Taylor Sheridan Takes ‘Yellowstone’ to New Heights — But at What Cost to Kevin Costner’s Legacy?
Spoiler Alert: This post discusses Season 5, Episode 11 of “Yellowstone,” titled “Three Fifty-Three.”
When it became clear that Kevin Costner would not return for the second half of “Yellowstone” Season 5, fans were left wondering how series creator Taylor Sheridan would handle the exit of John Dutton. The split between Costner and the production wasn’t exactly friendly, with Costner mentioning disagreements over shooting schedules and hinting at possible legal action.
Fans probably didn’t expect John Dutton’s farewell to unfold the way it did. Instead of a dignified send-off befitting the show’s stoic patriarch, Sheridan’s writing seemed to undermine both the character’s legacy and perhaps Costner’s own tough-guy image.
Sheridan, the sole credited writer for the season, immediately set an unusual tone in the new episodes. When John’s daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) arrives at the governor’s mansion only to find police cars, it’s clear that John’s death is imminent. But rather than a noble demise consistent with John’s character, the story initially suggests he committed suicide in a bathroom — inches from a toilet.
Though this was staged as part of Sarah’s (Dawn Olivieri) scheme to bolster John’s son Jamie (Wes Bentley) during a land dispute, within the show’s world, the public believes the powerful John Dutton took his own life. Even though the case reopens as a homicide investigation later, the initial portrayal seems designed to poke at Costner and his hard-man persona. This mirrors real-life skepticism, as many viewers might take the suicide theory at face value without knowing the full story.
This kind of creative retaliation isn’t unheard of when stars and showrunners clash. For example, when Isaac Hayes quit “South Park” in 2006 over the show’s satire of religion, the creators famously wrote his character off in a brutal and absurd way. Similarly, after Charlie Sheen was fired from “Two and a Half Men,” his character was humorously killed off by a piano in the series finale.
Perhaps the most bizarre jab at John Dutton came in the episode after his death. It was revealed that his love interest Summer (Piper Perabo), who was supposedly under house arrest on the Dutton Ranch, was never actually confined — a fact exposed by paperwork left casually on a table. Beth’s harsh confrontation of Summer, accusing her of naivety for not checking her release documents, paints John as having essentially kidnapped her to keep her as a “live-in sex friend.” This feels out of character for John, whose questionable actions previously focused on protecting the ranch and family, not manipulating someone like this.
Sure, Summer had to be written out, but couldn’t one of John’s powerful sons have intervened to free her? The choice to portray John this way seems like another intentional hit on his legacy.
Sheridan’s critique of John continues in the most recent episode, where Sarah dismisses bruises on John’s body as the result of a simple fall, emphasizing his age — “He was a 68-year-old man. He could have fallen in the tub.” This undercuts John’s usual image as a strong, virile man and could sting for Costner, who built his career on that tough, charismatic persona in films like Bull Durham and The Bodyguard.
Especially notable is the timing, as it comes just months after Costner released Horizon, a film he co-wrote and directed, where he plays a romantic lead opposite a woman 32 years his junior. Clearly, Costner views his own vitality differently than Sheridan portrays John Dutton’s.
It will be intriguing to see what other digs Sheridan might take in upcoming episodes. Will Kayce reveal embarrassing family secrets? Will Jamie’s character be further tarnished? Will Summer call Beth to express relief about escaping her strange captivity?
Only time will tell — but for now, Sheridan’s treatment of John Dutton feels less like an honor and more like a dismantling of both character and legacy.
