With Yellowstone headed towards its season five conclusion this weekend, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. But the biggest one might be: Will fans be happy with the finale? Star Luke Grimes – who plays Kayce Dutton on Yellowstone — is doubtful. But that may have less to do with what happens on the ranch than it does with the fans themselves.
As Luke Grimes told Esquire on what he expects audience reaction to be on Yellowstone‘s season (and probably series) finale, “At the rate we’re headed, I don’t think they’re going to be satisfied with anything. [Laughs.] Some people will realize that it was very well written and well executed. But a large part will just be mad that it’s over, which is fair.” That sounds like a bit of a swipe at fandoms overall, but don’t most tend to complain when they don’t get their way, especially if a show is ending before we want it to?
But for Luke Grimes – who isn’t against the idea of a spin-off (as we get word that Rip and Beth will be getting their own) – Yellowstone would be riding off into the sunset at just the moment. “It feels like good timing. Seven years is a long time to do anything, and I had never played a character for more than a few months before. I’ve loved all of it. But there is a part of it that—once you read those final episodes—sees that there’s a finality to it.”
Luke Grimes, like many Yellowstone fans, can’t help but turn to Kevin Costner, whose behind-the-scenes issues ultimately led to a once-unthinkable fate for John Dutton. With Costner not returning for the final episodes, it turned out to be something of a relief. “To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone. Obviously, it didn’t make it super fun to be around. Not pointing any fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we’ve filmed.”
The final episode of season five of Yellowstone, which will run nearly one and a half hours, airs on December 15th.
Are you ready for the flagship Yellowstone series to end? Do you think it has been successful even without Kevin Costner?