The Duttons Are Doomed: Yellowstone Fan Theory is Depressing but Convincing
In the season four finale of Yellowstone, Kayce Dutton participates in an indigenous ritual known as Hanbleceya.
During the ceremony, the youngest son of John Dutton consumes peyote. The mind-altering substance takes Kayce through a grueling process in which he has visions from the past.
When it's time for Kayce to awake from the experience, he's asked by his wife Monica what he witnessed in the vision. His response? "The end of us."
The cryptic remarks have left fans estimating precisely what Kayce meant. After all, the exact meaning of the vision is designed to be mysterious. For this reason, is Kayce referring to his relationship with Monica? Are the couple not destined to last? Or, is he referring to Tate – the only biological offspring of John? Then, there are the suggestions that Kayce's words have nothing to do with his family but, rather, the fate of the Dutton clan.
According to at least one theory on Reddit, the Duttons are doomed.
"The end of us" remarks imply that Kayce will no longer be able to have children with Monica. Of course, this makes more sense following the heartbreaking decision by Monica in season five that concludes with the loss of her second child. Now, with Kayce and Monica left with one child (Tate) there is evidence to indicate the Dutton dynasty is in trouble.
For starters, who will inherit the ranch once John passes away? There has been immense debate in the past regarding which offspring of John (Kayce, Beth, or Jamie) is the most deserving of the property. Furthermore, Beth and Jamie have hinted in the past that they would simply sell the land, indicating that John may have another heir in mind. Currently, Tate is the only child of Kayce and Monica with Beth being unable to have children. Thus, one could argue that Tate is the last of an iconic family.
So what if something happens to Tate Dutton? Who would inherit the Dutton ranch? It's a troubling dilemma that audiences are debating on social media. And, according to the Reddit theory, Kayce's "end of us" vision is strong evidence that Tate will also perish at some point. Therefore, the Dutton ranch will die with his name.
What's even more provoking is that the theory points toward this season (the fifth season of Yellowstone) being the last. Of course, this doesn't make sense for a variety of reasons (for example, Paramount has not promoted season 5 like it's the final season). However, as the Redditor argued, season five of Yellowstone is divided into two parts (the norm for final seasons) and, moreover, Kevin Costner never intended to be part of Yellowstone for this long. As a result, season five is the last.
Be that as it may, most disagree with the theory. First, Paramount would have marketed season five differently if Taylor Sheridan was planning on dropping a bombshell and ending Yellowstone prematurely. In general, when a legendary show is preparing for an exit it's replaced by a predecessor. Currently, Sheridan has many Yellowstone-spinoffs in the works yet none of them are close to a release date.
Furthermore, actors Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler) and Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton) have both confirmed season 6 of Yellowstone is already in the works. Thus, fans can rest easy knowing there is no premature ending to the most popular show on television.