Paramount’s number one series and everyone’s favorite cowboy drama, Yellowstone, is coming to an untimely end, and the news has been something hard for fans to reason with since news began pouring in last week about Kevin Costner‘s exit and the subsequent announcement that the core Dutton series now plans to conclude with its fifth season.
Fans weren’t looking forward to a short future with Yellowstone when the midseason finale aired on Jan. 1 of this year. In fact, we thought we still had years left at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, and while the future is still very much in limbo, we do know the series that we first fell in love with in 2018 will be coming to a conclusion, and while a spinoff is imminent, it won’t be the same.
When we look at the future of Yellowstone, it’s hard to see where the story goes without Costner’s John Dutton, so when his leaving the series was announced last week, it felt like a bad joke. No one from Camp Costner has spoken out about the news yet, but with many other reliable sources speaking about his leaving and the promise of a spinoff to continue carrying on the Dutton story on the horizon, it all feels very real.
It’s going to be strange to realize we’ll no longer hear his gruff voice as he spits vitriol at his enemies, that we’ll see the Yellowverse and not wonder what John Dutton will bring to the table next. Speaking of the table, we’ll soon witness our last Dutton family dinner, and we’re supposed to be okay with that?
Not only that, but what does the right exit for Costner look like? What is the best strategy to give the actor, character, and fans a memorable and emotional sendoff? If you ask us, there’s really only one storyline that makes sense regarding the end of John Dutton’s reign, but it’s certainly not what we were hoping for.
“All the angels are gone, son. There’s only devils left,” John tells Kayce in an episode of Yellowstone — and that sentiment has never been more true. In the Yellowstone realm, especially where the end of the core series and its most impactful character is concerned, there appear to be no angels left.
Why is Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone?
While rumors about Costner’s exit have been floating around for months, it was only announced last week that he would be departing the series, and within 48 hours, the news was also shared that Yellowstone would be coming to an end at the wrap of season five.
During the red carpet event for the Golden Globes, Cole Hauser told fans that Yellowstone would be around for at least two more seasons, so it comes as a huge shock and surprise for everyone involved that so many things have changed behind the scenes. In fact, Costner’s Golden Globe win for his portrayal of John Dutton led fans to believe that the time was finally upon us for the series, actors and actresses, and storyline to be taken seriously in mainstream media and awards circles.
There is undeniably an element of drama happening behind the scenes, and each unnamed source will blame someone else for the problem, but it all leads to one end — the one fans never hoped for. So why is Costner leaving? We’ll likely never find out unless he makes a personal statement on his own accord. Of course, we might hear that he was ready to leave the role as he was outgrowing it, we might hear that his storyline had to be concluded for the next to take off, or we might hear a slew of rumors that have nothing to do with what was taking place. The truth of the matter is — there will be several opinions on what led to his exit that will only be put to rest if the man himself speaks out, and a more significant truth is he doesn’t have to.
Fans have read everything from personal disputes to scheduling conflicts at the heart of his upcoming exit, but one thing is certain; Costner hanging up his cowboy hat as John Dutton will be an emotional experience for everyone involved. He’s a powerhouse in entertainment, breathing life into a powerhouse character, and the pop culture realm isn’t going to feel complete without him.
What is the best exit strategy for Kevin Costner’s John Dutton?
There are really only two options for a character as iconic as John Dutton when it comes to the end of a series; life or death. Okay, so those are two options for any iconic character at the end of any project, but it’s laid out plainly when you think about it in that context: John Dutton either lives or he dies.
While death seems too harsh an exit, something far too permanent — a storyline where Costner just isn’t involved with his ranch or his family doesn’t make sense. Even in moments when fans have a hard time seeing the compassion and kindness within John Dutton, it’s apparent that he is making decisions for the longevity of his family, their name, and the land they own. There isn’t a realm where he would walk away from it all, and if there suddenly becomes one, fans will not take to it too kindly.
If an upcoming Yellowstone spinoff continues the storyline of many of our favorite characters, it’s entirely possible that we might see John Dutton in a realm of “the unknown.” Could Dutton be injured with his life hanging in the balance? Might we hear a story that he’s doing some official business off-screen, having left the ranch in charge of capable hands? Perhaps he is simply laying low for the sake of his family. Whatever happens, both Costner and the character he breathes life into deserve a well-thought-out and intricately designed storyline to close off one of the most brilliant moments in entertainment history.
People will be talking about Yellowstone and the influence it had on entertainment for decades to come as others try desperately to recreate the magic that once existed there, but there will never be another Dutton family as we know and love it now, and there will never be another series that has the impact that Yellowstone does.
Will John Duttton be killed off?
Death for John Dutton isn’t something fans will ever be thrilled about; it’s not an idea we can easily consider or a future we thought we’d see anytime soon. The patriarch of the family, the man in which the Yellowverse revolves around, and yet — how would the series do him justice simply writing his character off?
As we said above, he made a particular promise to his father that he’d never budge on the land; that no one would take it, that it would belong to their family, and he’s built a life around that promise. He’s also done everything in his power to ensure that the important words he spoke to his father weren’t just words to help appease an idea, but words to fulfill a life legacy.
With how he’s lived a life dedicated to the ranch, it almost doesn’t make sense for his storyline to end anywhere other than in death. We certainly aren’t looking forward to a future with a tombstone adorned with the name John Dutton (III), nor do we think we’re in any way prepared for the inevitable goodbye coming our way, but with the recently announced and fast-approaching end for Yellowstone and John Dutton; the idea of his premature death is the only thing that makes sense.
We could get another time jump, far into the future, where John is aging and approaching death, but that doesn’t seem a likely story. If we still had a few seasons left with the Dutton family, that’s where we could see this whole thing going, but that future has been taken from us.
So the only real strategy for his character’s end — that makes sense — is death.
John Dutton would never turn his back on the farm, and there isn’t a realm where his character suddenly steps away from his family to allow them to live some picturesque white picket fence existence. After the midseason finale in which Beth discovered a massive family secret, Jamie pledged to get rid of Beth once and for all. Beth then confronted her father with the idea of needing Jamie dead, so John wouldn’t step away from his family in this state of its existence. The Dutton family is at its most vulnerable, and the tagline for season five has been that entertainment has a price — maybe that price is John Dutton’s life.
The family, and John himself, have many enemies, and an event in season five may be the one time John can’t cheat death; it’s like he’s been hearing its whisper for months, and the time has finally come for it to capture him. We’ve cried at any moment we thought we were losing him so far, and we’re not sitting here hoping for John’s untimely death, but we are crossing our fingers that Coster gets an appropriate sendoff.
He’s deserving of an end that allows fans to praise and honor the character and the passion Costner himself gave to the Dutton family universe. John Dutton isn’t a man that would abandon his promise, family, and ranch for no reason at all, and we hope nothing happens in just a few episodes to alter that. He’s always been true to his word, honorable in a cowboy manner, and ready to fight tooth and nail for what’s his. So his end being the ultimate goodbye makes sense, even if we’ll need a lot of tissue to get through it.
That is, unless there’s a long game being played here in which Costner’s John Dutton might reappear years into the future, having had to play a card to protect what he loves most, or maybe that’s just our hopeful hearts talking. Either way, it’s impossible to imagine the pop culture realm without Yellowstone or John Dutton, and it’ll be a journey for fans to take together as we find out how it’ll be wrapped up.
You can watch the first four seasons of Yellowstone on Peacock now, and the DVD set for season five is available for purchase on May 9.
Published: May 7, 2023 11:51 pm