Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 11.
This new season of Yellowstone has been quite a turn as John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) death has caused not just a disruption within the Dutton family, but all of Montana. Yet, one character has been caught in the middle, forced to decide between his loyalties to differing family members, and struggling over what to do next. Though Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) has wrestled time and again with his part in his family’s legacy, no Taylor Sheridan-crafted storyline has been as full of potential as this one. Yes, Kayce has been caught between a rock and a hard place, but it seems as if, in the process, he may have finally discovered his true calling.
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Has Put Kayce In Quite the Predicament
In “The Apocalypse of Change,” Monica (Kelsey Asbille) tells Tate (Brecken Merrill) that they’re going to have to fight to keep Kayce from distancing himself too far from them. This comes after Monica sees how her husband has thrown himself into his work, unsure if Jamie (Wes Bentley) had a hand in their father’s death or not. This puts Kayce between Jamie and their sister, Beth (Kelly Reilly), who is hell-bent on killing their adoptive brother. The latest episode, “Three Fifty-Three,” finally forces these two to meet again as Jamie swears he had nothing to do with John’s murder. But Kayce isn’t entirely convinced, and his instincts are spot-on. He decides to investigate himself, and it gives us a glimpse into his potential future.
Given Beth’s unrelenting and unforgiving nature, Kayce is flying solo to uncover the truth. While Kayce has played family peacemaker before, that isn’t really an option this time around. But it’s exciting to see Kayce involved in the main Dutton story again, as he and Monica are often excluded from any of the show’s more pivotal plotlines. John’s death, and the hole in Yellowstone that Kevin Costner’s absence leaves, is a big one to fill, but Kayce is proving that he can do it. Because his loyalties will always lie first and foremost with Monica and Tate, whatever Tate wants to do in the future will likely dictate some of Kayce’s choices here. If Tate truly does want to take over the ranch one day, then Kayce will have to fight tooth-and-nail against Jamie’s schemes with Market Equities. But “Three Fifty-Three” offers Kayce a potential new path, one that, frankly, seems more fitting than ranching ever did.
Related
‘Yellowstone’s Luke Grimes Tells Fans Who Feel Cheated by John Dutton’s Fate That It Was “Always the Plan”
The Dutton family is at war.
Kayce Can Leverage His Past to Change His Future on ‘Yellowstone’
The introduction of newcomer Cade McPherson (Jake McLaughlin) is also curious. We know next to nothing about this former operator, but what we do know is that he and Kayce used to serve alongside each other back when Kayce was once a Navy SEAL, something we hadn’t heard a lot about on the show. Back in Season 2’s “Touching Your Enemy,” Kayce tells his father (himself a Vietnam veteran) a war story, and it’s because of this scene that we understand why he doesn’t talk about his time overseas. “Soldiers don’t tell war stories anymore, Dad,” Kayce tells his father, “’cause wars these days, it’s just about trying to live through them.” But this soldier sure knows how to use his former military skills in order to get to the truth, and maybe it’s time he makes a career out of it. Yes, Kayce needs to lean into his investigative skills, since they just might change his life.
By introducing a character like Cade, these last few episodes of Yellowstone seem to be setting something up for the younger Dutton heir. While it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a flashback to Kayce’s time in Afghanistan, that doesn’t mean that he can’t still use his training domestically. Heck, we see this even in “Three Fifty-Three” as glimpses of Kayce Dutton the soldier are seeping through for the very first time. This third Season 5B episode offers potential for Kayce that we’ve never seen before. In investigating his father’s death, maybe Kayce ought to do the same for others. No, we’re not saying Kayce needs his own crime procedural spin-off, but if he were to go the route of shows like Joe Pickett or perhaps The Terminal List, it might give Luke Grimes a way to take Kayce Dutton to the next level — and keep the character around a bit longer.
As a livestock agent, Kayce has shown himself capable of tracking down cattle rustlers and horse thieves, but Yellowstone never gave us much of a chance to dive into what that entails. Instead, Kayce is often left on the backburner, which is a shame because those sorts of stories would be incredibly interesting to see unfold. Yellowstone has recently shown that Kayce is at his best when he’s on a mission, and though Monica is worried she’ll lose her husband over this particular case (which is fair), if he were to learn how to keep that part of him in check, it could open the door to plenty of story possibilities. While it may be too late to explore this going forward, there’s always room for another Yellowstone spin-off that could follow Kayce on the job. If Taylor Sheridan and company keep it up in this back half of Season 5, we would certainly welcome more.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 airs Sundays on Paramount Network. Previous seasons can be streamed on Peacock.
A ranching family in Montana faces off against others encroaching on their land.
- Release Date
- June 20, 2018
- Creator
- Cast
- Kevin Costner , Finn Little , Brecken Merrill , Gil Birmingham , Denim Richards , Ian Bohen , Danny Huston , Kelly Reilly , Forrie J. Smith , Cole Hauser , Kelsey Asbille , Wes Bentley , Jefferson White , Luke Grimes , Ryan Bingham
- Seasons
- 5
- Network
- Paramount
- Franchise(s)
- Yellowstone
- Story By
- Taylor Sheridan
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+ , Peacock
Watch on Peacock
