S05.E14: Life Is A Promise

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, blackwing said:

The detective was already thoroughly suspicious of Jamie and I'm sure he already pieced together what happened.  So I don't think he will be trying too hard to solve this murder.

Thing is, it's hard to believe that the detective wouldn't check with every neighbor to see if they have security cameras on their homes so that he could verify Beth's story.  Someone's camera should've caught Rip entering the house and possibly loading Jamie's body in the truck (unless there was a back-alley entrance).  You can't go anywhere without being on camera these days!  

Something happened in our quiet neighborhood one time (theft of some sort), and I came home to a note on my door from a local detective wanting to see any video we had from our camera.  He wanted to check all of the cars that passed by that day.  

I don't like that Beth killed Jamie.  I'd rather that the detectives & evidence would've closed in on him and he offed himself.  His death was the only option if they didn't want the family secrets spilled.  How is it in all of these fights that Beth never loses even just one tooth?  

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, MBayGal said:

And who would cook and clean for them?  She was no Suzie Homemaker

C’mon, she has skills - she can make Hamburger Helper with tuna!

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Some people need killin'.  Beth be one of them.

The moment of the series, imo, was when she had told John in the barn that they had won, only to have that super ceded with a final message of revenge.  This is when it was proven beyond all question that she was wholly subsumed by evil.  Her odds of ending well are monstrous.

Kayce is most definitely the one who took the Hero's Journey.  He pretty much finished it well.  He even managed to drag Monica along that same trail.  Her former self was a horrid mess.  But, through Kayce's patient love and mentorship, she chose to open her eyes that character has not a thing to do with identity.  I was happy for her that she got to witness the overwhelmingly profound negotiation between hubby and Rainwater.  It affirmed the best of her culture and  her choice to live her vows of fidelity as a wife and a mother.  This all was truly a Great Escape for both of them.

The murderous fight between Beth and Jamie was a joke.  How many pauses for conversation were there?  Beth figured out  pretty quick that Jamie would beat her if the fight were prolonged.  She would have done most anything to end him ASAP.  But noooooo...she had to rehash.  Jamie was just as guilty.  What farce.  The forensics would easily and certainly put Beth's story to lies.  The lack of blood on the floor from the time the cops arrived was also a joke.  Rip did not have the time to clean it all up.  Traces of it would be discovered all over and the amount would be discerned.  It's insanity to buy the unspoken acceptance that she will get away with it all.  This whole mess was catnip for the sensationalistic media.  

If Rip is such a fantastic leader, how did he not know that a huge and pristine ranch in Montana was on the market?  How did that fact never come up in all the build-up?

I dearly loved the display of tough love, cowboy-style, being honored.  Idiot Jimmie finally figured it out and he was loving life.  He earned respect and he now knows he is worth a spit.  No man can ask for more, imo.

Leave it to Rainwater to put the final bow on this series: "The Creator did it."  For all the power and might on display from minute one, this story demonstrated the ultimate futility of man.  I genuinely love the circle of the sanctity of the land closing back, for at least awhile.  It was a great touch that its long-suffering keepers are again its stewards.

As I've said before, I have much respect for Costner's original vision for this show.  I'll never know if this was the ending he ultimately wanted, but it absolutely worked.

[rhygirl720]

The opening scene was breathtaking...The cinematography is a love letter to Montana.

I pretty much guessed the ending back in season 2...so one does wonder how genius Beth didn't come up with the solution.

Glad for Kasey and having the land reclaimed was beautiful.

I hated the Jaime stuff...all of it. They completely destroyed the character. Took a multi layered character and made him one note...same for Beth. 

Not really interested in a series with Beth and Rip as the main characters.

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I genuinely love the circle of the sanctity of the land closing back, for at least awhile.  It was a great touch that its long-suffering keepers are again its stewards.

That was a nice moment.  However, my practical side was thinking how the estate should've been tied up in Probate for at least 6 months.  Been there, done that (on a much, much smaller scale!!)  Unless Beth & Kayce's names were on the property deed, they couldn't make the decisions they did so quickly.  Oh well.  It's TV.  Reality be damned!!  

 

[Cementhead]

I just watched this last night and the only thing I can add that hasn't already been mentioned is that I really, really hated the scene of the kids knocking over the headstones. 

