While Kevin Costner has been pretty vocal about his love for Yellowstone, in which he played the Dutton patriarch for five seasons, the last half of season 5 might not sit well with the Horizon star. Not only does his character die within the opening moments of the back half of the final season, but Sheridan isn’t slowing down with the jabs at John Dutton, and in turn, Costner.
Considering the second half takes place months after Costner and Sheridan’s alleged feud, which garnered traction following the former’s departure, it appears the showrunner might still be salty about it.
Taylor Sheridan Takes Shot at John Dutton’s Tough Guy Persona in New Episode
From taking shots at the Dutton patriarch’s love life by revealing that he was lying to his love interest Summer about her house arrest, Taylor Sheridan isn’t also shying away from poking fun at Dutton’s tough guy persona. Although it has been previously established that Dutton is pretty capable on his own physically while discussing the bruises around his neck, which could incite a murder conviction, Sarah dismisses it by stressing (via Variety):
The marks on his body … He could have gotten those when he fell to the floor. He was a 68-year-old man. He could have fallen in the tub, for all we know.
While it can’t be said for certain what Sheridan’s real intentions behind this scene were, it’s not hard to see why many might consider it a deliberate attempt on his side to tear down Costner’s legacy in the Western drama.
Kevin Costner Isn’t Intrigued by John Dutton’s Suicide Premise
Although it’s pretty apparent that Dutton didn’t really kill himself, as it was one of Sarah’s ruthless tactics to get Jamie over, in the Yellowstone universe, most people believe that it was the Dutton patriarch’s own doing.
Reflecting on his Yellowstone counterpart’s death, Kevin Costner, who has not been involved in the making of the second half, revealed that the premise didn’t intrigue his interest, adding (via SiriusXM) “[Dutton] never struck me as a suicide kind of guy”.
I didn’t see it. I heard it’s a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it. Well, they’re pretty smart people. Maybe it’s a red herring. Who knows? They’re very good. And they’ll figure that out
Even though the Horizon star was right about the red herring twist, given Sheridan’s constant jabs at Dutton, we might not see the two Western powerhouses on the same page together for a long time, if ever.