The latest Yellowstone update about Kevin Costner’s absence reveals a harsh truth about the modern Western series. For the past four and a half seasons, Costner has played John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family who fights to keep hold of his ranch and keep his family together. Yellowstone is one of the best Westerns on television and has spawned several spinoffs about the Dutton family, demonstrating how important this family and Costner’s character are to the franchise.

Kevin Costner opted not to return for the final set of Yellowstone episodes, leading to widespread speculation about what is likely to happen to John Dutton. The final episodes will address his disappearance and explain what happened to him. There are several theories about how Yellowstone will explain John’s absence, though writer Taylor Sheridan has already shot one theory down, Regardless of how John’s disappearance is explained, this final storyline demonstrates an important truth about the series.

Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III Will Still Be Central To Yellowstone’s Ending
His Disappearance Upends The Family Dynamics
A Closeup of Kevin Costner as John Dutton looking shocked in Yellowstone Season 5
Although John Dutton won’t appear in the final batch of episodes, he will still be an important part of the series’ ending. His disappearance will affect every member of the Dutton family, and some will likely search for him while others will attempt to take over the ranch themselves. The ending will involve a war between Jamie and Beth, with one of them likely killing the other; this happens because of John’s absence. Someone has to take over the ranch, and without John there to mediate, Beth will let all of her pent-up frustration with Jamie loose.

Kelly Reilly as Beth and Kevin Costner as John in Yellowstone.
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The explanation of why John disappeared and where he went will also be central to the ending. John is too important a character for his fate to remain a mystery; additionally, Beth is very close to him. Thus, she will undoubtedly spend time searching for him in addition to attempting to continue his legacy by fighting for the ranch to remain in her possession rather than allowing developers to take it over.

Costner’s Role Despite His Absence Proves Yellowstone Cannot Escape John
Even Though Costner Is Gone, His Character Is Central To The Finale
Kevin Costner as John Dutton III in Yellowstone.
Custom Image by Yailin Chacon
The fact that Costner is central to Yellowstone’s finale without appearing in the final episodes proves that Yellowstone will always be about John, regardless of whether he appears on-screen. If this were not the case, Yellowstone could explain his absence in the first new episode by having characters explain that he’d gone to Boseman on business or had gone to visit family elsewhere, and then move on to the next part of the final story.

It would be a disappointing ending if John was given a mundane explanation for his absence rather than a story that explains it fully.

These types of explanations would not be satisfying, further proving how important John Dutton is to Yellowstone. John’s absence leaves a large hole in the canvas, requiring the other characters to react to it. Additionally, it would be a disappointing ending if John was given a mundane explanation for his absence rather than a story that explains it fully. This type of ending would be disrespectful to the character, as it would simply eliminate him. Thus, Taylor Sheridan is instead crafting an ending storyline around John’s absence that will allow the series to have a satisfying send-off.

Why Yellowstone Cannot Escape Costner’s John (Even If It Wants To)
John Is Too Central To The Series For It To Work Without Him
The Yellowstone ranchers on horseback with Thomas Rainwater in the Yellowstone pilot
John has been the protagonist since Yellowstone began. Its opening scene was of him shooting a horse that needed to be put out of its misery, and he has been at the heart of every storyline since. Although there were stories about John’s children and the problems in their lives, John was always central to everything, whether it was Beth’s mental health issues after the death of Yellowstone’s Evelyn Dutton when she was a child, Kayce and Monica’s debate about whether to let John into Tate’s life, or John’s disapproval of Jamie.

The harsh truth about this series is that it was always about John.

Additionally, Yellowstone has only a few episodes left before it wraps up. Thus, there is no time to properly transition from John’s presence in every story to a new lead actor. The harsh truth about this series is that it was always about John. There is no escaping that fact, which makes it questionable whether a proposed spinoff or new season featuring Beth and Rip without John would be successful.

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Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner and centers on his character John Dutton. Dutton and his family live on a cattle ranch just a few hours away from Yellowstone National Park. The series chronicles the family’s struggle to defend their home from an Indian reservation and land developers. As if their life wasn’t complicated enough, the Duttons also have medical issues, political aspirations, and family secrets stacked against them.

Cast
Kevin Costner , Finn Little , Brecken Merrill , Gil Birmingham , Denim Richards , Ian Bohen , Danny Huston , Kelly Reilly , Forrie J. Smith , Cole Hauser , Kelsey Asbille , Wes Bentley , Jefferson White , Luke Grimes , Ryan Bingham

Release Date
June 20, 2018

Seasons
5

Writers
Taylor Sheridan , John Linson

Showrunner
Taylor Sheridan

Creator(s)
Taylor Sheridan , John Linson
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