Yellowstone: How did Season 5 Part 1 end? Mid-season finale recap

With Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 mere hours away from giving fans one last trip into the dramatic and cutthroat world of the Dutton family, it’s the perfect time to recap what happened at the end of Part 1.

It’s been almost two years since Yellowstone was last on screens, leaving fans on a cliffhanger for the ages. Death was in the air, and half the ranch had been divided in an attempt to save the cattle herd.

Of course, a lot’s changed since Season 5 Part 1 aired. Kevin Costner isn’t around anymore, and what could have been a multi-season conclusion has now been shrunken down to six episodes.

Thankfully, the wait is over. But before you go ahead and take off your boots and hats for the night, let’s recap everything that happened in Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 8, the mid-season finale. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 8 recap

John asks Monica for a favor

The mid-season finale kicked off with John and Monica airing out their grievances. If he’s going to run the state and keep the ranch afloat, he needs Kayce at Yellowstone while he’s in Helena.

To get this done, he asks Monica directly if she, Kayce, and Tate would be willing to move back onto the property, into a house that sits near the Reservation border. Monica’s been reluctant to be anywhere near the ranch’s violent ways in the past, but with everything she’s been through, she agrees.

Paramount

She even goes so far as to tell John, “That’s all you had to do. Ask.”

So it looks like Kayce is going to step up and become the big man in charge of the ranch. This makes sense since the property will belong to his son Tate someday, and the young man still has plenty of lessons to learn about what it takes to keep this place going.

After conversing with Kayce about the same matter, John shocks everyone by hugging his son. (I didn’t know he knew how to do that.)

Jamie betrays the family (again)

With Sarah whispering promises of power and revenge in his ear, Jamie has everything he needs to make his public move against his adopted father. At an assembly meeting, Jamie calls for an impeachment against John, whose personal interests have lost the state of Montana billions of dollars in tax revenue and tourism.

Paramount

Yes, it looks bad. The vote turns out 67-33 in favor of impeachment, meaning John will be subjected to the first impeachment trial in the history of Montana. Naturally, both Beth and John (who is currently at a rally on the Reservation as Thomas Rainwater’s ally) find out about this pretty quickly.

It’s not the first time Jamie’s made a move against his family, but it’s easily his biggest betrayal by far. Needless to say, the young Dutton is pretty pleased with himself, hoping to swoop in and steal the Governor’s position in an emergency election once John is gone.

The Cowboys ship out

Back at the ranch, Rip, Jake, Teeter, Ryan, and Walker are all saying their goodbyes. The Dutton’s cattle won’t survive the harsh winter in Montana after disease breaks out among the herd, so John has leased land in Texas to keep them there instead.

Paramount

This means the ranch hands are being split in half, with one group staying at the ranch and the others heading south. The goodbyes are emotional, with Teeter finally telling Colby she loves him, and Ryan having to part ways with his new country singer girlfriend Abby.

Beth and Jamie duke it out

After a hard day’s work betraying the Dutton name, Jamie is snuggled up in bed with Sarah. Unfortunately, their moonlight tryst is interrupted by Beth breaking through Jamie’s front door and storming in with a brick in her hand.

Paramount

Jamie runs downstairs and confronts Beth. The two quickly get into a fistfight, with Beth slamming the brick into Jamie’s head. He’s okay (just about), but the attack sets him off. He reveals everything she didn’t know about the Train Station – what it’s for, how long they’ve been using it, and tells her to ask Rip how many times he’s been there to drop off the human trash.

Beth is stunned, having had no idea just how deep her family’s dedication to keeping the ranch protected truly goes. (But seriously – what did she think was happening to their enemies?)

For the first time in their entire lives, Jamie has the upper hand.

Jamie vs Beth vs John

A raging Beth storms off to the Governor’s mansion, where John, Lynelle, and Clara are watching a news report of the missing wolves that Ryan and Colby killed on the Dutton property. When she and John speak alone, she suggests that if all their enemies are sent to the “train station”, then that’s where Jamie should go. (In other words: she wants to murder Jamie.)

John’s response isn’t shown on-screen, but from his expression, he’s not against killing him.

Meanwhile, Jamie is back at his house, with Sarah cleaning his head injury. He’s so wound up that he asks her if she knows any professionals (hit men) who might be able to help. She admits she does, and that whatever happens to Beth or John could be made to look like a car accident or heart attack.

So, the race is on. Who will win the killing game: Jamie or Beth? How is John’s Part 2 fate related to this two-way plot, and what happens when the ranch hands reach Texas?

All will be revealed when Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 arrives on the Paramount Network tonight at 8 PM ET.

For more, check out our guides to 6666, The Madison, and 1944. Don’t forget to spend the day revisiting the best Yellowstone episodes, too!