Chapter
Of all five seasons,Yellowstoneseason 5, part 2, contains three of the lowest-rated episodes of the entire show, according toIMDb.Based on the website’s ranking system, season 5, episodes 9, 10, and 13 are the least-likedYellowstoneinstallments, proving that Costner’s exit significantly impacted the series. The numbers suggestfans agree thatYellowstoneseason 5, episode 9, is one of the worst episodesof the flagship series. Costner’s character dies in episode 9, and the ratings imply that viewers disliked how Sheridan handled the departure.
Yellowstoneseason 5, episode 13, “Give the World Away”
7.0/10
7.1/10
Yellowstoneseason 5, episode 10, “The Apocalypse of Change”
7.3/10
Yellowstoneviewers didn’t care forYellowstoneseason 5, episode 10, “The Apocalypse of Change,“either. It features a lengthy flashback to Texas that confuses the timeline in the first half of the episode. The segment perfectly shows howYellowstone’s final season struggles with pacing, spending too much time on trivial moments and too little on the central plot.Yellowstoneseason 5, episode 13, “Give the World Away,” the penultimate episode, left the worst impression — when Beth liquidated the ranch’s assets, the episode practically confirmed season 5’s ending.
Yellowstone Wasn’t The Same Without Kevin Costner’s John Dutton
Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III Anchored Yellowstone
Yellowstonewasn’t the same without the cornerstone of Costner playing John, and the ratings from season 5 don’t say otherwise. There areclues that Costner’s exit only slightly changedYellowstone’s ending, which suggests the patriarch would have died regardless. Still,few would deny that Costner’s time was cut short. Costner returning forYellowstoneseason 5 would have allowed the final chapters to play out chronologically, like every other season of the series. This creative choice could have satisfyingly led to John Dutton’s death unfolding nearer to the show’s end.
While his character wasn’t everyone’s favorite, Costner’s John Dutton was the soul of the neo-Western, and his exit affected more than just his family’s outcome.
Costner not returning to the series meant that season 5 had to deal with the Montana governor’s death immediately in part 2. Additionally, John was the main character and the season was without its central cog. Ultimately, the story would have benefited from his presence a while longer: When the main characters are primarily John’s children and their families, he is the element that ties them all to the fraught Dutton family legacy. While his character wasn’t everyone’s favorite, Costner’s John Dutton was the soul of the neo-Western, and his exit affected more than just his family’s outcome.
Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 Was Still Pretty Good
Beth & Kayce Manifest Satifying Conclusions
Despite all the understandable disappointment due to Costner’s exit,Yellowstoneseason 5, part 2, still works.Beth and Kayce have some of the best stories in season 5, part 2, which was important since the characters rose to prominence after their father’s death. While Kelly Reilly and Luke Grimes were always central cast members, they typically took a backseat to Costner. In the final chapter, Beth and Kayce’s stories are the most vital part, with storylines like Kayce’s freedom from the ranch filling outYellowstone’s ending cathartically.
Yellowstone’s Ending Was Pre-Determined 2 Years Ago In A Different Taylor Sheridan Show
Yellowstone had limited options for its season finale since Taylor Sheridan tied its ending to a different show two years before the finale.
The best part of the final segment iswhat happens to the ranch in Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, which likely would have played out the same no matter when John died. Kayce sells the land to the Broken Rock Tribe following his father’s death, which allows his family to move on from the burden of protecting the ranch while restoring it to the Indigenous stewards. The end ofYellowstoneseason 5 was predetermined on a different Sheridan show, so luckily, John’s death still factored into the conclusion, making for a full-circle ending.
Yellowstone
Cast
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton, as they defend their expansive ranch against external threats from land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. Released on August 15, 2025, this series examines the complex dynamics and violent conflicts surrounding the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.
