Their lips were tightly sealed as the anticipation built. “Yellowstone” is currently captivating audiences with the airing of the second half of its fifth season, which has been confirmed as the final chapter in this acclaimed ranch drama series.
Before the release of these last episodes, Kevin Costner, the face of the show, departed under a cloud of speculation regarding a rumored feud with the show’s creator and showrunner, Taylor Sheridan. This exit has stirred considerable conversation among fans and industry insiders alike.
Spoiler alert: In the premiere episode of the second half of Season 5, “Yellowstone” addresses Costner’s departure in a dramatic twist—his character, John Dutton, is killed off. The creative team took extraordinary measures to keep this significant plot development under wraps. Executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros, who directed the episode, revealed to the Hollywood Reporter that deliberate code words were employed during filming to maintain secrecy around the storyline.
“It’s quite surreal to discuss it now, especially since we’ve had to keep it so highly confidential for such a long time,” Voros shared with enthusiasm. To further mask the details, the production team refrained from using the term ‘death.’ Instead, they referred to it as an ‘arrival.’ Voros explained, “Whenever we had to signify a death or pivotal event, we termed it an ‘arrival.’ We even assigned John’s character a pseudonym—‘Crosby.’ So instead of saying, ‘Beth discovers that John is dead,’ we used, ‘Beth discovers that Crosby has arrived.’ This created a wave of curiosity among the crew, as they were puzzled about who ‘Crosby’ was and where he was supposedly coming from.”
Intriguingly, Voros noted that upon conducting some research, she uncovered that John Schuyler Crosby was the last governor of Montana before it attained statehood in the 1880s. “It was a very random, obscure, esoteric reference made by Sheridan,” she remarked, highlighting the show’s penchant for historical nuance.
“Yellowstone” chronicles the gripping saga of the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana, with John Dutton (played by Costner) at the helm, who had previously served as the state’s governor before his demise. The series also delves into the complexities of his adult children, including quiet and introspective Kayce (Luke Grimes), conniving Jamie (Wes Bentley), fiercely determined Beth (Kelly Reilly), and Beth’s rugged cowboy spouse, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser).
During the premiere episode of the second half of Season 5, it is revealed that John Dutton was fatally shot by a hitman, with the event being staged to appear as a suicide. However, both Beth and Kayce are skeptical of the suicide narrative, particularly Beth, who suspects that Jamie played a role in the tragedy. While she is predominantly correct in her suspicions, Jamie’s involvement is more indirect; his love interest, lawyer Sarah Atwood (portrayed by Dawn Olivieri), masterminded the assassination, much to Jamie’s dismay upon learning the truth.
The execution of Costner’s exit has drawn ire from fans, many of whom feel that it lacked the respect and depth deserved for such a pivotal character. One viewer expressed their frustration, stating, “Even though we know KEVIN COSTNER wasn’t scheduled to return for the remainder of #Yellowstone, the way they chose to end his character was just astonishing and lazy. There could have been far better ways to handle this, or he could’ve simply ridden off into the sunset.”
Another fan lamented, “The viewers of this show and Kevin Costner (John Dutton) deserved considerably better! Taylor Sheridan, I’m not sure I can support any of your future projects!!! #Yellowstone and its ratings are going to take a hit! That was the laziest writing I’ve ever seen.”
“Yellowstone” continues to air weekly on Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on the Paramount Network, as fans remain eager to see how the story unfolds in these final episodes.
