Counting Coup is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of Yellowstone. The episode premiered on December 1, 2024.
Outline[]
Kayce makes a bold move. Rip asks for help from a friend in Texas, while the bunkhouse contemplates their future. Jamie attempts to cover his tracks.
Summary[]
Continuing from the previous episode, after Sarah Atwood is executed in her own car by Grant Horton's hitmen after word leaked that John Dutton's death was murder and not suicide, Market Equities soon faces the full might of the federal law enforcement as both the Helena Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation raid their headquarters to arrest all of them for Dutton's murder since Sarah was the one who contracted the hit on him as one of their lawyers.
Meanwhile, fearing for his own life regarding being the last one to speak to Sarah before she was killed, Jaime attempts to destroy any evidence tying him to her or revealing the Train Station to law enforcement.
Meanwhile, at the ranch, when Carter enters the stall where one of the ranch's more temperamental horses are kept, it goes berserk and threatens to attack him with its front hooves. Colby tries to protect him, and is fatally bucked in the ribs and head by the horse before Carter guns it down in self-defense with a shotgun. When Lloyd arrives and discovers what happened, he assures Carter he did nothing wrong, but the ranch hands then have to call the 6666 to let them know that Colby is dead, much to the heartbreak of the 6666 ranch hands.
Meanwhile, learning of Sarah's execution, Kayce calls an old friend from the military and is given all the intel on the man who carried out the hit on John and executed Sarah to tie up loose ends: Grant Horton. Ambushing Horton and his daughter, Kayce warns Horton to stay away from the Duttons, or he'll come after Horton's family in retaliation, pistol-whipping Horton in the side of the head as "counting coup" to serve as a warning that he is legit in his threat and promise if Horton sets up another hit against the Duttons after killing John and silencing Sarah to protect his own neck.
Cast[]
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Episode Deaths[]
- Colby Mayfield - Fatally kicked by a horse while helping Carter
Music[]
- NA
Notes[]
Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12 is titled "Counting Coup," which is not a traditional title or phrase, but one that could not fit the show better.
As mentioned, many Yellowstone episode titles directly foreshadow or even spoil what will happen in the episode without the viewer knowing, and "Counting Coup" did just that.
The term "counting coup" originated among the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains during intertribal wars. It was recognized as the absolute highest honor a Native American warrior could achieve in battle.
Counting coup was the tradition of showing the highest form of courage by getting close enough to an enemy to strike them or touch them with a hand, bow, or coup stick without dealing any real damage.
More than anything, it hurt an enemy's pride and made them realize that they were dealing with someone who was quite lethal on the battelfield.
This act was so prestigious because of how dangerous it was, and, if a warrior were to pull it off, their individual status among other warriors often rose dramatically.
In Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 12, counting coup is not only the title of the episode but also directly refers to Kayce getting in the car with Grant Horton, the man who orchestrated the hit against John Dutton.
Kayce essentially performed the act of counting coup by getting close enough to Grant to get in the car with him and threaten him and his daughter. However, he took things a step further by finding out Grant's addresses, information about Grant's family, and everything else Kayce could know about his personal life.
So, in terms of counting coup, Kayce performed it to the highest standard, and if he had been a warrior in the Great Plains, his actions would have granted him a lot of honor and respect among his peers.
What makes the term even more applicable to Yellowstone is the fact that Mo Brings Plenty's Mo helped Kayce carry out the act.
Mo Brings Plenty is a Native American himself, and also plays an Indigenous person in the series. Since counting coup is a Native American tradition and Mo helped Kayce perform it, using the term is even more valid.
It is also worth mentioning that the term, "counting coup" was also used in dialogue at the very end of the episode.
After Kayce got into the car with Mo, Kayce said, "I think he understands." Mo then asked, "Did you count coup?" and Kayce replied, "I counted coup."
Mo then simply stated, "Then he understands." So, it was made clear that Kayce's actions were put into motion by Mo, who probably told Kayce about the traditions of his people and how effective they could be.