John Dutton Is In The Second Half Of Yellowstone Season 5, Even If Kevin Costner Is Not

Are you confused yet?

Today, Paramount Network released an “explosive” new trailer of the upcoming, long-gestating, and top-secret Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2.

You might be surprised to learn that Costner’s face is plastered on the YouTube video and that Paramount made a concerted effort to show that John Dutton will be part of the season even if Kevin Costner is not.

Did we really need that reminder? And did it need to be so blatant?

The Dutton sage cannot continue without addressing the elephant in the room.

What happens to John Dutton that will explain why Kevin Costner is no longer involved with the series?

Behind-the-scenes goings-on that may never be fully understood by audiences have driven this decision, supposedly with all parties coming to an understanding — whatever that is.

Costner’s face even remains the defacto image on the Yellowstone key art.

Sure, there is a new poster of what looks like Rip burying someone in the family plot, but although the remaining cast is up for the challenge of bringing this all home and potentially continuing the story, you’d think they’d at least update the key art.

Is the trailer explosive? Was that an apt description of it?

Not really. Things are so secretive that what the trailer shows could have come from any other season.

The Duttons have always fought for Yellowstone, and they have always been at odds with each other in various ways.

Beth and Jamie have been at loggerheads since they were teens. Beth has always looked out for Kayce. Rip has always looked out for Beth.

And Thomas Rainwater and Mo Brings Plenty have always been salivating over reincorporating the Dutton land back into the reservation.

The photos themselves and how they are numbered might say more about the upcoming second half of the season than the trailer.

For instance, the picture of Beth and Rip in each other’s arms appears to be from Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 13.

That suggests that they were still standing guard and perhaps even in charge of the ranch at that point.

But it might be the photo of Jamie Dutton walking down the capitol stairs toward Lynette with two law enforcement officials (from Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9) that says the most.

That’s the kind of photo you see when someone revered has taken their last breath leading to a changing of the guard.

In his official capacity and even with as much as the Governor knows about the tempestuous relationship between Jamie and the rest of the Dutton family, the future of the family may be placed in his hands — at least temporarily.

So, while Kevin Costner doesn’t technically appear in the remainder of Yellowstone Season 5 (although he is still listed as a series producer), John Dutton’s essence will drive every scene.

And when a star of that magnitude is at the center of a story this intense, it makes sense to have his face drive the marketing efforts.

We have no idea what lies ahead, and the production and cast are still in the midst of determining whether the show will go on, with Beth and Rip taking the series in a new, certainly exciting direction.

To get to that place, we need to close out John Dutton’s chapter in the Yellowstone universe.

It’s been five seasons, but John’s life may finally follow the same path as the prequels, in which we see the Duttons face harsh climates and even harsher deaths.

The Dutton family has never had it easy, but it seemed like John Dutton would be different. It seemed like he would come out on top.

With Costner’s departure, that seems incredibly unlikely, but with any luck, the next generation of Duttons will carry the torch for him and his ancestors on the Yellowstone.

New episodes of Yellowstone will begin on Sunday, November 10 at 8/7c on Paramount Network.

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