Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Yellowstone season 5.
The once darling of crime drama has hit a bit of a snag. Now in its fifth season, Yellowstone has seen the demise of its main character.
In the opening moments of season 5, part 2, the powerful patriarch, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), was killed off of the series. For those who follow the actor or aren’t living under a rock, this shouldn’t come as such a surprise. Costner’s friction with showrunner Taylor Sheridan had been a matter of public record. The two were at odds because of the actor’s schedule for Horizon, an epic Western set to be released theatrically. Ultimately, Costner left Yellowstone which resulted in John’s sudden death in the series. Even so, fans were reported to be livid at this turn of events, something that director Christina Voros told The Hollywood Reporter wasn’t so shocking.
“The reaction is what I expected. I think any time you come to a final season of a beloved show, historically, you are going to get a mixed reaction. You’re going to have the people who love it down to the last drop, and you’re going to have the people who hate that it’s ending.”
Costner’s departure seemed to indicate that the series is coming to a close, though there are reports that Yellowstone is kicking around ideas for a season 6. Any ending to a show is a hard sell, but it was John’s departure in the series that rubbed people the wrong way. Voros noted that the death had a visceral reaction among fans, even if the production was pretty transparent about how the series would continue.
“I was reading Twitter and it’s strange the number of people who seemed upset that John Dutton was killed off, despite knowing that Kevin [Costner] himself said he wasn’t coming back to the show. I think even in the face of that information, people don’t want it to be true. And in a weird way, it’s life imitating art. There were a lot of people who were outraged that John was killed — and you’re supposed to be outraged he was killed. The characters are outraged that he’s killed. So in a strange way, it is the point. You are not supposed to be OK with it.”
That is putting things lightly. The Dutton clan is absolutely not okay with how the latter half of season 5 is turning out.
John Dutton’s death came with some twists on Yellowstone
While viewers may expected John to leave in some way, it’s possible they never expected how the cowboy went out. At the beginning of the episode, John’s children Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) find their father dead of an apparent suicide. This is eventually revealed as a red herring because the actual culprit was their estranged brother, Jamie (Wes Bentley). He and his girlfriend, Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), orchestrated John’s death and made it look like a suicide.
Perhaps viewers weren’t entirely pleased that John was killed offscreen, but there is only so much that the production could do with what they were working with. Costner’s departure left few options and in all fairness, this could be just the thing needed to end Yellowstone on a high note. If all characters are safe all the time, storylines become boring.
Viewers already have to suspend their disbelief that Jamie is still running around no matter how many times Beth promises to kill him. Killing off the main character is a move that could refresh the show and make the series go out with a bang — if it does indeed conclude at the end of season 5. Until then, viewers can catch new episodes every Sunday at 8 pm EST, on the Paramount Channel.