Yellowstone season 5, episode 11, “Three Fifty-Three,” finally explains the purpose of the flashbacks that have dominated the second half of the final season. The series returned after a two-year hiatus to wrap up what is likely to be its grand finale. It began with the explosive reveal that Kevin Costner’s John Dutton is dead, but followed this up by jumping back in time for most of the episode. Yellowstone season 5, episode 10 also contains many flashbacks, totaling about half of the entire broadcast.

Yellowstone season 5, episode 11 then has its own long flashback sequence, featuring Beth (Kelly Reilly) reluctantly leaving Rip (Cole Hauser) in Texas to drive back to Montana overnight while Kayce (Luke Grimes), Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and Tate (Brecken Merrill) move into their new home and have their first dinner. However, these flashbacks catch up to the present, as John’s murder takes place while Beth is driving. This sequence in “Three Fifty-Three” also leads to Kayce’s new purpose in Yellowstone as he begins investigating what happened to his father.

Why Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2’s Flashbacks Are Divisive

They Take Up Considerable Time When There’s Not Much To Spare In Yellowstone’s Last Season

The flashbacks in Yellowstone season 5, part 2 are meant to show the disconnect between the Duttons’ life before John’s death and the chaos afterward. However, the flashbacks have been more confusing than illuminating. They are often not marked as taking place in the past, leaving the audience confused about what’s happening or where they are in the timeline. Many of them also seem to be filler, such as with Beth’s surprise trip to Texas to visit Rip.

The biggest problem with these flashbacks is that they take up a considerable amount of screen time when Yellowstone only has five episodes to tell its final story. However, flashbacks have taken up at least half of each of the first three episodes, severely cutting into the amount of time the series is able to spend on the murder storyline. Additionally, the flashbacks have left little time for wrapping up each character’s storyline, leaving the audience in the dark about the likely fate of most of Yellowstone‘s Dutton family.

Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 11 Reveals The Importance Of The Flashbacks

They’re Meant To Show How Disruptive John Dutton’s Death Is To Everyone’s Plans

Yet the final sequence of flashbacks is powerful. Beth’s drive home is juxtaposed with scenes of John’s murder, and as the fatal shot is fired, Beth flinches and calls Rip to tell him that she has a feeling that something is wrong. Rip, however, attributes this feeling to Beth being tired and makes her promise to pull over if she’s unable to drive safely due to her fatigue. Meanwhile, Kayce awakens suddenly, also aware something is wrong.

The final set of flashbacks show how happy everyone was and the plans they were making right before John’s death.

These flashbacks thus show that Kayce and Beth were so close to John that they felt a psychic ripping away of part of their soul when he died, while Jamie (Wes Bentley) appears to have had no such reaction. While this is an important foreshadowing of the war between Jamie and Beth, the flashbacks also have another purpose. The final set of flashbacks show how happy everyone was and the plans they were making right before John’s death.

Beth and Rip had been thinking about moving to Texas permanently and were in a good place with their relationship, while Kayce and Monica had just moved into a house, Monica crying tears of joy because she finally had her family together in their own space. Sadly, that was all the calm before the storm, as John’s death will completely disrupt all of this newfound happiness, and Yellowstone couldn’t make that point without all of these flashbacks over the past three episodes.

Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 Flashbacks Makes The Upcoming Series Finale More Intense

The Duttons Are Fighting Not Just For The Ranch, But For Their Own Futures

Although the flashbacks initially seemed to be a waste of screen time, it’s now clear they are necessary to set the stage for the final battle ahead. Yellowstone‘s war between Beth and Jamie isn’t only about control of the ranch or Beth’s anger at John’s murder; it’s also about fighting for that happy future everyone envisioned. Those future plans are not attainable as long as John’s murderer is still free to wreak havoc; additionally, Jamie’s manipulations of the legal system threaten the ranch’s continued existence, which is not only John’s legacy but also Tate’s birthright.

This will be one of the most intense finales in television history, likely resulting in the death of at least one character and some answers about what the future holds for the surviving Duttons.

Thus, the fight to the death is a fight to preserve the future, which makes the series finale potentially even more intense. Yellowstone will likely use its final two episodes to set up and complete its final battle, with the fate of the ranch itself and all the people who grew up on it hanging in the balance. This will be one of the most intense finales in television history, likely resulting in the death of at least one character and some answers about what the future holds for the surviving Duttons.