Sumith Prasad
In the series finale of Paramount Network’s Western drama ‘Yellowstone,’ Kayce and Beth Dutton make a painful decision concerning the fate of their “home,” the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Ever since Market Equities arrived in Montana to build a developmental project on their land, the siblings have been trying to find a way to protect the property. They consider various options, including sacrificing a part of the ranch to the government as the multi-billion-dollar company wants. That is when Kayce thinks of an extraordinary choice they have. As the show concludes, the brother and sister sell the ranch to Chief Thomas Rainwater for a mere sum of $1.25 per acre! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Beth and Kayce Prioritize Safeguarding Their Land Over Owning It
Beth and Kayce’s decision to sell the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, in a way, is simple and understanding, even though startling. As the latter remarks, it does not really make sense to sell the property for just $1.1 million when buyers can offer hundreds of millions for it. That’s where the Dutton siblings’ intention becomes significant. Kayce and Beth do not have enough money to their name to pay the inheritance tax and secure the property on their own. Chief Thomas Rainwater, their only ally in this war against Market Equities and the State of Montana, also has no adequate financial capacity to buy the ranch by paying its market value.
Kayce and Beth’s other option is selling the land to other companies if not Market Equities. However, these companies will build a concrete jungle on the ranch and destroy the sanctity of the property as the private equity firm wants to do, making them no different from the siblings’ primary enemy. Thus, the only option the brother and sister have is to sell the property to the one man who doesn’t want to build anything on their ranch in any way possible. The Duttons know that Rainwater wants to protect the land more than they do to honor nature and its real owners, his ancestors. In other words, it is a match made in heaven.
What Kayce and Beth do is facilitate the sale to Rainwater in any way possible. They lower the price of the ranch to a mere sum just for the sake of the paperwork so that the Native American leader can easily buy it. Since the tax that needs to be paid is a portion of the property’s price rather than its value, the siblings only have to care about a part of the $1.1 million deal, which they can pay without any issue. Even though there is a sum involved, Kayce and Beth do not really “sell” the property. They pass the baton of responsibility to the Native American leader so that he can do what they want to do: protect the sanctity of the land.
Neither the Duttons nor Chief Rainwater “Owns” the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch
Apart from Chief Rainwater, Kayce and Beth have other options before them. They could have made Travis Wheatley or the owners of the Four Sixes Ranch buy the place so the siblings could run it on their own. However, they realize that it does not solve their concerns for good. Such a move can be acceptable in the present, but in the future, the descendants of the new owner(s) may not care for the land. The brother and sister do not wish to take such a risk. After all, the land is still the resting place of their parents and ancestors, which stops them from leaving it to the hands of fate.
When it comes to Rainwater, there is a guarantee that he can make provisions to safeguard the property for good. Since Kayce and Beth are on the same page with him, the siblings don’t need to worry too much about what will happen in the future. After the sale of the ranch, the Native American leader comforts them by safeguarding the ranch as a protected wildland. These provisions highlight who the three are: protectors rather than owners. Furthermore, Kayce and Beth do not wish to be on the ranch without their father, so moving ahead with the sale becomes easier for them.
Since Tate does not want to run the whole ranch as John Dutton did, Kayce does not think about finding a way to inherit the property completely. Without her father’s presence, Beth may struggle considerably to live on the ranch. Thus, selling the land to Rainwater also helps them open a new chapter of their lives.
Read More: How Does the Yellowstone Series Finale Set Up the Beth-Rip Spinoff?
