The ‘Marshals’ Finale Just Left Everyone for Dead: New Villains & Love Interests Emerge
The Yellowstone Ranch lives! After threatening to sell the property in Marshals episode 12, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) spends the first bit of the finale telling prospective buyer Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey) that he simply can’t let go of East Camp. Sure, he’s experienced a lot of darkness in the little slice of the Yellowstone Ranch that he has left, but “come spring, the grass will grow, and this ranch will be full of life” he says. “My life’s been defined by losing the things I love. East Camp’s one thing I can hold on to.”
Honestly, I wouldn’t have faulted Kayce for wanting to move on. Change is hard, yes, but it’s not like Kayce had to leave Montana. (Even if Yellowstone fans would have loved to see him work with Beth and Rip on Dutton Ranch—two characters who chose to move on from their family’s legacy so much that they ended up in Texas.) Still, it made sense when Weaver said that it would probably do Kayce some good to relieve the pain of this ranch on his heart.
It’s good that he didn’t, though. The big twist at the end of the Marshals finale reveals that Tom Weaver is the mastermind behind damn near all the criminal activity in the first season. Why? Well, that’s a little harder to explain. But in an ending reminiscent of the Yellowstone season 3 finale, Weaver orchestrates an attack on nearly every single character. Whether it’s just a great cliff-hanger, or whether the actors haven’t signed contracts to keep them on past the finale just yet, it’s possible that Marshals season 2 will look a hell of a lot different when we return. It’s all-out war in Montana now, and not everyone will make it out alive. So, let’s break down where everyone’s story leaves off in the Marshals finale below.
Kayce Dutton
After turning down Tom Weaver’s offer for East Camp, the rival rancher returns to Kayce’s home with his daughter, Dolly Weaver (Ellyn Jameson), who’s been acting as a honeypot in her father’s bid for the ranch. The two go on a ride around camp as Tom takes Kayce’s son Tate (Brecken Merrill) on a fishing trip. Are either of them safe, or will season 2 kick off with Tom kidnapping Tate and Dolly trying to take out Kayce? Who knows! I can understand that Tom is disappointed that Kayce refused to sell, but how is it connected to the assassination attempt on Chairman Rainwater (Gil Birmingham)? Is it enough to murder Kayce and his son, and does Dolly know what her father is planning? I have a lot of questions about Weaver’s motivations when we return.
Thomas Rainwater
In Marshals season 1, just about every kind of crime imaginable ran through the Brock Rock reservation. Criminals peddled fentanyl, human trafficking, and started a war over mining rights. Then, in the finale, a squad of hired guns attempted to assassinate Rainwater at East Camp. If Weaver is the mastermind behind all this, I doubt it’s his last attempt on Rainwater’s life.
