Yellowstone offers Kayce (Luke Grimes) a poignant ending in which he finally achieves his freedom from the burden of caring for the Dutton ranch, which was prepared for in the neo-Western’s pilot episode. The ending of the Yellowstone series finale finally wraps up the saga of the Dutton family after John’s (Kevin Costner) murder. The final half of season 5 begins with the revelation that John has been killed, his death staged to look as if he had done it to himself. It all ends by showing what happens to the main characters after they sell John’s ranch.
Kayce is instrumental both in the sale of the ranch and in learning what happened after discovering Yellowstone’s John Dutton is dead. His violence toward the man behind the assassination is out of character, as Kayce threatens a child with a gun. However, he redeems himself by selling the ranch to Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) at a low price so that Rainwater wouldn’t have to pay heavy property taxes. This choice returns the land to the Indigenous people and frees Kayce of the heavy task of protecting his father’s legacy, causing him to cry tears of joy after the sale.
Lee Dutton’s Death Set Up Kayce Wanting Something Different
Kayce Realized That Loyalty To John Only Resulted In A Premature Death
Yellowstone season 1 plunges Kayce into a web of secrets and lies that almost cost him both his freedom and his marriage. During the series premiere episode, the Duttons go to war with Chief Rainwater over some livestock that both John and Rainwater claimed, leaving Kayce stuck in the middle because of his loyalty to both Monica’s (Kelsey Asbille) family and his own. Kayce’s attempt to protect Lee (Dave Anable) during a skirmish only makes everything worse, as Kayce doesn’t want Monica to know he fatally shot her brother to try to save his.
While Monica doesn’t know the details of that night, she knows her husband is hiding something, which puts more pressure on him. Monica’s belief that Kayce’s association with the ranch is causing issues in their marriage is not entirely off-base. Meanwhile, Kayce is desperate to escape the trap he was stuck in, which is ruining his life. He loses his freedom temporarily when he is arrested by the tribal authorities and his marriage almost unravels, making it clear where loyalty to John is taking him and starting a series-long quest to escape this fate.
Kayce Finally Found Freedom In Yellowstone’s Ending
Selling The Ranch Resolved Kayce’s Central Conflict
Throughout Yellowstone’s run, Kayce can’t reconcile his identity as a Dutton with his loyalty to the Indigenous people he is related to via marriage. He is often a fierce advocate for the tribe’s well-being and sometimes risks his life to help protect tribal members, such as when he acts as a vigilante to get justice for an Indigenous girl who was kidnapped by two white men who came onto the reservation solely to hurt the people who lived there. However, the tribe does not fully trust him because of his allegiance to the Duttons.
Kayce’s connection to the Indigenous people is symbolized beautifully when he, Monica, and Mo all have the same vision of a wolf digging for food in their fields.
Kayce’s decision to sell the ranch resolves this inner turmoil and external conflict. He gives up his father’s legacy to the tribe, restoring the land to them in exchange for only a small portion where he and his family could live. This not only frees him from the burden of following John’s path but affirms that his loyalty is completely to the Indigenous tribe. His connection to them is symbolized beautifully when he, Monica, and Mo (Moses Brings Plenty) all have the same vision of a wolf digging for food in their fields.
What Will Happen To Kayce After Yellowstone’s Series Finale?
Kayce’s Happily Ever After Includes Living The Way He Always Dreamed Of
Kayce and his family are now living on the East Camp property, which Chief Rainwater agrees to let them keep in exchange for buying the rest of the property for only $1.25 per acre. The shared vision of the wolf suggests that Kayce is on the right path and that the land has been blessed by the spirits of the animals who once roamed the area. He also chooses to reject Rip’s (Cole Hauser) offer of taking the Yellowstone sign to hang over his property, further cementing the idea that he plans to dissociate completely from John’s ideas for his life.
There could still be stories for Yellowstone or its sequel to tell about Kayce’s new quest to learn how to live on the land.
While Kayce is in a good place, he may need more help working the land than he admits. Rip offers to help if Kayce finds that making a living on his property is too hard to do by himself. Thus, there could still be stories for Yellowstone or its sequel to tell about Kayce’s new quest to learn how to live on the land. He might also need to figure out how to accept help from Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip without falling back into shady behavior that leaves him trapped in a web of lies.