Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9 recap: How was John Dutton's tragic fate handled?

Disclaimer: This article has spoilers for Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9.

The much-awaited second half of Yellowstone Season 5 was back with episode 9, titled Desire Is All You Need. It had its share of deep and disastrous turns for the Dutton family and viewers worldwide.

This episode brought heart-wrenching surprises and one shocking character exit: the death of John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner since the very beginning.

After a mysterious gunshot, the patriarch of the Dutton family was found dead in the bathroom of the Montana governor's mansion. Hiding Costner's face and the blood-soaked location was just a good way to imply the gravity of the loss without the gore.

The family's bereavement develops fast as Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) begin by losing it to suspicion and blame.

While this sets up for a season of fallout as the remaining Duttons try to wrap their heads around John's death and the perceived threat lurking in their ranks, Jamie's public declaration of John's "suicide" can only serve to further spur the Duttons' suspicion of being stabbed in the back from within.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9 recap: The crime scene and Beth’s reaction to it

The opening line of this Yellowstone episode sees Beth arriving at the crime scene, desperately met by police cars and John's assistant Clara, who says it all in a single, tearful look: her father is dead.

The scene drips with grief – blood on the bathroom wall, the gun placed by the bathroom door, and the only thing that resounds amidst the chaos of pain are Beth's decimated screams piercing that moment.

Not long after, she suspects Jamie, her estranged brother who had earlier concocted with his lover Sarah (Dawn Olivieri) to have her killed through a hitman. Distracted but hard to believe, Kayce does not immediately give in to Beth's accusations.

However, her anguish and sincerity provided a groundwork for later family conflicts tension with foreboding.

“Yellowstone has never shied away from the visceral emotionality of family loyalty, and Beth’s primal screams serve as a poignant reminder of the Dutton family’s inherent volatility,” noted Variety.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9 recap: Jamie’s mysterious press conference

Wes Bentley as Jamie in Yellowstone (Image via Paramount+)

While struggling to find a way to deal with losing John, Beth and Kayce are further disturbed by the public statement made by Jamie at a press conference declaring John to have killed himself. They can hardly find words for speech, bewildered to their core over the thought that John had done such a thing to himself.

For the fans, the very well-choreographed public persona of Jamie raises questions about the involvement of the part. As it appears in the case, Beth cannot help but believe that Jamie's alibi was curated to conceal the murder of John as she thinks that John is murdered.

The closest friend to Jamie is Sarah, who encourages him to free himself from the identity of his father, reassuring him,

“This is your kingdom now.”

Jamie's phone call after the death and his shock at the press conference. He is either trying to cover up or is surprised by a plan already in motion.

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9 recap: Family bonds fracture

On the ranch, Beth's siblings ponder unasked questions and growing suspicion of betrayal; Beth wants Jamie to believe that someone aided him in the lying, even when the evidence might be scant.

Kayce, who was not very forthcoming, aligns with Beth after phoning the police, discovering footage from the governor's mansion was missing during the hours of John's death.

“Well, isn’t that convenient,” Beth says with biting sarcasm.

Her miserable drive propels her towards finding out the truth and taking revenge for her father's murder, which gets strengthened through her bond with Kayce in their mutual pain and rage against Jamie.

The intense dialogue and dramatic exchanges are total testimonies to the statements of TV Line:

“Reilly is coming for that Emmy with this performance.”

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9 recap: Rip’s return to the brink of revenge

Cole Hauser plays Rip on Yellowstone (Image via Paramount+)

Amidst all this emotional turmoil, there comes Rip (Cole Hauser) from Texas to the ranch. His arrival brings some solace to Beth, who weeps in his arms. However, the mood shifts back to revenge as Beth and Kayce's suspicion against Jamie intensifies.

Then, there is a sense of foreboding about a confrontation with strength in Rip that could be counted in the favor of the Duttons, which could lead to more drama in the show's development.

It ends the scene with Beth's words ringing through the screen:

“They f***ing killed him, baby.”

It looks like Yellowstone might finally let all that family tension fuel the fourth season's climax, a move Variety says it expects to precipitate the kind of intense season-ending battles seen in series such as Succession.

What will happen to the Dutton family in Yellowstone?

Of course, the setting of this story places the Duttons squarely in a season of struggle, fighting to the top, in what seems like a confrontation with perhaps Jamie turning out to be an unintentional villain whose actions only further isolate him from the family he wanted to be a part of.

This tragic twist holds up the central theme of Yellowstone: the battle for family legacy, distorted by power, betrayal, and personal ambition.

With Beth now more driven than ever to exact her revenge, all roads lead to a deadly confrontation as each character's motivation, allegiances, and purpose are transformed by the weight of John's death.

Where Kevin Costner is leaving after close to six years of playing John Dutton, a nearly six-year portrayal leaves the series reshaping its narrative with him gone.

Rumors circulated regarding his exit as early as February 2023; because of scheduling conflicts involving his Horizon film series, his exit opens up a window through which Yellowstone will have a chance to further explore the dynamics of the Dutton family without its once-stalwart patriarch.

Yellowstone continues airing his name in the credits as an executive producer, paying homage to his role in setting in motion what has gone on to become an iconic legacy of the show.