The drama at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch has been on the verge of spilling over ever since its Season 1 premiere. The fact that it took 5 whole seasons spanning 7 years is surprising, considering how ready and willing Beth and Jaime have been to rip each other’s heads off since their very first on-screen meeting.
However, things took a turn for the worse after Season 3 of the neo-Western series. While John & Co. fought off the vultures from every end, the series was also fending off attacks from fans and critics who were disappointed in its sudden lack of plot clarity, quality, and continuity. With Taylor Sheridan finally delivering the long-awaited finale, that criticism still stands although some fans may like to argue against it.
Yellowstone Season 5 finale fails to resolve one arc
Things have returned to their intended owner and order has been restored once more in Yellowstone as the family that Kevin Costner left behind now avenges his unceremonious death in the show. In a touching finale that ties up every loose thread in a neat little bow, the problems that had persisted since Yellowstone Season 1 Episode 1 have all been treated to a satisfactory closure.
But despite the perfect story that Taylor Sheridan tells in his Western epic’s long-awaited finale, there is one arc that he failed to resolve with a strong enough conviction. Wes Bentley‘s Jaime Dutton was always meant to be the black sheep of the family. However, his existence was treated as a Macguffin rather than a crucial and integral part of the Yellowstone narrative.
All that Jaime Dutton’s existence served to do was validate Beth Dutton’s violent and rage-filled outbursts and add an extra hurdle between John Dutton and his legacy. There was neither any character growth nor redemption arc that could have tastefully brought the series to a well-meaning resolution.
Instead, Yellowstone made a fool of Jaime Dutton by failing to make him a formidable foe against John and Beth or render him with a redemption arc. Sheridan failed Jaime Dutton by killing off the only character who could have singlehandedly brought down the barbarians at the gate while also saving the ranch from eternal damnation. Now, that would have made for a nice finale.
Kevin Costner’s absence leaves gaps in the story
Although Kevin Costner’s John Dutton has remained at the front and center of Yellowstone‘s Season 5 Part 2, his absence did not help catapult the story toward a worthy end. In some cases, while a key figure’s death might be a necessary driving force, Sheridan’s use of the off-screen death trick may have done more harm than good to his story as a whole.
For one, Yellowstone has little to prove without the overarching need to serve the patriarch of the story. Kevin Costner’s role as John Dutton was the anchor that steadied Yellowstone against every storm. John Dutton delivers a sense of purpose, urgency, and action in every scenario. In his absence, there is no meaning behind Jaime’s villainy, Beth’s anger, Rip’s devotion, and Kayce’s misguided principles.
It makes sense then that if, in a perfect world, Kevin Costner had not picked a fight with Taylor Sheridan and every element of Yellowstone progressed to its natural conclusion, the finale would have been far better than the confusing and convoluted mess of Season 5 Part 2. Costner’s survival would have had the power to not only change Jaime’s fate but also bring home a redemption arc in a far more emotionally driven and powerful finale than the one we got.