Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly teases that the ending of the series might not be so happy. Reilly, who plays the character Beth Dutton, has appeared in every season of the popular Paramount Network neo-Western series, which also stars Kevin Costner, Wes Bentley, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, and many more. The fifth and final season was split in half, but the final six episodes have yet to be filmed and are currently on pause during the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes as actors and writers fight for fair pay.
Per Insider, Reilly recently speculated on the series finale in the upcoming Yellowstone season 5 part 2. These speculations were part of a featurette that was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike and included as part of the Yellowstone season 5 part 1 home media release. She revealed that, while she doesn’t have insight into what’s going to happen, “I’m not sure it will be happy.” Read her full quote below:
The main theme of protecting and sustaining this way of life in this land is the bottom of everything. So I don’t know which way it’s going to go but we’re in season five, and who knows what’s in store. It will probably be beautiful and epic, I’m not sure it will be happy.
[I don’t] have any insight into what’s going to happen. We’re all sort of beholden to the vision of the storyteller and we serve the story. Who knows what’s going to happen? I find that exciting as an actor.
Could Yellowstone Have a Happy Ending?
The idea of Yellowstone having a happy ending is a complicated one. Given the tense interpersonal dynamics at the core of the series, one person’s happy ending could very well mean an unhappy ending for someone else. There is also the matter of Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone exit.
While some characters may remain in the universe in the upcoming Yellowstone sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey, Costner recently announced his intention to leave the show after season 5. This was followed by the official announcement that season 5 would conclude Yellowstone. Although creator Taylor Sheridan promised that Costner’s exit wouldn’t involve a “f–k you car crash” for his character John Dutton, the character could still die or exit the series in some other bittersweet way.
Additionally, Sheridan isn’t exactly known for penning happy endings. The endings to his movies, which include titles such as Hell or High Water and Sicario, tend to have morally complicated conclusions that don’t leave every character with a happily ever after. This will probably be the case for Yellowstone as well, though it seems unlikely that the Duttons will be dealt an entirely tragic hand given their potential to return in the new series.