Watching Yellowstone isn’t for the faint of heart. The Dutton family and their friends have faced their fair share of tragedy, and Season 5 just dealt everyone another blow by killing off a beloved character. However, fans can’t seem to wrap their head around the whole thing.
The start of the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone has already been pretty controversial. Kevin Costner’s John Dutton was killed off after the actor decided not to return, opting to work on his Horizon: An American Saga movies. That put the pressure on the rest of the cast to do the heavy lifting, with Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler becoming an even more important figure than he already was.
Rip, of course, runs the bunkhouse, where all of the cowboys who work on the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch live. The colorful group of characters helps keep the series grounded, giving viewers a taste of what life is really like on a ranch. That’s why it’s so hard to say goodbye to the cowboys, especially when they go out in a devastating way.
Season 5, Episode 12 saw Kayce Dutton face life without his father while his brother, Jamie, dealt with another major death. So, it was nice to return to the ranch and go about business as usual – at least until Colby Mayfield went into the horse stalls. Carter was dealing with an agitated horse, and Colby went in to help. Unfortunately, while he saved Carter, Colby was trampled to death.
What made this sting even worse was the fact that Colby had just told Teeter he loved her. Their relationship started rocky but grew into something beautiful in Season 5, so, in typical Yellowstone fashion, it had to be ripped away. Teeter broke down after hearing the news, but that was nothing compared to the viewers at home, who were inconsolable.
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“That’s a truly horrific way to kill off a good character. Carter is actually so stupid,” said one X user.
“There has been all kinds of death on the show. This one felt the worst. Brilliant part for an equally brilliant actor,” added another.
The reason for the shock is that Colby has been around since Season 1. He’s always been a great comedic presence and someone the other cowboys can rely on. Colby even survived being trampled before, when Wade Morrow came after him and Teeter to stir up trouble with John. Getting revenge for that was how Colby got the iconic brand, which made him a member of the Yellowstone forever.
Denim Richards, who played Colby, doesn’t have any hard feelings about his character’s death. He posted an image of his chair on set with the caption “Grateful.” There are only two episodes left in the show’s final season, after all, so he’s not going to miss much. But fans may never get over the fact that Colby and Teeter aren’t getting their happily ever after.
Yellowstone airs new episodes on Sundays on the Paramount Network.
Published: Dec 2, 2024 10:04 am