“Yellowstone” Recap: The Stakes Are High In Series’ Next-To-Last Episode
on Dec 08, 2024
*Spoilers* Strip Poker, A Prophecy, And Grieving Loss In Season 5, Episode 13
The second-to-last episode of Yellowstone has been released, and here is what you missed.
The ranch hands are still reeling from the sudden death of Colby, who was tragically killed by an untamable horse in the previous episode.
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They return to the Yellowstone ranch to mourn not only the loss of their friend but also the potential loss of their ranch.
After their father’s death, Kayce and Beth Dutton are left with the responsibility of maintaining the ranch. With a large tax bill and the daily tasks of running Yellowstone, the ranch is in trouble.
What Happens To Beth?
In hopes of saving the ranch, Beth is selling everything in sight, which annoys her husband, Rip, who is still trying to save it. Rip says, “How am I supposed to run a ranch if you sell everything we own?”
Beth responds, “There is no solution. We’re just buying time.”
In an attempt to save the ranch, Beth travels to Texas to visit Taylor Sheridan’s character, Travis Wheatley, and asks for his help.
The funniest scene of the episode occurs when Beth meets her equal, Travis Wheatly. With humility, Beth asks him if he would help the ranch sell all its horses to cover the taxes, asking him to take no commission on the sales.
He teases her by suggesting they play strip poker to settle the matter. If he wins, she has to strip; if she wins, he will sell the horses. He quickly wins the game but doesn’t make Beth go through with the bet, revealing that he was planning to help her all along.
According to Beth’s conversation with Kayce, the horse sale was a success and gave the ranch another year, maybe more.
What Happens To Jaime?
In this episode, Jaime is becoming increasingly desperate as the detectives are narrowing in on his involvement in his father’s death. In the previous episode, he disposed of evidence, and in this episode, he continues to try to cover his tracks.
He even visits the mother of his son, who is also his former campaign manager from when he ran for governor of Montana in season 2.
Christina, portrayed by Katherine Cunningham, gave him advice to hold a press conference and told him exactly what to say. Only time will tell how that pans out for Jamie.
RELATED: ‘Yellowstone’ Cast Details the “Scary” Challenges They Faced While Filming In Texas
What Happens To Kayce?
Kayce appears only briefly in this episode, but his role is pivotal. He has a plan to save the ranch. At the beginning of the episode, he returns home from his trip, during which he confronted the man who killed his father.
When he returned to his wife, he told her it was finally time for them to leave the ranch. He mentioned that he had a plan but refused to share any details about it.
Later in the episode, he meets with Beth and asks her a series of hypothetical questions. First, he inquires whether it is legal to sell something below market value, to which she responds that it is technically legal. He then asks if you pay taxes based on the amount you purchased it for or the value of the land. She confirms that you pay taxes on the amount you actually paid.
In more common words, if they give away the land and it is then given back to them, they will no longer have to pay the taxes.
If the 1883 theory is correct then this plan would make sense.
In the Yellowstone prequel, 1883, a prophecy was given to the Duttons that in seven generations, they would give the land back to the Native Americans who originally shared it with them. If this is true, then potentially, the family will save the land by giving it away.
The last line of the episode is by Kayce and he says:
“The only way to save this place, you got to give it away.”
