Is Denim Richards leaving Yellowstone, & is Colby Mayfield dead?

Yellowstone season 5 part 2
Photo: Paramount Network

Is Denim Richards leaving Yellowstone following the events of Sunday’s season 5 episode 12? Is Colby Mayfield actually dead?

We’ll be honest here from the start that entering this episode titled “Counting Coup,” our guard was down severely. The Paramount Network series had already killed off John Dutton and Sarah Atwood within the fast few episodes; by virtue of that, the last thing we anticipated was that someone else would be taken out of the fold. Within the first have of tonight’s installment, we were unfortunately proven wrong.

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If you are frustrated by Colby’s death, we more than understand — you have every reason to be, largely because it felt so needless. Why did Taylor Sheridan need to take the character out of commission at this point?

Story-wise, you can understand how we got here, mostly because Carter clearly tried to overcompensate for his position at the ranch, especially following John’s death, by getting into a pen alongside a horse that was far too dangerous for him to handle on his own. Colby ended up rushing to his rescue, and tragically paying the price for it. All of this was to show Carter’s recklessness in the moment, but also serve as a reminder that the life of a ranch-hand is far from glamorous. Sure, the bunkhouse has felt like a really fun place to be at times, but this is dangerous work. One wrong move and one of these horses can kill you.

Colby’s death is heartbreaking on so many levels. For starters, Richards was outstanding in the part. Also, we loved his relationship with Teeter. It felt like there could have been such a hopeful future for these two and now, almost everything is up in the air.

Related Get some more news on Yellowstone now, including a few more details all about what is ahead

Are you shocked by Colby’s death over the course of Yellowstone season 5 episode 12?

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