Other than that, it ended pretty much as expected.  When talk of memorable series that started out strong but crashed and burned at the end are discussed; this one will be at the top of that list for sure.  Taylor Sheridan is 100% to blame for this because of his quantity over quality approach to everything.

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, Chit Chat said:

That was a nice moment.  However, my practical side was thinking how the estate should've been tied up in Probate for at least 6 months.  Been there, done that (on a much, much smaller scale!!)  Unless Beth & Kayce's names were on the property deed, they couldn't make the decisions they did so quickly.  Oh well.  It's TV.  Reality be damned!!  

 

I agree, but somehow some or all of it was already in a trust for Tate.  If that's the case, there was nothing to probate, but also then there weren't any inheritance or transfer taxes either.  So all of it made no sense on many different levels.  I've been trying to make sense of it an "if that then this" manner, but I'm making a lot of assumptions.  

[TVbitch]

It almost would have been a decent ending, if they had just cut out the whole Alien Vs. Predator scene. I mean, Jesus God. 🙄 I guess Taylor Sheridan wanted to get off one more time showing us how Beth is so bad ass, she can take beating after beating and still look sexy in time for dinner. And she don't need no fooking pain killers, just give her a drink! I feel bad for Wes Bentley. 

I don't know what TS's other shows are like, but it seems like he has a massive ego, is probably surrounded by "yes" people, and doesn't seem to realize that he is one of the rich assholes who ruin nice places that the show makes fun of all the time. 

Also, WTF with him writing Teeter to mumble with some thick accent all the time, then savagely demeaning her for it at the end. Is he going to Henry Higgins her? What a douche! 

[blackwing]

I know that Rainwater wanted the land returned to the way it was when their ancestors owned it.  But what a shame that they were destroying that big beautiful house.  That house that presumably James or Jacob Dutton built (we never did see how it came to be).  I loved the scene of Beth and Kayce walking through the empty house, overlooking the great room from the second floor landing.  Seems like such a waste to take it down.  I guess Rainwater wanted to make a point that he didn't want any of the intruders' footprints on the land.  What is he going to do with all of it?  Thousands of acres?  How are they going keep people off of it?  There aren't enough members in his community to constantly patrol all that land.

19 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

 

I don't like that Beth killed Jamie.  I'd rather that the detectives & evidence would've closed in on him and he offed himself.  His death was the only option if they didn't want the family secrets spilled.  How is it in all of these fights that Beth never loses even just one tooth?  

 

I agree, even though that fight lasted for quite a long time, I was surprised how quickly it ended as soon as she pulled out the knife.

I think it was too easy of a death for Jamie.  He deserved to get humiliated and have his role in the death of his father exposed.  He threatened to take down the entire family with him, especially John, and Beth didn't want John's legacy tainted.

I wanted the world to know of his role in the death of his father.  He should have been arrested and put in isolation so he couldn't make any statements to the media.  And as you say, the detectives close in on him, he leaves a note admitting to what he did, and he kills himself.

Also, his death/disappearance on the show means there are no consequences for Market Equities.  Was Sarah Atwood behind it all?  What about the Market Equities guy that was always with her?  They were behind it all, they specifically brought in Sarah to honey trap Jamie and to ruin John.  I hated Silver Hair, but what ever happened to her?  Was she still in charge and just not shown this half-season?  

Kayce knows about the assassin Grant that was hired by Sarah and Market Equities.  No consequences for him either?  In the spinoff, if they address any loose threads, I hope there is a line or scene saying that Market Equities has been ruined and that they are behind the deaths of John, Sarah and Jamie.

9 hours ago, Cementhead said:

Other than that, it ended pretty much as expected.  When talk of memorable series that started out strong but crashed and burned at the end are discussed; this one will be at the top of that list for sure.  Taylor Sheridan is 100% to blame for this because of his quantity over quality approach to everything.

For sure.  This man is so narcissistic, he just churns out show after show.  His actions directly led to Kevin Costner quitting which spelled the end for this show.  I don't think the spinoff will be successful without him.  As much as I like Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, I don't think they will be able to carry off leading a show. 

