This week marked Yellowstone's mid-season finale, with new episodes not coming until summer 2023. That seems like a terribly long time to wait for more Dutton drama, especially since Piper Perabo said that filming hasn't even begun on those eps. (At least there are new episodes of 1923 to tide us over for the next five or so weeks.)
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Fortunately, though, "A Knife And No Coin" left plenty of intrigue on the table for those upcoming eps, with a Dutton sibling battle royale set to simmer, increasingly sinister revelations about where all the Dutton's enemies have gone, and a little bit of mystery as to where Kayce Dutton's story—and family—is going to go. There were plenty of queries left unanswered, and plenty of knives left un-backstabbed. Here are seven of our most burning questions following Yellowstone's mid-season finale.
Warning, spoilers ahead for Yellowstone season 5, episode 8.
Just how many people are in "the train station?"
Yellowstone has opened its past few episodes with a flashback featuring lil' Rip. He had a dalliance gone awry with Beth, slunk away pouting, and then defended her honor to the detriment of another mouthy ranch hand, who ended up dead.
Last week, we saw young John Dutton tell young Rip that he could help him cover up the death, but it would mean that Rip would be bound to the ranch forever. This week, we learned what that meant, as Rip went to dispose of the body at a spot John seemed to approve. We learn later in the episode that the Duttons and their closest associates call that location "the train station" and that it's where they dispose of the bodies of all of their enemies. It's where the men who attacked Beth and the ranch went and where generations of Duttons have ditched their dirty laundry. John calls it "a trash can for everyone who's attacked us" and explains it "lies in a jurisdictional dead zone" within a county that has a population of zero. Does a place like that actually exist IRL? TBD.
Unfortunately, the train station is also where John told Jamie to ditch the person and/or people he's killed and where Beth snapped pictures of him doing the deed. When she threatens to release the snaps in the wake of Jamie's calling for his father's impeachment, he scoffs. Unfortunately for Beth, Jamie finally knows something she doesn't, and it's left the sassy sister up shit creek. That is, unless...
Will Beth and John have Jamie killed? Or will Jamie have Beth killed first?
The Dutton siblings (sans Kayce) seem to have been set on a path of mutual destruction this episode, as Beth pleads with her "daddy," asking him to agree to have Jamie killed, while Jamie pleads with Sarah Atwood, asking her to find him a sort of "clean up" company to take care of his sister. Of course, neither even thinks about hiring bodyguards or protecting themselves because why would they?
While it's pretty clear that both Jamie and Beth want each other dead, it's a little less clear if their plans will actually end up being set in motion. We never see John's agreement—if it even comes—and I don't really trust Sarah farther than I can throw her, so who knows if she'll actually hire contract killers on Jamie's behalf. (Though it does seem like if she did, she could hold that over his head in order to get her bidding done basically forever.) If I were a betting person (and I am) I'd wager that Jamie's going to be the one to go just because it feels like his story has run its course, but you never really know at the Yellowstone so we'll just have to wait and see.
How's life at the 6666 Ranch, Jimmy?
Jimmy's back, and it seems like his life in Texas is going pretty alright. He's got a hot, funny, live-in veterinarian fiancee, he gets to eat chuckwagon chow, and he even seems pretty good at his job. We'll probably get to see even more of his goings on in the upcoming 6666 series (release date TBD), but the show is continuing to set up that whole scenario not just with these scenes but with the departure of half of the Yellowstone gang and herd, all headed down to the frigid Texas panhandle. Just what high jinks will they get up to down south?
How does Kayce's vision play into what's becoming his reality?
When Kayce went on his spiritual quest and had his vision, he saw that he'd eventually have to choose between his wife and his father's ranch. He went ahead and made that decision pretty immediately, moving off property and stepping away from his work with his dad. Now, he's being pulled back in—and not just by his dad. After being asked by John, Monica has come to believe that the family should move into a shabby house on the ranch's east camp so that Kayce can help out around the ranch while his father's doing governor business in Helena. It makes sense—John would ask Rip, but Rip's got to run the herd down, and it's not like Lloyd or Beth could handle things—but it also stinks. Kayce tells Monica what he saw in his vision, but she thinks it's all okay, especially if he never saw the east camp. He seems reticent, but she sways him with talk of moving all of their emotionally loaded nursery furniture into a new house, and he gives in. All of that being said, Kayce's whole story still feels pretty ominous. Will his visions come to fruition, and will his perfect domestic tranquility be thrown into even more sadness and turmoil? And if he has to be loyal to his dad, at what cost?
Is John really going to get ousted from the governorship?
Here's the thing about Jamie's call for impeachment: He's not wrong, really. John seems to be mainly acting in his own interest as governor, even when he's painting it with a coat of "for the greater good," as we see in his speech at the reservation. Unfortunately, though, Jamie's doing it for all the wrong reasons and with literally zero tact.
That doesn't seem to matter to the legislature and the wolf people, though, who all seem quick to jump on the "dump Dutton" train. Impeachment proceedings are in motion, and John seems genuinely stressed, especially since he only has Clara to deal with anything. John's political house is on fire, and he's convinced the only way to put it out will be, to quote the man himself, "menace." What that means remains to be seen, but we look forward to finding out.
Does Sarah Atwood actually like Jamie?
I still can't really tell if Jamie's beloved Sarah Atwood actually likes him or is just playing him like a finely tuned sexual fiddle to get what she and Market Equities want. I'm leaning toward the latter, but I guess I can see her developing some softness for the dude—especially after his sob stories about his dad and being stabbed under the dinner table by Beth. Jamie's such a sad sack that if he also weren't such a jerk you could understand how someone might feel bad for him.
How are we going to wait until summer to find all of this out?
Seriously, summer? It's January! That's whole seasons away! Plus, given what Piper Perabo said last week, I bet it'll be late summer, too. I'm not sure how I'll bide the time until the second half of the season comes, but at least now I have time to get in a few Yellowstone rewatches before even more Montana goodness rolls our way.
READ MORE: When Does 'Yellowstone' Season 5 Return? Here's What We Know About Part 2
