Spoiler Alert for 1883 and Yellowstone season 5, part 2Kevin Costner’s John Dutton and Gil Birmingham’s Thomas Rainwater’s relationship started with a contentious dynamic inYellowstone,with the new tribal chief making a chilling threat to the owner of the largest ranch in the country. Since the beginning of Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western drama, Thomas has vied for the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, which once belonged to the Indigenous people of Montana. Thomas lays out his plan for the endeavor in 2018, so you may have forgotten his promise inYellowstoneseason 1, but Rainwater’s words to John Dutton are impending heading into theYellowstoneseason 5 finale.
A conflict on the border of the Yellowstone Ranch and the Broken Rock reservation kicks off the series. After cattle end up on the tribe’s land, John Dutton comes with a convoy to take them back. Since then, Thomas has built a relationship withYellowstonecharacterKayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) due to his proximity to the ranch and the reservation. Meanwhile, Thomas' relationship with John improved, with both leaders finding themselves on the same side of various conflicts as both tried to protect and preserve Montana. Still, Thomas seeks the Yellowstone, and his threat could come true.
Rainwater Warned John About Buying The Ranch After He Died In Yellowstone
Thomas Rainwater Wants The Ranch
While the mission to take their cattle back ends unsuccessfully withLee Dutton’s death in theYellowstonepremiere, John Dutton gets Thomas Rainwater arrested to coerce him into returning his beef. While Sheridan positions Thomas as a villain at this point, it’s unsettling to see Rainwater in orange prison garb when Costner’s character visits the tribal chief. As the men confront one another,Thomas reveals he isn’t the underdog. He tells John about his background in mergers and acquisitions with Merrill Lynch, explaining his plan to take the ranch back.
Thomas says, “I am the past catching up with you,” hinting at Sheridan’s Yellowstone prophecy with a modern promise that informs the Yellowstone season 5 finale.
During their conversation,Thomas makes a threat that feels like a prophecyheading into the finale. Rainwater tells John that he used his business background to figure out that it would take about $14 billion to buy the Paradise Valley, and he will start with John’s ranch. Thomas tells John his plan involves buying the Dutton ranch right after the patriarch dies when the Dutton children can’t afford the inheritance tax. Thomas says,“I am the past catching up with you,“hinting atSheridan’sYellowstoneprophecywith a modern promise that informs theYellowstoneseason 5 finale.
Yellowstone Season 5 Could End With Rainwater Actually Buying The Ranch
Kayce Wants To Give The Ranch Away
Thomas' threat feels evident, withYellowstoneseason 5, episode 13 making the Dutton ranch prophecy more likely. After John’s death, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce struggle to pay the ranch’s massive inheritance tax. Beth holds an auction to liquidate the ranch’s assets, but she tells Monica it won’t dent the inheritance tax they owe, just the debt on the mortgage that pays it. Thus,Rainwater predicted the penultimate episode ofYellowstone.The only thing that’s changed is his ability to acquire it, which he tells Beth in season 5 after various events held up his casino’s development.
In theYellowstoneprophecy in the1883storyline, a Crow elder named Spotted Eagle (Graham Greene) tells James Dutton (Tim McGraw) that his family can settle in Paradise Valley but that his people will rise and take it in seven generations. However, James says,“They can have it.“Kayce’s plan may follow through on that.
Since the opening season ofYellowstone,Kayce has tried to walk away from the ranch, and Beth has wanted to sell it, shedding the burden ofYellowstone’s Dutton family tree. As Beth plans to portion off parts of the ranch to buy the siblings time, Kayce devises a plan to give it away. Kayce’s proposal would keep the Yellowstone whole, which his father and grandfather wanted. While we don’t know the details, Kayce’s conversation with Beth suggests he may sell it to the Broken Rock tribe for a small fee. The plan would conclude paramountYellowstonestorylines.
Yellowstone
Cast
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton, as they defend their expansive ranch against external threats from land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. Released on July 19, 2025, this series examines the complex dynamics and violent conflicts surrounding the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.
