Would They *Really*? How Yellowstone Just Paved the Way For John Dutton’s Death in the Final Season
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Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 is still a few months away, and there’s still no confirmation on whether Season 5 will be the final season of the show, or if there’s a chance Yellowstone might continue in some form after Season 5. If it does, though, it will have to do it without patriarch John Dutton III, and the first trailer for Season 5 Part 2 might have given a clue as to how the show could do just that.
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Does John Dutton Die in Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2?
Kevin Costner isn’t set to return for Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, but John Dutton III is still front and center in the promo for the final episodes of Season 5. The fifth season had been billed as the show’s last after Costner announced he’d be departing the role of the Dutton family patriarch. But if the show wants to continue, the first trailer sets up a way to do it – sans Kevin Costner.
“Generations of blood have led to this,” the trailer teases as images of John Dutton III from previous episodes flash by. Costner didn’t film any scenes for Season 5 Part 2, though his absence is expected to be addressed.
Generations of blood have led to this. Don't miss the epic return of Yellowstone Nov. 10, only on @ParamountNet. #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/yif807TToj
— Yellowstone (@Yellowstone) August 26, 2024
The images show him with his daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) in the kitchen, and then with his head in his hands while sitting by a fire. There’s also a scene of him and Beth and her husband Rip (Cole Hauser) having dinner, which pans to the empty dining room table – perhaps a reminder that we won’t get any more family dinners with everyone anymore.
“You ever wonder what this place looked like before any of us were here?” Beth is heard saying. Her voice is followed by other poignant words from other characters, all from previous seasons, including Rip saying “This is my family” and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) yelling “After everything I do for you?” followed by, perhaps, the most poignant: Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) telling his father, “Just don’t know how many more times we’ll get to do this.”
More: See how every Yellowstone family member is related in this Dutton family tree
John’s voice replies, “Me neither, son. Me neither” as we see the front door of the house slowly close.
It’s fair to say that the implication goes further than just John Dutton III’s departure, which we already knew was coming. There’s also the fact that there’s a fiery effect to the words on the trailer, which implies there might be a fire. Could the Dutton family patriarch perhaps die in a fire? Jamie was planning to kill his father and sister in the Season 5 Part 1 finale, so that would perhaps be a way for Yellowstone to write off Costner and continue with the show with Beth and Rip at the center.
Yellowstone is Paramount Network’s Western drama that follows the Dutton family, who own and operate the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest ranch in Montana. The series first premiered in 2018 and for most of its run, it starred Kevin Costner as John Dutton III, the six-generation patriarch of the Dutton family. The show is basically a family drama about the issues at the ranch with the nearby Broken Rock Indian Reservation, wealthy land developers, and more. Yellowstone will end with Season 5, Part 2 and the show will somehow wrap up without Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III. The actor announced he was leaving the series earlier this year.
Season 5 Part 2 of Yellowstone will premiere in November 2024 and all episodes can be streamed on Peacock.
Watch ‘Yellowstone’ on Peacock
Check out our gallery below for how much the Yellowstone cast makes per episode.
