‘Yellowstone’’s Final Episode Honors Another Cowboy Legend
THE MAIN YELLOWSTONE series, after five soap operatic neo-Western seasons, has come to an end. While a Beth and Rip-centric Yellowstone spinoff will continue, Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth, confirmed in an Instagram post that the show as we know it was concluding.
And while your mileage may vary when it comes to how the show actually concluded its roller coaster final run of episodes, one thing that co-creator Taylor Sheridan has always done well with Yellowstone is pay tribute to real figures and real lifestyles in the American west. The riding, ranching, and deal-making on display in the show isn't coming from nothing – it's all rooted in some kind of reality, and a world that the show has great respect for. Between cameos for vital figures and on-screen representation and depiction, Sheridan has always gone out of his way to make sure this way of life was properly put on screen for significant audiences at home to see and understand.
The first episode of season 5, part 2 paid tribute to Billy Klapper, a cowboy with a legendary workshop who filmed a cameo and died in the time before his episode aired. It's fitting, then, that the very final episode of Yellowstone would pay tribute to another legend of the modern west who made a cameo in the show: Bob Avila, who appeared in the show not in the final season, but rather back in season 3.
'This episode is dedicated to Bob Avila,' a screen reads in the opening moments of the episode. 'See you down the dusty trail, amigo.'
Bob Avila made a short cameo (as himself) in Yellowstone back in the season 3 episode "I Killed a Man Today." And while that episode aired nearly four-and-a-half years ago, it's touching to know that the show, and the people who make it, didn't forget about him.
Who is Bob Avila and why did the final episode of Yellowstone pay him tribute?
With a father who was both a rodeo cowboy and a horse trainer and a mother who gave riding lessons and worked in a Western store, it was natural that Bob Avila would spend his life in the world of horses. Avila was known throughout the western community for his achievements and skills in the world of horse riding, with a number of achievements that included being named World's Greatest Horseman on two separate occasions. Avila died at the age of 72, according to Sports Illustrated's Rodeo vertical, just a day before Yellowstone's final run of episodes debuted.
Avila's cameo on Yellowstone came during the season 3 episode 'I Killed a Man Today,' which aired in 2020; during his brief cameo, Avila—who was well known for riding, training, and showing horses, as well as mentoring others in that world and in those skills—showed off a horse while John Dutton (Kevin Costner) explained the horsing world to his young grandson, Tate (Brecken Merrill).
As so often the case with these kinds of scenes in Yellowstone, the scene served multiple purposes; it was a nice tribute and homage to a real-life cowboy who certainly inspired the show, yes, but it also provided a great character moment between John and Tate—proving that the patriarch who so often has to make the tough decisions is still a caring family man, and wants to make sure those closest to him know about the values that fuel him.
Costner is always great, but it was always the most tender familial scenes when he shined the most on Yellowstone, and the Avila cameo in season 3 helped provide a great avenue to one of those moments.
Avila will be missed, but it's nice to know that Yellowstone will always respect and honour those who walked the walk of what the show puts out.
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