Welp. That didn’t take long.
Sadly, it didn’t come as much of a shock, either.
On Sunday night, one of the most popular programs on all of television returned — and viewers tuned in specifically to see what fate would befall John Dutton, the patriarch on Yellowstone played by veteran actor Kevin Costner.
Formerly played by veteran actor Kevin Costner, that is.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
It came out months ago that Costner and series creator Taylor Sheridan butted heads over the drama’s shooting schedule because Costner wanted to flip his eventual flop of a movie, Horizon: An American Saga.
As a result?
Costner said via Instagram way back in June that he was done with Yellowstone.
This was an unusual and unfortunate circumstance because Yellowstone itself isn’t done; the show still had the back half of Season 5 to film.
Fast forward to November 10 and the return of this beloved drama.
Yellowstone wasted no time in revealing to the audience that Dutton’s body had been found in the bathroom of his Montana Governor’s mansion… dead from a gunshot wound.
How ‘Yellowstone’ Will Care On
Two of Dutton’s children — Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) — had quickly arrived on the scene because their dad had been late to the first day of his impeachment tribunal, which was instigated by his opportunistic son Jamie (Wes Bentley).
They were shocked and saddened by what they discovered there.
At this point, it’s pretty clear who Kevin Costner is dating.
No, wait. That’s not what we meant to write.
At this point, it’s pretty clear what the mystery will be for the rest of Yellowstone Season 5:
What happened to John Dutton?!?
The New Yellowstone Femme Fatale
Later in this episode, Jamie — who, remember, had previously discussed having Beth killed by a hitman with his lover and fixer Sarah (Dawn Olivieri) — received a mysterious call from someone who sure sounds like his is confirming a successful hit on John using coded language.
He then calls an emotional press conference where, in his duty as Montana attorney general, Jamie announces that John was found dead by suicide.
This allegations stuns Beth and Kayce, who are driving back to the Yellowstone ranch to regroup as they hear the announcement.
There’s just no way their father would ever do that, they figure, and Beth is especially suspicious of her brother’s role in this mess/scandal/likely homicide.
Kevin Costner ‘Found Out This Morning’ About ‘Yellowstone’ Character’s Fate
As it turns out, Kevin was totally in the dark about his character’s demise on Yellowstone.
As he did not return to film John Dutton’s fatal finale scenes, he learned about his character’s bloody end at the same time as the show’s passionate fans.
The morning after the bloodshed, Kevin stopped by SiriusXM’s “The Michael Smerconish Program” and revealed he finally knew about the story plot that morning.
“I mean, I’ve been seeing ads with my face all over the place and I’m thinking, ‘Gee, I’m not in that one.’ I’m not in this season. But I didn’t realize yesterday was the thing.”
But the thing is, he didn’t actually watch it himself! “I didn’t see it,” he added. “I heard it’s a suicide. That doesn’t make me wanna rush to go see it.”
The Show’s Future
Costner will not be returning to Yellowstone, we know that much.
The question remains, however, whether the show will continue beyond Season 5, even without John Dutton in the middle of it.
When asked if this was the last season for the show by TODAY.com, Ian Bohen, who plays Ryan, teased “it may not” be the end. But it all sort of depends.
“I feel satisfied, and very happy with what we’ve done. You know stories can’t go on forever,” he said. “We’re going to position it to have some sort of conclusion in some of the relationships and this and that. But not necessarily over.”