Could The Yellowstone Series Finale Be The Most Predictable Ending In Television History?

Just one episode left... After years and years, a handful of long hiatuses and 5 seasons (more like 6, but whatever), Yellowstone as we know it, is coming to its dramatic conclusion. Generations of Duttons have lived on that piece of property in Montana, spanning all the way back to the late 1800s, and these days, the ranch is constantly under attack from developers, rival ranchers, the Tax Man... anyone who wants to get a piece of the pie. With an insane tax burden that nobody could really afford, the Dutton family is doing everything they can to try and sell assets to pay off the debt, but it's proving to be quite the challenge. Let's ignore the obvious plot hole (well, maybe not so obvious) that this isn't exactly how property taxes work when you own ranching/agricultural land. And granted, development in the area can drive taxes up, and in some locations, it can be a very difficult, unsustainable problem, but most farmers and ranchers aren't paying anywhere near the same rate that folks like you and me pay on our residential homes. Of course, now that John Dutton has died, the ranch has also been sacked with a giant estate tax bill, something to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars? In Season 2 John put the land in a trust, so I would think he would be able to avoid any federal estate tax, but I don't know I'm not a tax expert. All I know is they have private jets and helicopters, and Beth drives a Bentley, but they're apparently broke... All that being said, the Series Finale (although they keep referring to it as the Season Finale) is this coming Sunday, and I just can't help but think we're gearing up for the most predictable ending.... one that fans saw coming years and years ago. And here's the kicker... a number of actors in the show have called the ending incredible. Luke Grimes said it was "perfect" and that he never saw it coming, Kelly Reilly called it "beautiful and poetic.” And yet... is sure seems like they're going to strike some kind of deal with the Broken Rock Reservation, give them the land, which would then make it federally protected, and then perhaps lease it back in Tate's name (he is of course half Native American) so they can continue running the ranch. It's an ending that fans predicted YEARS ago, and a rather obvious and easy way to avoid the tax burdens. But then, that theory was all but confirmed during the final episode of Yellowstone prequel 1883. As Taylor Sheridan put it, each one of these spinoff shows are just a peek through time in the greater Dutton family narrative, but 1883 really seemed to lay the groundwork for the entire saga: “I created this peek through time to show you this one specific journey. I’m not someone who likes to tie everything up in a bow and explain how everyone lived happily after, or didn’t. I’d rather you imagine it, and wonder what Thomas and Noemi made of their lives. You never get to see how James and Margaret move on. You did seem them in a flashback as having moved on, and so that’s what I cared to explore. On to the next peek through the window. I also wanted to create something you could watch and be completely enthralled and fulfilled, having never seen Yellowstone. Let it live on its own merits. Yes for those fans of ‘Yellowstone,’ there are some real Easter eggs and understanding you can take away from that, that informs the way you watch Yellowstone. I like that model. For me, as a storyteller it feels close ended. I’m going to peek through the window of a different era and see what I see then.” However, what does the peek through the window of 1883 tell us about the fate of the Dutton family? That they're going to have to give the land BACK to the tribe that initially gave it to them. If you're not caught up on 1883 yet, you might want to scroll on through... we're getting into some major spoilers here., The 1883 finale was heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, but also unapologetically honest about just how brutal settling in the American West was. I mean hell, if you ever played Oregon Trail as a kid you know how damn hard it was to get to Oregon without everybody dying. And that's exactly what we saw at the end of 1883. Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) dies from a Native American attack, but throughout the show we see people fall off wagons, drown, get bitten by snakes, succumb to disease, get shot by bandits, and we're not even talking about the struggle to find food, clean water and battling the elements. And then of course, Sam Elliott's character Shea Brennan shoots himself in the head... so don't underestimate the mental toll that this journey, and life in general, could take back then. However, one of the most important scenes in the entire show was a rather subtle one. James Dutton (Tim McGraw) has made it to Montana with his dying daughter and stumbles upon an Indian tribe who offers to help, but to no avail. Elsa is gonna die and James needs to find a place to bury her because that's where they are going to settle, so Spotted Eagle, a Crow tribe elder, recommends a spot called the Paradise Valley. But, there's a catch... the Duttons can't have it forever. "Yes, Paradise. Good name. But you know this... that in seven generations, my people will rise up and take it back from you." To which James says: "In seven generations, you can have it." Now, it sure doesn't seem like the Broken Rock Reservation is "rising up," it appears as though we're in a place of necessity, but either way, 7 generations since 1883 is right... about... NOW.

Dutton Family Tree

There's some debate about where we are in the Dutton generational timeline, and I suppose the second season 1923 will help us figure that out in full, but in that 1893 flashback from Yellowstone Season 4, we see that James has two sons with him, John and Spencer... Generation Two. Of course, we catch up with them in 1923 and John has his own kid, Jack (Generation Three), and we know that Jack's lady miscarried so if/when they have kids, that will be Generation Four... or John Dutton's (Kevin Costner's John Dutton) father. Now here's where it get's interesting... John Dutton (born sometime in the 1950s) of Yellowstone would be Generation Five, which means Kayce, Jamie (adopted), the late Lee Dutton, and Beth Dutton would all be Generation Six, and young Tate, as well as Jamie's son, James, would be Generation 7. The line could run Spencer too, but it doesn't really matter... what matters is that Tate and Jamie Jr. are the 7th Generation of Duttons to live in the Paradise Valley. Here's a quick visual of the family tree, at least as how I see it playing out. Like I said, it could run through Spencer, but there would have to be another leaf in the tree between his son and John Dutton's father, but regardless, we've made it to the 7th generation. [caption id="attachment_558588" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Whiskey Riff[/caption] So when Kayce "saw the end of us" during his vision quest, was he talking about him and Monica or the entire Dutton empire? My money is on the Dutton empire, and that ranch serving as the home for Dutton clan. Either way, it brings the story back to what I've suspected all a long, and what many others have suspected since the ability to afford the ranch first became an issue... years ago. The Duttons will give his land to the Broken Rock Tribe, it becomes federally protected land, and the Duttons live out their remaining years on the land that is given back the tribe. Tate is half Native American so he becomes the link between the Duttons and the Native American people. Of course, as soon as we think we know what's gonna happen, Taylor Sheridan hits you with the kind of curveball that makes you question everything, so we'll just have to wait and see. But with only one episode remaining... I've never felt better about this scenario. We'll find out this coming Sunday.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz4pzAnVJQU