Yellowstone has finally revealed the fate of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton – and it’s been predictably divisive. Kevin Costner’s exit from Yellowstone came as a major shock when the news broke in May 2023. The actor left the hit series to mount his planned four-part Western saga Horizon, and many wondered how exactly it would deal with the absence of Costner’s character. Now, Yellowstone season 5 part 2 has revealed that Costner’s Dutton died offscreen of an apparent suicide.
In truth, this reveal shouldn’t be a huge surprise, since it would have been near impossible to logically explain Dutton’s absence for the remainder of the season. Plus, it became clear that Costner wouldn’t be returning to Yellowstone, but it’s not so much that Dutton died that’s causing problems – it’s the way it happened. Fans quickly took to social media to vent their disappointment, while Costner himself weighed in on the issue (via SiriusXM’s The Michael Smerconish Program), stating the way Dutton was killed “… doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it.”
How John Dutton Died Is Very Divisive
That’s not the way anybody pictured the end of John Dutton
Desire Is All You Need” soon makes it plain that Kevin Costner’s John Dutton was actually murdered…Many of these visceral, negative responses seem to have come in the immediate aftermath of the reveal, however. Beth doesn’t buy the notion her father would end his own life, even with his upcoming impeachment trial as governor. “Desire Is All You Need” soon makes it plain that Yellowstone’s late patriarch was actually murdered, and Jaime’s (Wes Bentley) lover/lawyer Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) is the one primarily responsible for the killing. Following on from their conversation about killing John in Yellowstone season 5’s midseason finale, Sarah indeed met with a mysterious organization to arrange John’s end.
Killing Off John Dutton So Early Is A Bold, Risky Move
Yellowstone ripped the band aid off early
There was much speculation as to how Yellowstone would deal with Costner’s departure, or if it was possible to leave the door open for his potential return. Creator Taylor Sheridan took a very pragmatic approach, making it clear from the opening minutes of “Desire Is All You Need” that Dutton was gone and never coming back. In this way, it’s immediately apparent that Beth, Rip and Kayce will become the central focus of Yellowstone, and revenge for John’s murder will be the engine that drives the second half of the season.
Killing John so abruptly is a gamble, and again, it’s no surprise that some fans responded so negatively. One alternative would have been for the episode to tease out Dutton’s fate, perhaps using archive footage of Costner to keep him a presence on the show, until he dies in the finale or even a later episode. To just cold open the second half of season 5 with John dead is a blunt – but effective – solution to the problem.
Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 was pushed back from its original August 16, 2024, release date following the underperformance of Chapter 1; it’s currently unknown when the second chapter will be released.