I wonder if Sheridan will try and bring in a big "name" as a "special guest star".  He's shown that he's able to land bona fide grade A+ movie star legends like Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Morgan Freeman and Nicole Kidman, as well as other big Hollywood names like Sylvester Stallone, Jeremy Renner, Zoe Saldana, Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore and Jon Hamm.  I would think he needs a big name to guarantee to make the spinoff succesful.  Otherwise there might be too many people suffering from Taylor Sheridan overload and tune out.

One thing that I am thankful for is the diminished role of Jimmy this season.  Maybe Sheridan did listen to all the complaints.  Even if he intended for Jimmy to lead "6666", he could have had Jimmy leave for 6666 at the end of this series and kept him around.  I'm thankful that he didn't, because that "stupid incompetent fish out of water" storyline got old really fast.

8 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Also, WTF with him writing Teeter to mumble with some thick accent all the time, then savagely demeaning her for it at the end. Is he going to Henry Higgins her? What a douche! 

This.  "Buy an audiobook and learn how to speak English!"  What a dick.  Considering he was the one that wrote her that way.  I do think that when she shows up on "6666", that Jennifer Landon will sound like a normal person.  When she was all "I listened to it all the way down here" I did think exactly as you did, that he's going to Henry Higgins her.  I half-thought she was going to break out with "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" and then danced all night.

Edited December 17 by blackwing

[Dobian]

22 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Next season, which I'm not watching, should involve the accidental discovery of the train station, perhaps by a firefighter during a lightning strike, and the entire season can be a spinoff of some CSI activity as identifications become more clear and connections to the Dutton family are made.

It's pretty ridiculous that no one has discovered that place by now.  They've dumped so many bodies down there that it must look like a zombie horde from The Walking Dead LOL!

Edited December 17 by Dobian

[NeenerNeener]

43 minutes ago, Dobian said:

It's pretty ridiculous that no one has discovered that place by now.  They've dumped so many bodies down there that it must look like a zombie horde from The Walking Dead LOL!

And it's supposedly been used by more ranchers than just the Duttons, and for many, many years too.

[FnkyChkn34]

Could it be because the Train Station is in Wyoming that no one is looking for it?  

[mythoughtis]

6 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Could it be because the Train Station is in Wyoming that no one is looking for it?  

If I remember correctly, there is a county in Wyoming that has no actual residents. Therefore no county law enforcement.  So it’s sort of a no man’s land.  I think that’s where the train station is meant to be.   

[Winston Wolfe]

15 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Kayce is most definitely the one who took the Hero's Journey.  He pretty much finished it well. 

I was SO happy for him at the end. Kacey was alternately drowning and suffocating with the baggage attached to the Yellowstone. As another poster said elsewhere, it often seemed like Kaycee was on an entirely different show because he appeared so regretfully detached from everything unless otherwise necessary.

 

Edited December 17 by Winston Wolfe

[Winston Wolfe]

16 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

How is it in all of these fights that Beth never loses even just one tooth?  

Actually, tiny little Summer Higgins did land a punch hard enough to knock one of Beth's teeth out....

When I discovered this show a couple of years back, I had an acquaintance who was a long-term fan, and I asked them, "Why are all the women so bashed up in the face?" It didn't take long to figure it out, especially where Beth was concerned.

Edited December 17 by Winston Wolfe

[Dowel Jones]

15 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

This is when it was proven beyond all question that she was wholly subsumed by evil.  Her odds of ending well are monstrous.

Beth is the type of person that needs an enemy.  She'll never morph into a rancher getting along with the other ranchers.  She'll make her enemies whenever and wherever.  I can see her screeching to a halt in her $80,000 car at that little country bar, waltzing in wearing high dollar clothes, and ordering a Tito's.  I'm sure everyone will say, "Yep, there's a Montana girl.  Not at all like those high=falutin' Californians."

4 hours ago, blackwing said:

But what a shame that they were destroying that big beautiful house.

I'm going to guess that the house itself was purpose-built for the series on the actual ranch, which is located some miles south of Missoula.  If so, of course, it wasn't built to code for anything and had to be removed as per contract, probably with a lot more machinery off camera.  I thought it was kind of neat that they wrote that into the script.

6 hours ago, Cementhead said:

just watched this last night and the only thing I can add that hasn't already been mentioned is that I really, really hated the scene of the kids knocking over the headstones

I can see that happening, though.  The kids have probably grown up listening to the adults bashing the Duttons all the way back to 1883 and regarded those graves as desecrating tribal land.

