John Dutton III’s Last Yellowstone Win Steals Thomas Rainwater’s Ominous Threat

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, “Life Is A Promise.”John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) and Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) have more in common than meets the eye, and the governor of Montana stealing the tribal chief’s ominous threat in Yellowstone season 5 proves it. The leaders are at odds throughout the series due to disputes regarding the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, which has been in John’s family for 140 years but originally belonged to Rainwater’s ancestors. The struggle to maintain the Dutton family’s massive property, the largest contiguous ranch in the United States, defines the neo-Western franchise screenwriter Taylor Sheridan created.

The struggle comes to a head in the final episode of Yellowstone season 5, part 2, when Kayce (Luke Grimes) sells the ranch to the Broken Rock Tribe. Kayce’s decision exonerates the youngest Dutton from the Dutton family tree‘s burden of maintaining the land. Still, Kayce preserves the legacy that generations of his family died protecting because the Dutton family’s mission concurs with the ranch’s next stewards. Yellowstone presents the similarities between the Dutton family and the Broken Rock Tribe as early as season 1, evident in a threat the tribal chief makes to John Dutton.

John Dutton III’s Governor’s Speech Steals From Thomas Rainwater

John Dutton’s Speech Resembles Thomas Rainwater’s Threat

When becoming Montana’s governor, John Dutton III says: “I am the opposite of progress. I am the wall that it bashes its head against, and I will not be the one that breaks.” While the speech is a little out of character for a politician, it is true to Kevin Costner’s character and an iconic moment for the steward of the largest ranch in the United States, who becomes governor to protect his family’s land from Market Equities’ airport development. However, John’s speech isn’t entirely original. He steals its most memorable statement from Thomas Rainwater’s Yellowstone threat.

In Yellowstone season 1, Thomas and John’s first encounter happens when the former is imprisoned after refusing to return John’s cattle that allegedly wandered onto the reservation. During the encounter, Thomas makes a threat that resonates with John’s future speech. While adorned in orange prison garb, the chief reveals he isn’t the underdog when Thomas tells John: “I am the opposite of progress, John. I am the past catching up with you.” Both leaders state they are the opposite of progress, and Dutton could have gotten this from Rainwater, whether intentionally or not.

John III’s & Thomas Rainwater’s Shared Slogan Reveals Their Similarities

John & Thomas Have Similar Messaging Because Their Goals Align

While John steals Thomas’ phrase and uses it to cement his motivations as governor, the similarity of the statements reflects the leaders’ shared values. The slogans solidify that John and Thomas are both fighting against the development of Montana, albeit in different ways. John wanted to protect his family’s ranch from the airport. Thomas desired to take it one step further, promising to use his casino development to purchase Paradise Valley and turn it back into wilderness. In the Yellowstone season 5 finale, Rainwater follows through on his threat, albeit differently than he envisioned.

The Broken Rock Tribe tears down the ranch and restores it to its people. While John wouldn’t necessarily have approved the actions, he would have understood that his son, Kayce, acted to protect the land. Ultimately, Kayce’s actions were in harmony with his father’s intentions, reflected in John’s statement about the war being waged on their way of life. While Thomas and John started the series as adversaries, they eventually became quasi-allies after developments like the pipeline threatened the sanctity of the land. Beth (Kelly Reilly) confirms the alliance in season 5 when she tells Thomas her father respected him.

How John III & Rainwater’s Similarities Justify Yellowstone’s Ending

John & Thomas Are Preservationists

Ultimately, the similarities between John and Thomas show why the finale of Yellowstone season 5 was a proper ending for the series. Seven generations of the Dutton family defended the preservation of the ranch. While development companies try to steal the land for financial opportunities in Yellowstone and the 1923 prequel, the Dutton family perseveres due to their dedication to protecting it. The family’s ability to do this fractures after John Dutton III’s fate in Yellowstone season 5, with his death putting an insurmountable burden on Beth and Kayce to pay an inheritance tax to keep it.

Kayce’s visions in Yellowstone season 4 foreshadow that he and Beth will have to choose between protecting the ranch and their well-being. Kayce’s decision to sell the ranch to the Broken Rock Tribe ultimately still protects it by keeping it whole. While Kayce’s plan isn’t what his father would have opted to do, John’s speech shows that the Montana governor aligned with Thomas Rainwater, with both men sharing a vision for Montana’s future rooted in its past. The alignment of the leaders justifies Yellowstone‘s ending, showing how protecting the land was paramount to the tribal chief and governor.

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Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner and centers on his character John Dutton. Dutton and his family live on a cattle ranch just a few hours away from Yellowstone National Park. The series chronicles the family’s struggle to defend their home from an Indian reservation and land developers. As if their life wasn’t complicated enough, the Duttons also have medical issues, political aspirations, and family secrets stacked against them.

Release Date

June 20, 2018

Franchise(s)

Yellowstone

Cast

Kevin Costner
, Finn Little
, Brecken Merrill
, Gil Birmingham
, Denim Richards
, Ian Bohen
, Danny Huston
, Kelly Reilly
, Forrie J. Smith
, Cole Hauser
, Kelsey Asbille
, Wes Bentley
, Jefferson White
, Luke Grimes
, Ryan Bingham

Creator(s)

Taylor Sheridan
, John Linson

Seasons

5

Showrunner

Taylor Sheridan

Writers

Taylor Sheridan
, John Linson

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