The clock is ticking for Kayce and Beth to save their ranch, and the latest plan of action involves a callback to the prophecy revealed in the Yellowstone prequel 1883.
Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 13 is making waves for many reasons (inappropriate strip poker scenes and Bella Hadid, to name a few), but one of the most important moments came at the very end, when Beth discovers what Kayce is planning to do with their home.
Put simply, Kayce wants to sell off the Dutton Ranch for nothing which, through an apparent loophole, would leave the buyer with hardly any tax to pay. Although he doesn’t confirm it, the answer seems clear: Kayce may be planning to do this with Thomas Rainwater of the Broken Rock Reservation.
If correct, then this would be a huge connection to an earlier piece of the timeline. Namely, this could be the Dutton prophecy coming true.
Yellowstone will end with James Dutton’s promise coming true
Let’s take a trip back to 1883. In the series finale of the Yellowstone prequel, James Dutton is searching for a place to bury his dying daughter, Elsa. On the way, they encounter a tribe of Native Americans, led by Spotted Eagle.
Seeing James’ desperation, Spotted Eagle points him in the direction of a piece of land he calls “Paradise.” (AKA: Paradise Valley in Yellowstone National Park.) He tells James he can bury his daughter there, and his family can have the land.
But his offer comes with a warning. He tells James, “In seven generations, my people will rise up and take it back from you,” to which James replies: “In seven generations, you can have it.”
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Given Kayce’s longstanding alliance with Rainwater and the Reservation (through his wife Monica and son Tate – the seventh generation depending on how you look at the family tree), it seems as though his plan is to sell the land for next-to-nothing to Thomas Rainwater, thereby “returning” it to the people.
From there, they may strike a deal that allows the Dutton family to keep part of the land for themselves, and Rainwater can put an act in place to kill plans for pipelines and airports, since the valley would be protected. Viewers of the show seem to think this is where things are headed, with the 1883 prophecy ultimately serving as the “end” of Yellowstone.
As one Reddit user said, “They’ll keep that little valley where the house is and sell everything else to the Reservation for enough to cover the inheritance taxes. Then the Reservation will annex the land and kill the pipeline and the airport.”
“I think they are going to make some kind of deal where the land will get annexed to the reservation and they will work the ranch together under a gentleman’s agreement. The family will keep the home and the cemetery,” another added.
A third wrote, “It’s basically been hinted for the past few years, about how after 7 generations the land will return to the original owners,” with a fourth adding, “The tribe is going to get the ranch thus fulfilling the prophecy.”
For more Dutton history, check out our guides to upcoming spinoffs such as 1923 Season 2, The Madison, and Yellowstone 1944.
