Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers for Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 11, “Three Fifty-Three,” which premiered Sunday, Nov. 24 on Paramount Network.
When it became clear that Kevin Costner would not be returning for the second half of Yellowstone Season 5, fans wondered how series creator Taylor Sheridan would abandon his character, John Dutton. The breakup appears to have been far from amicable, with director Costner stating that he and other members of the production team did not agree on the filming schedule, and also mentioning the possibility of legal action being taken as a result of his departure.
However, it’s hard for fans to imagine that the breakup with John Dutton would end like this. Instead of a proper send-off for the central family patriarch, Sheridan appears to be trying to throw mud at the main character’s legacy on the show, while undermining the real-life Costner.
So far, Sheridan has been the only credited writer on the season, and things quickly took a strange turn at the beginning of the new episodes. When John’s daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) drives into the governor’s mansion in a Bentley and sees a police car, it’s clear the audience doesn’t need to wait to see how John dies. Given his stoicism and masculinity in the series, it seemed like the answer would be something more noble, more in line with his way of life. Instead, people in Montana are led to believe that Dutton shot himself in the head while he was in the bathroom.
Indeed, this was staged as part of a nefarious plot by Sarah (Dawn Olivieri) to elevate John’s son Jamie (Wes Bentley) during a land dispute. But the fact remains that in the world of the show, the all-powerful John Dutton is believed to have committed suicide inches from a toilet. Indeed, in the third new episode, Death is once again turned to the murder investigation, but sending out the initial message of John’s death in such a way seems tailored to poke at Costner and his tough-guy persona. It looks like it has been.
The actor himself lamented it, saying in an interview on SiriusXM’s “The Michael Smerconish Program”, “I heard it was a suicide, so I’m not in a hurry to go see it.” He also correctly guessed that it was a red herring, but it seems more people believe it was suicide than probably know the full story, both on TV and in real life.
The move is reminiscent of other poignant deaths on the series that have resulted in actors leaving the show and angering series creators. In 2006, Isaac Hayes quit South Park after criticizing the show’s satire of religious groups. Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker then had the character Chef join a pedophile cult, get torn apart by animals, and appear to have been inspired by his involvement in Scientology before eventually defecating his pants. He criticized his character for this. In 2015, he dropped a piano on Charlie Sheen’s character Charlie in the series finale of Two and a Half Men after Sheen, who was fired in 2011, refused to appear in the final episode. . (Since then, the two have become close friends.)
Perhaps the strangest shot taken of John Dutton was taken in the second episode after his death, in which his girlfriend Summer (Piper Perabo), who had been living at the Dutton Ranch since his house arrest It became clear that there was not. actually Although he was under house arrest, there was a document on the table in the living room saying he was free forever! what? !
“He told you he was going to put you on house arrest because you were with him and you were stupid enough to do that,” Beth yells at Summer as she grabs the papers. “I didn’t even think to consult a lawyer, and I didn’t even bother to look at my own release documents, the documents that had the ‘release’ stamp on them.”
When Summer asks John why he would do that, Beth paraphrases “Lonesome Dove” and says, “If a guy isn’t willing to cheat for the sake of cheating, he doesn’t want to do it that bad. ” he said.
So did John essentially kidnap this woman and hold her against her will just to have a live-in sex friend? This doesn’t seem like the straight John Dutton we’ve come to know over five seasons. Sure, his moral fiber can be malleable at times, but his past crimes have been committed for the sake of the land, ranch, and family.
Sure, Summer had to be left out of the show, but…couldn’t one of John’s powerful sons call and cheer her up? Or some other option? abduction?It seems like a strange way to tear apart John’s character.
In the latest episode, Sheridan dunked on John and then Costner, making it 3-on-3. Sarah and Jamie discuss the possibility that the fight marks and bruises on John’s body could lead to a murder conviction, but Sarah dismisses it, saying, “The marks on his body… He may have fallen on the floor. He was a 68-year-old man. For all we know, he may have fallen into the bathtub.”
She’s not wrong, but it must be painful for Costner to hear it. After all, he’s made a career out of being a sex symbol in movies like “Bull Durham” and “The Bodyguard.” And John himself is a strong, manly man who is willing to take control of any situation. Nowadays, it is compared to “I fell down and can’t get up!” LifeCall commercial from the 80s.
Time is ticking for everyone, but this bargain seems likely to particularly upset Costner — especially the first installment of his epic vanity project “Horizon,” which featured Costner having sex with a woman. Especially since it takes place several months after the first film was released. An actress 32 years younger than me. Considering he co-wrote and directed this film, it’s clear he doesn’t look his age the same way Sheridan does.
It will be interesting to see what swipes Sheridan takes in future episodes. Will Casey (Luke Grimes) reveal that his father suffered from legendarily bad flatulence? Will Jamie be able to find the documents that show he gambled all of the ranch’s taxes at the casino? Summer calls Beth from her new life and asks her to free her from a life filled with bad sex with John, who has done bad things. Would you be grateful for that? Only time will tell.
(Photo above: Sheridan and Costner having a happy day together.)
