The cowboy life isn’t a safe one, especially on Yellowstone. Every season takes a life, whether good or bad, on the modern Western series based in Montana, but Season 5 has racked up the casualties. First, it was John Dutton, who was assassinated in a plot orchestrated by Sarah Atwood. Then it was Sarah Atwood herself, who received a taste of her own medicine in Season 5, Episode 11. Now it’s Colby Mayfield, one of the longest standing cowboys that’s been a part of the Yellowstone ranch since Season 1.
What hurts the most about Colby’s shocking death in Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12, is that he’s the least deserving of it. John and Sarah had plenty of blood on their hands by the time of their deaths, making their endings a karmic resolution to their arcs. While Colby definitely committed questionable actions, he was only doing so to protect the ranch, a home that made him feel like he had nowhere else to go. But since John and Sarah just died on the series, people are left wondering why Yellowstone was ready to let go of Colby so quickly, and whether that means more deaths are bound to come.
What Happened to Colby in Yellowstone Season 5?
Colby’s Death Was Nothing Out of the Ordinary for Cowboys
While not an official member of the Dutton family, Colby was basically an honorary one. Portrayed by Denim Richards, Colby has been a loyal ranch hand for the shady family since Season 1, participating in hits against enemies that would’ve threatened the ranch and the people who own it. His dedication is so unconditional that he’d be willing to die for the ranch, and that’s pretty much what happened.
In “Counting Coup,” a young Carter goes to refill an uneasy horse’s water that ends in a fatal tragedy. It’s no secret that the horse is wild and unpredictable, with Lloyd previously declaring it a “man-eater.” Carter finds himself cornered by the horse, to which Colby steps in to save the boy. The heroic act costs Colby his own life, however, as the horse kicks Colby in the chest, ultimately killing him.
Carter blames himself for Colby’s death, to which his father figure, Rip, pushes back and claims it was his own fault. But no one can truly blame themselves for what happened. Horses are dangerous creatures when untamed and provoked. A kick to the chest is probably the most ordinary way for a cowboy to die, especially when people are being assassinated on Yellowstone. At the same time, the Yellowstone cowboys know that their profession is a deadly one, as Teeter claims afterward:
“He was a cowboy. Suffering’s the job.”
Why Was Colby Killed Off?
Colby’s Death Is a Reminder That No Cowboy Is Safe
While the cowboys of Yellowstone should expect the worst on any given day, Teeter goes on to say that she wished Colby “suffered a little longer” so she could’ve said goodbye to him. That being said, why was Colby killed off so soon? Death is no stranger to Yellowstone, but it’s uncharacteristic for the show to feature two big deaths back-to-back. Not to mention, everyone’s still feeling the weight of John’s death in Season 5, Episode 9.
Denim Richards and executive producer/director Christina Voros have touched on Colby’s death in post-mortem interviews, emphasizing the “simple” yet dangerous nature of the cowboy lifestyle. While both of them don’t explicitly state why Colby was chosen as the victim of Taylor Sheridan’s deadly Season 5 story, as there are plenty of other cowboys on the ranch, they call attention to the significance of the stark differences between Colby’s death and John’s death:
Denim Richards (via Entertainment Weekly ): “I feel like this season, [creator] Taylor [Sheridan] is really emphasizing the realities of cowboy life… These things do happen, so I do think that there’s that element where I think it is about really wanting to emphasize that this is a reality.”
Christina Voros (via The Hollywood Reporter ): “In a season where there are all these twists and turns and dark forces and giant narrative swings, Colby’s death is so powerful because it’s so simple… It has a very different impact, I think, then the murder of John Dutton, because it happened because he was doing what he’s meant to be doing. It didn’t happen because someone was out to get him or because he did anything wrong. He was trying to protect Carter and did what he thought was the right thing, and it was a freak accident.”
Richards was informed back in May that he was going to be killed off the show, meaning that it wasn’t his decision to leave. Colby was simply killed to remind audiences and other characters that the cowboy profession isn’t a safe one by nature. It doesn’t take assassination attempts and shootouts to end a person’s life — there are other factors that could mean death in just a split-second. Although it may seem undeserving for Colby to be the martyr to deliver this message, his grounded death is a refreshing change of pace from the exaggerated schemes that have murdered other characters in newer episodes of Yellowstone.
