Critic’s Rating: 3.75 / 5.0
3.75
Being a cowboy is a dangerous job, and everyone felt it on Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 12.
No sooner had the news spread about John’s death than there was another tragedy to deal with — and in the meantime, Rip had to sell as many horses and cattle as he could to have any chance of saving the ranch.
It was a heartbreaking episode, yet I couldn’t help feeling that the subplot about the new death sidetracked everyone, especially Beth, from the Yellowstone story we all want most.
Let’s Face It: This Is Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2’s Pattern
I’d hoped that Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 12 would dispose of the scenes at the 6666 Ranch now that we’re firmly in the present.
Of course, the two ranches are intertwined.
Rip moved the cattle to Texas for safekeeping and now has to figure out what the hell to do with his animals so he can try to save the ranch, and most of the employees down there are transplants from the Yellowstone.
I didn’t mind the scenes of the news spreading, though once again, they took up 20 minutes.
Yellowstone has got into this annoying habit of having an explosive cliffhanger that doesn’t go anywhere for at least the first half of the next episode.
While Jimmy is such a lovable doofus, and his heartbreak over John’s death hurt, that wasn’t nearly as important as finding out what the next steps were after Sarah’s death.
Unfortunately, because of Colby’s death, there were only a few such scenes in Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 12.
Look, none of this was bad.
I especially enjoyed Beth’s softer side. She was kind to both Lloyd and Carter, and she finally admitted that she considered Carter family.
Those were important moments that should have been part of the wrap-up, and her support of Rip got an A+, too (even though I don’t know why people on TV seem to have so many glasses they can afford to break one every time they get frustrated!).
However, I wanted to know Beth’s plan for Jamie.
Kayce: There’s not much we can do.
Beth: Let me take care of it. The best lies are 90% true, and I’m the best liar there is.
One moment, she’s telling Kayce that she’ll take care of it before Jamie gets arrested and starts spilling secrets; the next, she’s bringing Lloyd a box to pack Colby’s things.
So Far, The War Between Beth And Jamie Is Mostly Nonexistent
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 was supposed to focus on the war between Beth and Jamie, but so far, it’s a C story — it’s featured a little bit each week, but there’s not much movement.
Beth either made her move off-screen or got so sidetracked with the Colby stuff that she hasn’t done anything yet. Either way, the only one who seems to be fighting this war right now is Kayce.
I’m not sure what Kayce’s terrifying a child is supposed to accomplish.
I’m almost as bad at reading faces as Brilliant Minds‘ Dr. Oliver Wolf, but I think that guy was the one who said earlier that simulating a heart attack would be too obvious a way of killing John.
Kayce’s contact said something about Grant Horton, and this guy was named Grant, so I guess that was part of why Kayce was threatening the guy’s daughter at gunpoint.
Still, Kayce’s semi-carjacking seemed confusing and out of character.
I know he also wants vengeance on the people who killed John, but it was hard to reconcile the soft-spoken guy who rescues Native American children from white kidnappers with this guy who would threaten to shoot a child and scream at her over and over that she should be scared.
His beef is with her father, not her, and “Counting Coup” didn’t make it clear what Kayce was hoping to get out of the exchange besides informing the guy he knows where he lives and can kill his entire family if he wants.
Meanwhile, Jamie and the cops seemed to be in a competition to see who could be the most incompetent.
Dillard and the other cop had to know that Jamie would try to destroy as much evidence as he could the second they left, so leaving him to do it didn’t seem like a great idea.
Still, they might not have had much of a choice since he was standing on his rights.
Meanwhile, Jamie did a great job of talking himself into being a suspect. Every time he appears, he impresses me more with his idiocy.
Everyone’s Grief Was The Best Part of Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 12
Despite the lack of movement on the main storylines, all the grief was well-done.
My heart broke for Teeter. Not only had she JUST told Colby she loved him for the first time, but she and the others in Texas had learned about John’s death only a few hours before.
The entire sequence with the horse was scary. I even felt bad for the horse, even though I knew the only way to stop him from continuing on a rampage was to kill him.
It seemed like the horse was throwing a tantrum and probably was stressed feeling all the changes in the air, and sadly, there was no way to comfort him or calm him down, especially after he killed Colby.
The scenes of grief over John’s death were also beautiful. My favorite was Tate telling Kayce he didn’t want to ever have to bury him.
Tate bounces back and forth between being a normal teenager (e.g., complaining that at home they get cereal) and dealing with a crisis that is hard for people twice his age.
He doesn’t know it yet, but he stands to lose the most.
The ranch is partially his legacy, and Monica and Kayce’s earlier fights about John were about whether Tate should be allowed to embrace this part of his heritage.
Will Kayce And Monica Ever Learn?
Ever since Yellowstone began, Kayce and Monica’s big problem has been him doing things while keeping her in the dark.
On Yellowstone Season 1, they separated over it. Kayce wouldn’t tell her that he was the one who killed her brother to stop him from killing Lee, and she knew he had a secret but didn’t know what.
Their conversation on Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 12 seemed like more of the same. At least this time, Monica accepts Kayce’s secrets and only hopes he comes back in one piece.
Still, I wish this dynamic would change, though it’s hard for Kayce to be honest as long as he has to deal with underhanded stuff. That seems to be the Dutton family legacy.
Over to you, Yellowstone fanatics.
How many spurs would you give Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 12?
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Yellowstone airs on Paramount on Sundays at 8/7c.
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