After a long wait, Taylor Sheridan’s Western drama Yellowstone is finally back with the second half of its fifth season. The tenth episode of season 5 deals with the fallout from the major revelation in the previous episode while focusing on Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler. In the process, the episode also strongly hints at a spin-off series that has long been in development.
The tenth episode sees Beth visit Rip at the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, which has slowly become a mainstay of the series. However, the tenth episode seems like a backdoor pilot for an upcoming series based on the Texas ranch. If that is indeed the case, Taylor Sheridan seems to have forgotten the important message at the core of Yellowstone, and here is what it means for its future.
Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 10 Hints at 6666 Spin-Off
The fifth season of Yellowstone has finally addressed the fate of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton following the actor’s very public exit from the series. However, that hasn’t slowed down Taylor Sheridan’s plans to expand the franchise, with a continuation series already in production.
Meanwhile, the tenth episode of season 5 sees Beth and Rip spending some time on the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas. The location was first introduced in the show’s fourth season and a spin-off set on the property was first reported to be in development in February 2021.
In the tenth episode, Kelly Reilly‘s Beth arrives at the ranch to meet her husband, Rip, played by Cole Hauser. During her visit to the ranch, Beth realizes that the ranch is a piece of the old West that her father fought to protect. More importantly, it hasn’t been gentrified, leading her to explore the possibility of starting fresh in Texas.
6666 Spin-Off Means Taylor Sheridan Has Forgotten the Core Message of Yellowstone
Beth implying that she would be willing to start fresh on the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas strongly implies that the episode is meant as a backdoor pilot for her, Rip, and some of the other Yellowstone Ranch members to continue their story.
However, if that is truly the case, creator Taylor Sheridan seems to be overlooking his most important message with the parent series. When John Dutton announced his candidacy for the Governor of Montana, he vehemently stated that he was against progress, implying that he was against modern capitalist takeovers of the ranching and livestock industry.
Meanwhile, the Four Sixes Ranch, which Sheridan co-owns in real life has already been commodified for the television series. Several products from the ranch, including a bottle of the Four Sixes Vodka appear in the show’s latest episode.
The blatant product placement has not only irked the fans but is also a symbol of the same capitalist mindset that Yellowstone has fought against through characters like John Dutton and the message is a part of the show’s core appeal. As a result, if the 6666 spin-off series goes down the path of product placements, it will likely lose its audience.
Yellowstone is streaming on Peacock.
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