Sumith Prasad
Paramount Network’s Western series ‘Yellowstone’ prominently revolves around John Dutton III, the sixth-generation patriarch of the Dutton family and custodian of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. To protect his family’s ranch, John has confronted several challenges, obstacles, and adversaries, even by putting his life on the line. The fifth season of the show follows John’s efforts to protect the ranch with the authority of the Governor of the State of Montana. John wages a war against Market Equities, a multi-billion company that has set out to build a city in the ranch lands of the state. Naturally, John’s battles to protect his land must have alarmed the viewers concerning his fate. Well, let us share everything you need to know about the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Happened to John Dutton?
Over the years, John has confronted death at a short distance several times. In the third season, Jamie Dutton’s biological father Garrett Randall nearly kills him using hired men. Before the same, he has to deal with colon cancer. Irrespective of what threatened his life, John has managed to overcome them and he may repeat the same in the fifth season. In season 5, John’s significant opposition is Market Equities. Caroline Warner, the CEO of the company, knows better than to kill John, especially after his election as the new Governor of the state. Since he has openly waged a war against the company, Caroline must be aware that killing him will naturally put her and her company under suspicion.
Since Caroline hires Sarah Atwood to deal with the laws John makes against her company, it is clear that the CEO wants to deal with the predicament without bloodshed. If we rule out Market Equities, Chief Thomas Rainwater must be the next one on the line. Considering the formal friendship he has formed with John over the years, it is unlikely that Rainwater will resort to killing the Dutton patriarch. There is always room for conversation between John and Rainwater, which makes us believe that the latter most likely will not become John’s murderer.
In light of Jamie’s anger and disappointment towards John, the son may stand against his adoptive father, especially since Caroline and Sarah have been noticing Jamie’s troubled relationship with John. Jamie may even join hands with Market Equities in the worst-case scenario, but it is unlikely that Jamie will kill the same person who made him who he is. Jamie is not cold-hearted enough to end John’s life or even hurt him severely. In addition, Kevin Costner, who plays John, doesn’t lean toward the idea of his character dying. “Well, I don’t want to die. There’s just too much to do, but in terms of this story I don’t know where that’s gonna go,” Costner said in an exclusive interview given to ExtraTV.
Having said that, John’s death can be the single most affecting narrative development that can conclude ‘Yellowstone’ as a series. Since neither Paramount Network nor co-creator Taylor Sheridan has revealed anything about the end of the series yet, we can hope that John will not die anytime soon.
Is Kevin Costner Leaving Yellowstone?
As of now, neither Paramount Network nor Kevin Costner has released any statements concerning the departure of the actor from ‘Yellowstone.’ Since Costner had already made it clear that he doesn’t want John to die, it is unlikely that the actor would want to leave the Western drama anytime soon. In fact, Costner revealed that John has been “riding a high level” to put an end to his character’s arc, which is necessary to open a gateway for the actor’s departure from the show. As far as Costner is concerned, he needs to feel that his portrayal of John is getting repetitive so that he can think about concluding his character’s arc.
When asked about whether he has a say in the writer’s room to influence the conclusion of John’s arc, Costner, who is also an executive producer of the show, replied that he can have a say. “I think I could have some say. I think that he [John] has been riding a really high level. I’ll say when I don’t want to do it anymore. I’ll say when I feel like it’s repeating it. And that will be the moment when I have authorship of what it is I do,” Costner added in the same ExtraTV interview. Thus, it is evident that we will see Costner in the show as long as he wants to portray John. Since he hasn’t revealed any wish to leave the series, we may not need to worry about the actor’s departure from the Western drama.
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