Fans React To ‘Yellowstone’ Series Finale

Spoiler warning: This story contains spoilers for Season 5 Episode 14 of “Yellowstone.”

Fans took to social media to react to finally getting a finale to the popular “Yellowstone” series — following Kevin Costner’s exit from the show — and many have made it clear they aren’t happy, saying that the end was rushed and “too predictable.”

On Sunday, the final episode of the second half of Season 5 of the hit Paramount series — titled “Life is a Promise” — aired. Show creator Taylor Sheridan apparently attempted to wrap up all the loose ends of the show, and fans were not terribly impressed with the way that played out onscreen. The Dutton ranch was saved when it was given back to the Native Americans — to keep the land pristine — and the shocking conclusion to the sibling battle that’s been brewing for years bubbled over between Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), with Beth dealing the final blow to Jamie.

“Yellowstone finale was a big let down for me,” one person wrote. “Too predictable and Taylor Sheridan put himself into too many scenes when he was not an integral part of the family. Kevin Costner was Yellowstone and the day he left the show, it died with him. Too bad for a great series.”

Yellowstone finale was a big let down for me. Too predictable and Taylor Sheridan put himself in to many scenes when he was not an integral part of the family. Kevin Costner was Yellowstone and the day he left the show, it died with him. Too bad for a great series. pic.twitter.com/Vk7tiF7Nmo

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Another person wrote, “Yellowstone series finale ended. The show fell off so hard it’s crazy. Same with Ozark. Really gotta give Vince Gilligan, plus the Succession folks, more credit for knowing how to build a great series and landing the endings.”

While a third person wrote, “Well, it was a race to the finish for the #Yellowstone finale. It will always be bittersweet that Costner wasn’t a part of the last ride, which felt like an expedited conclusion as it is. The finale struggled between some genuine heartfelt moments,  dragged-out scenes (did we need THAT much of the Lainey Wilson performance?), and quickly tied up loose ends (including the fate of Jamie) that could’ve used some more emotional heft had things not been pushed to this point.”

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“While I loved the first four seasons, this final one simply fell apart between the studio, the showrunner, and the lead, making a mess of what could’ve been and soured the legacy to some degree,” the person added. 

It comes following fans’ disappointment with the fate of Costner’s character Gov. John Dutton, saying he deserved so much better after Costner was written off the show in the final season’s premiere episode, as previously reported.

In the first 30 seconds of the hit Paramount series, fans learned that Sheridan apparently didn’t have plans for any kind of heroic ending for its leading man for the second half of Season 5 — two years after the first half of the season debuted, and a year after fans learned that Costner wouldn’t be part of the series any longer. His death was initially portrayed as suicide, but in a short amount of time, it became clear that he was murdered.

Related: ‘He Deserved Better’: ‘Yellowstone’ Fans Furious At Kevin Costner’s Exit