With so much of the Yellowstone universe set up for future exploration for Paramount Network and Paramount+ subscribers, it’s almost hard to believe that we’ve been in drought mode since 1883 capped off the Duttons’ origin story back in February. At least we already know when the currently filming Season 5 will premiere — November 13 — even if we don’t yet know exactly what it will entail, beyond introducing some new faces to Yellowstone and its gorgeous Montana setting. But a new video from the show makes me think fans are being ever-so-slightly clued into the idea of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton making a next-step move in his love life.
To be sure, this avenue of speculation could be completely off-the-grid in terms of legitimacy and accuracy, but check out Yellowstone’s video below, keeping the title in mind the entire time you’re watching.
Now that you’ve watched, I certainly hope my assumptions make slightly more sense. Because to me, a video titled “Why We All Love John Dutton” implies footage and clips from a variety of situations and scenarios, since the character is a respect-earning family man and largely fearless badass who gets shit done, and has been at the center of tons of moments that sparked fans’ adoration. And while I can’t argue the fact that the moments shown in the montage are certainly lovable, they’re a bit…limited in nature as far as subject matter goes.
In that the majority of the footage covers scenes between John and Wendy Moniz-Grillo’s Lynelle Perry, with Piper Perabo’s Summer Higgins also popping up. Throw Miss Flirty-Flirt from the beginning in there, and the video probably should have been called “Why Female Yellowstone Characters Who Aren’t Beth All Wanna Bone John Dutton,” amirite?
So while I’ll freely admit to being particularly eager to dive headfirst into any kind of Yellowstone speculation possible four months ahead of Season 5’s arrival, I do genuinely find it curious that this video isn’t titled more innocuously, or more directly to the subject matter. It could be nothing, sure, but I think it’s a subtle way of saying, “Don’t we all love seeing John happy with a significant other in some capacity?” And what other reason could there be to say such a thing than to tease John entering a more serious relationship?
With Lynelle’s Senate future and Summer’s imprisonment, neither one of those situations looks primed for official boyfriend/girlfriend status changes, although Piper Perabo implied she’ll be heating things up again in Season 5. So could it be possible John and Summer’s kinship could blossom to the point where they’d follow Beth and Rip down the metaphorical aisle, presumably without a priest taken hostage involved? It’s doubtful, but Yellowstone wouldn’t be doing itself a disservice by tapping more into John’s romantic relationships.
Not just to bring out moments like those in the video above, to be sure, but also to give fans more flashbacks to his marriage with the late Evelyn Dutton, as portrayed by Gretchen Mol in Season 1. I admittedly sort of think of Evelyn more as a mother to the Dutton clan than as a wife to John, but I’d love to have that viewpoint tweaked with a deeper exploration into their marriage/relationship in the years between their first connection and her eventual death. Yellowstone could obviously still expand Evelyn’s story without John courting any other women, but it’d be an organic way to combine things.
Whether my instincts are correct or completely ludicrous, Yellowstone will make its Season 5 debut on Paramount Network on Sunday, November 13. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows will be arriving before the year’s end.