[Chit Chat]

25 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

The kids have probably grown up listening to the adults bashing the Duttons all the way back to 1883 and regarded those graves as desecrating tribal land.

And kids do stupid things too!  I thought it was a good excuse for the camera to pan over to the headstones to see the names as the headstones were being pushed back into place. 

29 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Beth is the type of person that needs an enemy. 

She's over-the-top snarky with people, even when they say something nice to her.  She has to have a snarky reply almost every single time.  Ugh.

[StarBrand]

7 hours ago, Cementhead said:

I just watched this last night and the only thing I can add that hasn't already been mentioned is that I really, really hated the scene of the kids knocking over the headstones. 

Yeah, I was like "what the hell, didn't they agree to keep all that there?". I did appreciate the older guy running in to say to leave that shit alone....

[Cementhead]

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

I can see that happening, though.  The kids have probably grown up listening to the adults bashing the Duttons all the way back to 1883 and regarded those graves as desecrating tribal land.

I knew that was the intention behind it but I still found it really horrible to watch.  It was one of those having to face 'ugly history' moments, I suppose, so the discomfort of it was very effective.

Edited December 17 by Cementhead

[Just my 2 cents]

11 hours ago, Dobian said:

It's pretty ridiculous that no one has discovered that place by now.  They've dumped so many bodies down there that it must look like a zombie horde from The Walking Dead LOL!

And no one wonders why so many vultures are circling all the time if the land doesn't have anyone or anything there?  I'm sure you can see them from a distance.

[SnarkAttack]

Good ending.

I LOVE the sound Beth's car makes, powerful and expensive!

I felt Beth's pain when she wailed over her dad, it felt real to me.  Primal.

I thought for a split second that maybe Lynelle was Beth's real mom and they were going to reveal that.  Was wrong.  I really liked her character, so pretty too.

So glad Kayce finally is happy.  As someone said, Tate is shitty.  The lame lines they gave him like "get a room" made it worse.  He needs a jolt in the ass with a cattle prod; so lacking spunk or energy.

[Cementhead]

41 minutes ago, SnarkAttack said:

As someone said, Tate is shitty.  The lame lines they gave him like "get a room" made it worse.  He needs a jolt in the ass with a cattle prod; so lacking spunk or energy.

I didn't really notice how bad this kid was until this season.  He had such a sour expression on his face the entire time.  He couldn't even wipe the foul look off his face in the scenes with his father where he is mourning his grandfather. 

I don't imagine anyone is going to be knocking down his door to cast him in anything else after this. 

[Dowel Jones]

Well, maybe a short role in a crime drama as "Kid who gets run over by a bus in the opening scene."

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Cementhead said:

He had such a sour expression on his face the entire time.  He couldn't even wipe the foul look off his face in the scenes with his father where he is mourning his grandfather. 

Maybe that was the direction he was given to go with the character.  You know, teenager angst!  🙄

[Crashcourse]

I liked Tate and didn't mind him being sullen because that's typical of some teenagers.  I laughed at his "get a room" comment because that's probably what a teenager would say.  Nobody wants to see their parents making out.  Ugh.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

I liked Tate and didn't mind him being sullen because that's typical of some teenagers.

He was probably sullen because he saw so much stuff that most kids his age aren't exposed to.  That's a murderous bunch of family members he has!!  Add psycho Beth into the mix, and wow, it's a wonder he came out of all of that halfway normal!! 

[ChicksDigScars]

4 hours ago, Cementhead said:

I didn't really notice how bad this kid was until this season.  He had such a sour expression on his face the entire time.  He couldn't even wipe the foul look off his face in the scenes with his father where he is mourning his grandfather. 

In other words, the kid 100% takes after his mother. 

[oompa]

8 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

In other words, the kid 100% takes after his mother. 

I'm just glad that he's finally old enough to bathe himself.

[CrazyInAlabama]

19 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

He was probably sullen because he saw so much stuff that most kids his age aren't exposed to.  That's a murderous bunch of family members he has!!  Add psycho Beth into the mix, and wow, it's a wonder he came out of all of that halfway normal!! 

He also was kidnapped and terrorized, and in the big attack on the family he had to kill a man who was going to kill his mother, and Tate.