Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Yellowstone!
While the Yellowstone season 4 ending is a lot less action-packed than any of the series' previous season finales, it still managed to break viewership records for Paramount+ and draw new viewers for NBC's peacock streaming network. 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. Meanwhile, the Duttons consolidated power by securing Jamie's (Wes Bentley) loyalty, while Kayce's (Luke Grimes) spirit animal told him he had to choose between the ranch and his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille). But what did Kayce see in Yellowstone season 4's finale?
In Yellowstone season 5, Kayce revealed to Monica what he saw —"the end of us". However, as Monica has sided with John, Kayce seems to have found a way to choose both paths that were shown to him by his spirit animal. Undeniably, the events of Yellowstone season 5 imply that the Duttons could soon lose the ranch. Here's everything else that viewers might have missed in the Yellowstone season 4 finale, and how they relate to the show's ongoing plot.
Kayce's Visions Foreshadow Death And Betrayal for Yellowstone Season 5
In Yellowstone season 4, episode 10 "Grass on the Streets and Weeds on the Rooftops," Kayce experienced several visions as he underwent the Hanbleceya (han-bi-lech-ia), or “crying for a vision.” In reality, the Hanbleceya is a rite of passage for young warriors in the Lakota tribe, and is one of the Lakota people's seven sacred ceremonies. This means that Kayce is now a full member of the Broken Rock Indian Reservation community.
Like the dreams/visions of Dune protagonist Paul Atreides, Kayce's visions reveal vague details about what the future will bring, such as the two unseen paths that represent his two contrasting identities. Moreover, while the owl that Kayce saw in his visions symbolizes death and the spirit world, his visions involving Lee Dutton (Dave Annable) and Avery (Tanaya Beatty) foreshadow betrayal and unfaithfulness in Yellowstone season 5.
Yellowstone's Jamie Dutton Betrayal Storyline Was Heavily Foreshadowed In Season 4
After Beth found out from Terrell Riggins (Bruno Amato) that Jamie knew but did nothing about his father Garret's (Will Patton) plans to assassinate the Duttons, Beth convinced Jamie to kill Garrett and then secured evidence of the murder. As Beth told John, they now owned Jamie, which meant that his loyalty to them has been secured — or at least, that's what Beth thought. The long-standing rivalry between Beth and Jamie is a recurring theme throughout Yellowstone, and it has reached its breaking point in Yellowstone season 5. After Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) coaxed Jamie into impeaching Governor John Dutton, Beth's confidence about “owning” her brother proved to be unwise.
In one of Yellowstone season 5's biggest reveals, it turns out that Beth didn't know about the train station, and that exposing Jamie's patricide meant exposing the whole ranch's long history of murder. With Sarah advising Jamie on how to arrange assassinations and John doing the same for Beth, the Dutton family is crumbling from the inside. On the other hand, as Jamie clearly struck a nerve when he made Beth realize that they actually share a common goal — getting out of ranching and making the ranch more profitable — there's still a possibility that Beth and Jamie could team up in Yellowstone.
Summer's House Arrest Could Change The Course Of John Dutton's Impeachment
While Jamie Dutton's betrayal puts Beth's power into question, Summer Higgins' (Piper Perabo) conviction and prison sentence in Yellowstone season 4 showed that John Dutton may not be as powerful as his enemies make him out to be. In fact, John using his gubernatorial powers to reduce Summer's sentence and keep her at the ranch under house arrest in Yellowstone season 5 could be what finally makes John vulnerable.
Indeed, John keeping a criminal he pardoned in his home — then publicly kissing her at the fair — might just be the final nail in the coffin for John's career as governor, which is being threatened by Jamie's impeachment case against John. Summer could also betray John when she finds out about the wolves Yellowstone ranch hands Ryan and Colby killed. That said, like John's overall attitude of being authentic in public, him shacking up with Summer could also just further rally support for the governor to stay in office.
Sarah Atwood Could Force John Dutton And Thomas Rainwater Into A Permanent Alliance
Yellowstone season 4 ended with Market Equities' aggressive expansion plans were thwarted by Beth, who compromised the investment firm from the inside. In the process, Beth created a dangerous enemy out of Market Equities CEO Caroline Warner (Jackie Weaver), who was teased as the new big bad for season 5. Despite this not being the case, Caroline still dropped the best villainous monologue in the show's history when she spoke with Beth in the Yellowstone season 4 ending:
“I manage the largest private fund in the world, and you know what you've done? You've made it personal for me. I don't care how much we spend or how long it takes. I'm gonna put a public restroom where your f***ing house is. I'm gonna chop down every tree and dam every creek. I am going to rape your fucking ranch to death. And you, you little b***h, are going to prison.”
Despite being called back to New York after getting defeated by the Duttons, Caroline could still deliver her promise to Beth through the presence of Sarah Atwood. Sarah prompting John's impeachment already threatens Governor John Dutton's conservation easement plans for the ranch. Sarah could cause even more trouble if she were to leverage her knowledge of the train station, or if she found out about Summer's house arrest, or how Yellowstone Dutton Ranch hands accidentally killed protected wolves. It wouldn't be that surprising if Market Equities was also involved in the federal plans to run a pipeline through Paradise Valley. Overall, the threat that Sarah poses to both ranchers and Indigenous American communities might just be enough to force John and Thomas to work together, potentially laying the groundwork for a more permanent alliance.
Jimmy Hurdstram and Carter's Character Arcs Reveal What The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch Is Truly About
The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, at its core, is a family. In the Yellowstone season 4 ending, after John realized that branded Yellowstone ranch hand Jimmy (Jefferson White) has finally become a man during his time at the Four-Sixes Ranch, John released Jimmy from his debts. Despite Jimmy bearing the Yellowstone brand, John even allowed Jimmy to permanently leave the ranch with his fiancée Emily (Kathryn Kelly). Like John's other private, altruistic actions, this shows that — despite what his enemies think — John Dutton still has a heart, and is fiercely loyal to even the ranch's extended family.
Meanwhile, the teenage ranch hand Carter (Finn Little) not only represents Beth's desire to have a child, but also John's desire for the next generation to inherit his legacy - as represented by John and Carter's last horse ride together in the Yellowstone season 4 finale. Indeed, Carter and Jimmy's character arcs suggest that there might still be hope for the Duttons. Yellowstone season 5 could even culminate in an introduction to the Taylor Sheridan spinoff series 6666, with Jimmy possibly having a role in saving the Duttons as they navigate new grounds in Texas.