Spoilers below for both Yellowstone's midseason finale and 1923's latest episode, so be warned if you haven't watched!
Yellowstone fans are in for a long wait ahead of new episodes, which won’t be around in our lives until the summer. Somewhat thankfully, the midseason finale didn’t end on any huge cliffhangers for its main characters, and largely setting the stage for Beth Vs. Jamie, a battle that will likely end in bloodshed and a body. Things don’t seem quite so drastic for sibling Kayce, who is now set to move BACK onto the ranch with Tate and Monica, as the latter just wants somewhere to call their own at this point. But we all know living on the Y reduces one’s survival chances dramatically, and following Luke Grimes’ appearance on The Tonight Show, I’m more convinced that his character won’t be around to partake in the end of Yellowstone’s run.
To expand upon this thought a bit, I also have to incorporate the Dutton family drama happening through the prequel 1923, which is currently streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. So let’s break this down, shall we?
What Happened On 1923?
The latest episode of the spinoff drama, “The War Has Come Home,” featured the rather shocking death of James Badge Dale’s John Dutton Sr., who was fatally shot in the midst of a battle against Banner Creighton’s sheepherders. Beyond a bit of grief, the moment left viewers with the continued mystery of how this family’s bloodline is all connected, especially where the name “John” is concerned. And it wouldn’t do anyone any good to ask 1923’s James Badge Dale about it, since he’s about as clueless as anyone else about the intricacies. What’s more, he also doesn’t know what’s happening next in the spinoff’s storyline, as he wasn’t made privy to scripts beyond Episode 103.
Here’s how he explained to to THR:
I’m going to be incredibly honest with you. I have no idea, because Taylor told me, 'You only get to read the first three episodes.' And listen, that’s the way I like it. I’m gone. I’m dead. Other guys are asking if I know about this and that. Doesn’t matter. If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage. I’m going to drive towards this ending, and I’m going to give everything to get to this ending, and I’ll see you guys later at the premiere.
Taylor Sheridan definitely isn’t the only Hollywood creative who picks and chooses what content the actors are privy to. There are plenty of both TV and film directors who only give stars access to the scenes they’re impacted by, while hiding the rest. And if Dale isn’t involved in the later episodes, then he doesn’t need to know what happens in them. Which brings us around to Luke Grimes.
What Luke Grimes Said About Yellowstone’s Future
Luke Grimes stopped by The Tonight Show to talk to Jimmy Fallon about traveling across the country with his Airstream, as well as debuting his new country single “No Horse to Ride,” on Yellowstone’s winter finale. When it came time to talk about the western drama itself, the actor had fewer concrete facts to divulge. As co-star Piper Perabo revealed in a different interview, the back half of Season 5 hasn’t been shot yet, and the scripts apparently haven’t been sent out for those episodes. (Which added context to her previous quotes about not knowing where the season was going.)
But that’s not what tipped off my worry for Kayce exactly. Rather, it’s the way Grimes answered when Fallon asked if he knows what’s “going to happen,” since he makes the leap to talk about the "end," as it were. In his words:
No, I don't. I think some of the cast know the end. Some have been told, some haven't. I don't [want to know], and I don't think Taylor, who writes our show, wants me to know either.
If he’s saying that there are indeed Yellowstone cast members who are aware of the show’s endgame, and we take into account how Sheridan generally feels about who gets to know what information, then it’s feasible to theorize that those cast members will be the ones to survive beyond the series finale’s end credits. And if Grimes isn’t part of that group, then that doesn’t bode super well for Kayce’s chances.
Now, this is all meant to be taken with grains of salt galore, since Luke Grimes didn’t confirm anything one way or another there. And there are no hard and fast rules about how Taylor Sheridan chooses to share details with his various series’ stars. So by all means, the co-creator possibly just didn’t know exactly where Kayce’s story would end up, and will clue the actor in later on after that gets ironed out. Or there could be a dozen other reasons why the actor’s words aren’t a death warrant for Kayce Dutton.
But then in the scheme of things, with Tate and Jamie’s kid being the only two male heirs to eventually take over the ranch (assuming it stays within the Duttons’ ownership), then it only makes sense that Tate would have to one day experience the tragedy of his father’s death, and it only makes sense that audiences would have to watch it, because trauma.
Does this theory hold water, or will Luke Grimes’ fanbase riot if anything happens to Kayce? We likely won’t know for quite a while either way. Yellowstone won’t be back on Paramount Network until this summer, though 1923 drops new episodes every Sunday on Paramount+. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are popping up in the coming months.
