As Yellowstone is wrapping up its final season, the successful western drama is hurtling toward… something close! For five seasons, the series followed John Dutton (Kevin Costner) – a ranching patriarch from Montana fighting for the last vestiges of the American dream. Until creator Taylor Sheridan killed him after an off-camera feud. Now it looks like Sheridan won’t even allow the family to keep the ranch. Even worse? The series is killing characters left and right.

In Season 5, Episode 12, Yellowstone shocked fans with a truly random death. Colby (Denim Richards), a cowboy on the Dutton family ranch since the first season, dies when he is kicked in the chest by a horse. Really, Yellowstone? Kicked by a horse? Colby’s departure also ends a romantic plot with another ranch hand named Teeter (Jennifer Landon). Unfortunately, it’s just one hit after another Yellowstone fans.

RIP Colby.

Why Yellowstone Kill Colby?

You would think so Yellowstone Season 5 had more major storylines to wrap up before spending additional time killing random cowboys. Colby certainly didn’t deserve such a short ending. But if you ask Yellowstone Director Christina Voros used Colby’s death to keep the setting grounded.

“In a season where there are all these twists and dark forces and huge narrative shifts, Colby’s death is so powerful because it’s so simple,” she said The Hollywood Reporter. “For anyone who really understands the cowboy lifestyle and working with animals and the risks of the job – and Rip says this about himself – it’s a dangerous job and something like this happens, and it happens in a split second.”