Yellowstone is now in its endgame with the Western drama series gearing up for an epic conclusion in a matter of just three episodes. The latest episode delivered one of the most shocking revelations in the show’s final season, especially after lead star Kevin Costner abruptly exited the Taylor Sheridan-created series.
The eleventh episode of season 5 explores the death of John Dutton in excruciating detail through flashbacks. As a result, the flashback plays a key role in setting up what’s in store for the final episodes, and director Christina Voros broke down why the scene was so important. Here is what Voros had to say about revisiting John Dutton’s death despite Kevin Costner’s exit.
Yellowstone Director Explains Why It Was Necessary to Revisit John Dutton’s Death
Yellowstone season 5 opened with the revelation of John Dutton’s death, with the remaining episodes exploring the ensuing fallout. The eleventh episode, titled Three Fifty-Three, features a flashback to the moments leading up to John Dutton’s death.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Christina Voros spoke about why it was important to revisit the scene from a new perspective after John Dutton’s death was glimpsed in a previous episode. She said:
It’s not something that you could pull off in exposition. It wouldn’t make sense.
Voros explained that she wanted to capture all the terrifying aspects of the character’s death, including the break-in and the framing of his murder as suicide.
Furthermore, Voros felt that unless the sequence was explicitly shown, viewers would find it hard to resonate with its gravity. The scene was meant as a sendoff to a beloved character, and the director felt that the audience needed to witness it. Therefore, it was important for the series to revisit John Dutton’s death.
Yellowstone Director Talks Shooting John Dutton’s Death Without Kevin Costner
In the same interview, Voros also spoke about filming John Dutton’s death without actor Kevin Costner. The veteran actor played the role for five seasons and even won a Golden Globe for his performance. However, Costner ended up exiting the series after a dispute with creator Taylor Sheridan.
It was important to the story that that final moment feel violent but also haunting.
Voros made the above statement, adding that the scene was meant to explore how things went down on the day of John Dutton’s demise instead of what went down. As a result, the scene essentially did not need Costner to showcase the gruesome moment.
Moreover, Voros revealed that Sheridan, who wrote the episode, had a very strong image in mind for the final moment. He had scripted it from a voyeuristic standpoint, which made the scene more poignant, and filming it without actually showing Costner became an effective depiction.
Yellowstone is streaming on Peacock.
