One question hangs over Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, and it could break the entire show

With Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 about to hit screens, there’s one question every Taylor Sheridan fan has – and it concerns the fate of the franchise.

In the time Sheridan’s Western epic has been on screens, those pesky Duttons have raised more questions than answers. Who will win: Jamie or Beth? What did Kayce see in his Season 4 vision quest? What will become of the legendary Dutton ranch?

These are all valid questions, none of which we really expect to be answered, if we’re being honest. But there is one question that Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 simply has to address. 

And what’s more, it has to address it well, otherwise, the entire thesis of Sheridan’s Dutton saga goes out of the window.

What happened to John Dutton?

It’s no secret that the biggest cause for concern with Yellowstone’s grand return surrounds Kevin Costner and his widely publicized exit from the show. No doubt Sheridan had big, multi-season plans for the next steps of the Duttons’ journey, and Costner’s departure threw everything into disarray. 

So the show now has to deal with a big fat gap missing in both the Yellowstone cast and the storyline. As far as many are concerned, it starts and ends with John, the family patriarch and the second coming of Christ for all those fictional Montana ranchers. 

Paramount

Season 5 Part 1 left everyone on a major cliffhanger. Beth and John were about to go ham on taking down Jamie, with Beth planting the seed that it’s best to take this familial black sheep to the Train Station once and for all. 

Naturally, this paved the way for a John-Beth-Jamie showdown in Part 2, but with John out of the picture, how do these upcoming episodes look?

John Dutton now, John Dutton forever

Aside from being the biggest name in the cast, Kevin Costner’s John Dutton is the protagonist of this gun-toting drama. Of course, the larger cast is perfectly capable of supporting the weight of the show on its back, but John’s absence in Part 2 can’t be ignored.

As such, there are limited options. Betting men would put their money on an off-screen death for big JD. (If I were being specific, I would guess that Part 2 opens with a funeral scene.) Alternatively, they could write off John in a way that excuses his absence but leaves the door open for future appearances in upcoming spinoffs.

Paramount

And, there’s the completely unwarranted and wild third option: he’s not actually gone at all. If the stars aligned and the Western gods were good, then maybe an incredibly secretive and surprising Kevin Costner Part 2 cameo is on the way. It’s a long shot, but damn, that would make for a cameo reveal even Marvel would be jealous of.

What’s at stake?

Okay, so there’s no denying that Yellowstone must and likely will acknowledge where John has gone. From the moment negotiations failed and Costner confirmed his leave, Sheridan likely started thinking about how he can work around it. (In Sheridan we trust, you know?)

But if they fail to provide a satisfying and, more importantly, sensical reason for John’s MIA status, then Yellowstone will fail to live up to its own heart and soul.

From the beginning, Sheridan’s series has had one obsession: legacy. What the Duttons do to protect it, defend it, and live up to it is the very lifeblood of what makes this particular show tick. Losing the Dutton patriarch isn’t just a blip – it’s a conundrum that poses both the greatest opportunity and the greatest threat to the show’s reason for existing.

Paramount

What does the Dutton legacy look like without John? Is the ranch even worth keeping if he’s not around to see it? What does the future for a family that lives in the past look like? 

Again, these are all questions that fall under the big issue of the missing John Dutton. Yes, there will be an answer. Whether that answer will help or hinder Sheridan’s overarching message is another matter entirely.

For more, check out our other feature on why Yellowstone teaches us that cowboys should cry more. You can also check out the best TV shows like Yellowstone to watch, and find out what’s going on with 6666 and The Madison.