Kayce Dutton has been through the wringer. He’s – as far as we know – the only one of John Dutton’s kids who is branded. He is traumatized from his experience as a soldier. He is also facing a crisis as he tries to decide between his family and the ranch. So, it makes sense that when Kevin Costner's character thinks about his kids, he feels pity for his youngest son.
Now, going into Season 5B of Yellowstone, it will be interesting to see how all of that impacts Luke Grimes’ character, and personally, I’m hoping he’s able to shake this perception his father has. So, with all that in mind, I specifically asked the actor how his dad’s opinion of his children could impact Kayce going forward.
Before we dive into Grimes’ response, let me contextualize the question I asked him first. When I was preparing for Yellowstone’s junket I rewatched Season 5A, and a moment that stuck out to me was a conversation John had with Rip during Episode 5 about Beth. And amid his compliments to his daughter, he also opened up about his three other boys – the late Lee, the lost Kayce and the villainous Jamie – saying:
You know, I’ve got one child I miss. One child I pity. One I regret. But that girl, that child, I envy.
I took note of that, because, in a lot of ways, it feels like these opinions John has of his kids impact said kids' actions. So, when it came time to chat with the Yellowstone cast about what’s to come, I also had them reflect a bit, asking specifically about this quote.
I was struck by Luke Grimes' answer in particular, as he agreed that he thinks John pities Kayce, explaining:
I think he pities him, because clearly whatever happened to him overseas when he was at war has messed him up to his core. And even before that, I mean the only flashback you ever have of Kayce is when his mom dies, and he's there, and he's the only one with her, and he watches her die when he's that little. So, I mean, the guy's life has been ridiculously tough, right? So, yeah, I think he pities him just because he knows it's not his fault, but he's got a lot of demons.
Sadly, Kayce has been part of many of Yellowstone’s most brutal moments. As Grimes noted, his character’s time at war scared him, the death of his mom was traumatizing and overall, he’s faced a ton of adversity.
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I find it interesting that Grimes pointed out that the only flashback we see of Kayce is the death of his mom. It proves just how tragic his story is, and it shines a spotlight on something I hope gets addressed this season.
As Yellowstone premieres on the 2024 TV schedule, I’m hoping that Kayce can rise above all of this, reflect on his trauma and really start to move forward. While we know Kevin Costner won’t be back as John, I still think his on-screen son has a chance to act in a way that would change his father’s opinion of him.
With Rip in Texas and John gone, it will likely be Kayce’s job to take care of the ranch in Montana. Hopefully, we’ll get to watch him interact more with his siblings, and I desperately want to see him get out of this indecisive cycle he’s been in when it comes to choosing the ranch or his family.
Luke Grimes' character is so strong, he’s been through so much, and it’s clear that John sees potential in him. However, for the time being, his dad pities his youngest child. So, here’s hoping Kayce can find a way to shake that and really own his power and abilities in these final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season.
Thankfully, we won’t have to wait long to see if this dream becomes a reality, because Yellowstone Season 5B premieres on the Paramount Network this Sunday, November 10, at 8 p.m. ET. In the meantime, you can go back and catch key moments from Yellowstone’s past with a Peacock subscription so you are ready to dive back into this epic story about the Dutton family.
