Gil Birmingham, who plays Chief Thomas Rainwater in Yellowstone, talks about whether they’ll honor the treaty between him and Kayce. The series finale brings the story at large in a full cycle, tracing back to the Dutton ancestors who settled on the land 141 years ago in the prequel series 1883, fulfilling the promise to return the land to the Indigenous people. In the Yellowstone series finale, the Yellowstone Ranch is sold back to Rainwater and the Broken Rock Reservation with the condition to keep the land undeveloped, while Kayce and his family get to live on a small portion.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Birmingham assures that Rainwater will honor the treaty like they “always have.” The actor points out that the Natives have always honored agreements they made “out of respect.” Talking about the Duttons who live on the East Campus, Birmingham hopes that there’ll be more “engagement” between the tribe and the Duttons, especially with Tate “coming from both worlds,” with Native’s blood running in his veins. The actor also believes that it’ll be “an interesting growing-up experience” for Tate to see how the Natives hold their land and learn from it. Check out what he said below:
I think Thomas will honor the treaty. [Chuckles] I’ll just say that much, we’ll honor the treaty like we always have. It’s never been us who have broken any of our treaties, and that’s out of respect. And, hopefully, [it leads to] engagement, because Tate is half-Native, as well, and I would hope that him and Monica, his mother, would want to especially be engaged with any of the activities on the reservation, especially for Tate. He’s coming from both worlds, right? Tthe holding of the land was on one side ,the Duttons, and now the holding on the land is on his other side. So, it’ll be an interesting, growing-up experience for him.
What Gil Birmingham’s Comment Means For Yellowstone
There Are Still Stories To Explore Past Yellowstone Series Finale
Since season 5B’s arrival, many have been asking whether Yellowstone season 6 will happen. Birmingham’s comment indicates that while season 5 brings the story into a full cycle, there are still areas to explore, especially with the Duttons now living in the Reservation, which is a new angle that the series hasn’t yet tackled. So far, there have been no official words about season 6, but the star’s comment points out a way the series can continue its story. On the other hand, several Yellowstone-related projects are in the works.
Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser have recently closed deals to lead a Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler spinoff. A Michelle Pfeiffer-led sequel that follows a New York family who settle in the Madison River valley of central Montana is currently in production. The series recently added four new casts. Meanwhile, the Yellowstone prequel 1923, which explores the Dutton family tree, will return for season 2 on February 3, 2025. Therefore, the Yellowstone universe is far from closing, even if the main series has concluded many of the arcs for its primary cast.
Our Take On Yellowstone 5B Finale
It’s Always Been The Vision
Yellowstone season 5 brings a nice touch to the end of a seven-generation story, tying up with the promise made by the Duttons in 1883. Birmingham has previously talked about the full-circle ending being the endgame show creator Taylor Sheridan envisioned for Yellowstone. In another interview, the actor explained that Sheridan’s personal life experience with the Lakota Nation “spoke to him spiritually” about how the original inhabitants’ story never gets discussed in American history books, which inspired the Native representation in the series.
Elsa died on the frontier journey, trying to bring peace to conflicts and misunderstandings. The series finale speaks to her legacy and sees a unity flourish between the Duttons and the Native tribes in a brand-new way based on their shared vision and respect for the land, which is beautiful and significant. With multiple Yellowstone projects on the board, Tate’s growing-up story is also worth exploring.
