Yellowstone: SPOILER Dies in "Cigarettes, Whiskey, A Meadow, and You"

The cattle drive that began last week on Yellowstone continues this week in "Cigarettes, Whiskey, A Meadow, and You", with the big ride headed back to the ranch for the branding event. But while the ride had its idyllic moments as the cowboys rounded up the cattle and took in the breathtaking views of the Dutton land, it wasn't without challenge — or tragedy. This week's episode saw the end of the trail for one character and that death may prove to be a turning point for the Yellowstone and John Dutton (Kevin Costner) as well.

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for the latest episode of Yellowstone! Continue reading at your own risk…

Much of the episode takes place out on the cattle drive, with the Duttons and their cowboys having a relatively easy go of rounding up the cattle to bring back down to the ranch so that they can be branded. After an idyllic day rounding up the cattle, the cowboys settle in for the night, taking shifts to keep an eye on the cattle. John settles in next to Buck Taylor (Emmett Walsh), the older cowboy and chairman of the Stockgrowers Association. The two men talk a little bit — Buck has managed to bring a blanket with him for the ride — and after a bit of conversation, Buck falls asleep. John decides to turn in himself at that, making a good-natured comment about the older man's snoring.

The next morning, everyone's getting up and getting ready to make the final drive back to the Yellowstone and when John goes to wake Buck, he discovers that the old cowboy has died peacefully in his sleep. John has his secretary use the satellite phone to call for help but tells her that Buck had a good cowboy's death and that he's not sad for Buck.  They stay until emergency services arrive and then ride to catch up with the rest of the group so that John can break the news to Buck's wife, who is waiting for him at the ranch.

When he arrives and finds Buck's wife, the woman knows immediately what's happened and has a brief breakdown. John ends up comforting here and as he does, a news camera crew witnesses the moment, taking footage. That footage later ends up on the evening news, where Jamie (Wes Bentley) and Sarah (Dawn Olivieri) see it. Jamie comments about how John always somehow manages to come out on top which makes him hard to beat in a fair fight. Sarah then says that she doesn't think that they can let him show up to the fight — the fight being Jamie's plans to end up governor himself.

What did you think about the latest episode of Yellowstone? Let us know in the comments!