Beth and Rip’s ‘Yellowstone’ Spin-off Has the Perfect Opportunity To Continue This Forgotten Season 5 Storyline
As we eagerly anticipate any news about the upcoming Yellowstone spin-offs, it’s easy to fall back into binging old episodes of the flagship neo-Western. Of course, whenever you do that, you’re bound to discover something new that Taylor Sheridan didn’t pay off with the series finale, which can be just as frustrating as it is hopeful.
Sheriff Ramsey Never Returned to Give the Duttons Their Due in ‘Yellowstone’ Season 5
After recurring Park County Sheriff Donnie Haskell (Hugh Dillon) is shockingly killed in a gunfight in Yellowstone Season 4, it seemed that might be the end of local law enforcement on the show.
Haskell had been a growing presence in the Dutton drama since the end of the first season, so his death certainly came as a surprise (though perhaps not to diehard Sheridan fans, who knew that he was busy co-creating Mayor of Kingstown).
In the fallout of Haskell’s death, Rob Kirkland‘s Bill Ramsey — a watch commander who previously appeared in Season 2’s “Enemies by Monday” — takes his place as the interim sheriff.
“Things will be different with me in charge,” Ramsey told John Dutton (Kevin Costner) back then, who inquired about potential new rules. “Still the old rules, but now they’ll be enforced,” the lawman replied. By the time Season 5 comes around, we begin to see what Ramsey means.
This great scene concludes with the sheriff getting his man (or, woman in this case), but afterward, Ramsey is never seen again. Despite having only appeared three times on the show, Ramsey’s Season 5 return seemed to be a step toward making him a more recurring character.
After everything that happened with Kevin Costner’s exit and John Dutton’s untimely death, this ended up being just another Yellowstone tease that never paid off — but one of Sheridan’s upcoming spin-offs could rectify that.
‘The Dutton Ranch’ Should Resurrect ‘Yellowstone’s Forgotten Season 5 Threat
With John Dutton no longer around to protect Beth as governor, Beth doesn’t have the same political allies she once did. This leaves her wide-open as a target for Ramsey’s desire to rebrand Bozeman as an anti-corruption town in modern-day Montana.
Of course, Beth doesn’t live in Bozeman any longer, but if Ramsey’s serious about seeing the Duttons brought to justice, he won’t just stop with John’s death. Kayce (Luke Grimes) may be moving on as a U.S. Marshal (hoping to redeem himself for his past mistakes), but Beth and Rip could still very well be up to the same old shady business as usual.
Sorry, but Beth and Rip Should Face Consequences for Their Actions on ‘Yellowstone’
The Dutton Ranch ought to follow up on Yellowstone Season 5’s biggest threat, and possibly even deliver Rip and Beth the consequences they really do deserve. While there’s no doubt that these two are fan favorites, their murderous, violent, and immoral acts should eventually catch up with them.
Those bodies in the train station won’t be hidden forever, and the truth will eventually have to come out about Jamie’s murder, right? Sheridan has already introduced the best character to investigate these crimes, so it’s time for the spin-off to give Rob Kirkland a call.
Yellowstone is available for streaming on Peacock.