‘Yellowstone’: John Dutton’s 10 Best Moments to Get Fans Excited for Season 5
Yellowstone Season 5 is currently in production in Montana, and the anticipation for the fall premiere is building. Kevin Costner will return as rancher John Dutton, owner of the largest ranch in the United States. And this season, the fight to hold on to his land brings more pressure than ever before.
“He’s [John Dutton] going to have to do something, so we’re going to see what he did and does to stay ahead of it,” Costner said of the pressures his character faces in Yellowstone Season 5.
“And I think that’s what John Dutton has to do. But the pressures about the land have been, always for this family, [that they’ve] got to hold on to it with a level of violence.”
With Yellowstone now at the top of the TV ratings, fans are more excited than ever before about what’s coming next for John Dutton and his family. To add to that excitement, let’s take a look back at John Dutton’s 10 best moments from the first four seasons of Yellowstone.
10. John Dutton and Jimmy’s relationship comes full circle in ‘Yellowstone’ Season 4
John’s relationship with Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) shows what a strong father figure can do for a struggling young man. John and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) took a chance on Jimmy in season 1 when they let him come to the ranch to earn an honest wage, and leave his life of drugs and crime behind him.
When Jimmy starts pursuing a life in rodeo and gets himself seriously injured, John covers the ranch hand’s medical costs and makes him promise not to do it again. Of course, Jimmy can’t stay away from the rodeo and nearly gets himself killed. But John doesn’t give up on the young man.
He sends him to the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas to learn how to become a cowboy. Their relationship came full circle at the end of season 4 when Jimmy returned to the Yellowstone Ranch a changed man. John shook his hand, called him Jim, and told him his debt was paid in full.
9. Reconciling with youngest son Kayce
Yellowstone began with John’s estranged son Kayce (Luke Grimes) coming back to the Dutton family after the horrific murder of his oldest son, Lee (Dave Annable). And it was immediately clear that John had made some big mistakes when it came to his youngest son.
John literally branded Kayce when he got Monica (Kelsey Asbille) pregnant and wanted to run off with her — a shameful moment that he openly admitted to. Despite his poor parenting decisions, John really loves his son and has welcomed him back with open arms.
One of their best, sweetest moments was when John told Kayce, “You’re my son, I know exactly who you are and don’t you ever be sorry for it.”
8. Surprising Summer Higgins in season 4 of ‘Yellowstone’
Protestor Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo) arrived in season 4, attempting to take down “toxic male” John Dutton. But all she does is end up prompting one of John’s most-quoted lines in all of Yellowstone.
“Ever plow a field to plant the quinoa or sorghum or whatever the hell it is you eat?” John asks Summer. “You kill everything on the ground and under it, you kill every snake, every frog, mouse, mole, worm, you kill them all. So I guess the only real question is how cute does an animal have to be before you care if it dies to feed you?”
Instead of becoming enemies, the two become allies. Which is quite the shock to Summer.
“Sooner or later this planet’s going to shed us like dead skin. And it’ll be our fault,” John tells her, catching her off guard. “I’m surprised you can see that from here,” she replies.
“You can see it from anywhere, Summer.”
7. Giving Rip his own house
No one is more loyal to John than Rip Wheeler. John took Rip in when he was a young teen with no place else to go. Ever since, Rip has done anything John has asked him to do.
One of John’s best moments — and quite the tearjerker for fans — was when he wrote Rip a letter to let him know that he was officially part of the Dutton family. John called Rip “son” and gave him his very own house — the one previously owned by John’s eldest son Lee.
6. Dealing with those California bikers
Yellowstone Season 3 saw a California biker gang attempt to set up shop on the Dutton land, leading to a major fight with the ranch hands when they refused to leave. Later that night, the bikers return with plans of burning the property. But John Dutton was sitting there waiting for them.
As Rip, Kayce, Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) and others surrounded the biker gang with guns, John announced his punishment. For damaging his property and refusing to leave, he demanded the bikers dig their own graves.
He did eventually let them leave. But he warned the bikers that he is keeping the graves just in case they return.
5. John Dutton’s fight in ‘Yellowstone’ is all about the ‘promise’
Why does John Dutton fight so hard to save his family’s land? Before fans got more of the Dutton family backstory in the prequel 1883, John explained his fight in one simple sentence.
“I made a promise, and I’d rather lose it than break it,” John says.
4. A situation John Dutton couldn’t have dreamed up in ‘a month of Sundays’
One of the most memorable scenes from the entire series came at the end of season 4 when John’s new companion Summer and his daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) meet for the very first time.
John walks into the kitchen as Beth pulls a knife on Summer, telling her she’s “the b*tch about to stab you in the stomach.”
“Now here’s a situation I couldn’t have dreamed up in a month of Sundays,” John says as he forcefully shuts the kitchen cabinet and makes introductions. “This is my daughter, she can be a little over protective. Put the knife down, honey.”
The trio then attempts to enjoy breakfast, which is neither vegan nor gluten-free. Absolutely. Classic. Scene.
3. The Duttons don’t kill sheep, they kill wolves
Beth has no problem doing whatever it takes to crush the Dutton enemies, but she went too far when she threw Summer under the bus. And in one of John’s best moments, he confronts his daughter about what she has done and then kicks her out of the house.
“We don’t kill sheep. We kill wolves,” he insists. “You have really disappointed me, honey. And I never thought I’d say that about you.”
2. Crushing Jamie Dutton’s dreams of becoming Montana governor
When Governor Perry (Wendy Moniz) returned in season 4 and dropped by the ranch “unannounced,” John knew that was “either real good or real bad.” It turned out, she was running for Senate and wanted John’s adopted son Jamie (Wes Bentley) to run for governor.
“He’s the devil we know, John. I’ll take my chances,” Perry tells him.
But John can’t let this happen, so he makes a move that neither Jamie nor Beth saw coming. He runs for governor with Perry’s endorsement just so Jamie can’t.
“He will destroy everything we love,” John tells the governor.
That moment when Jamie thinks he’s getting everyone’s support for his gubernatorial run, but they all just walk right past him is iconic.
1. Announcing his candidacy at the end of ‘Yellowstone’ Season 4
Speaking of that bombshell reveal that John would be running for governor — and that his campaign slogan would be “Damn right, I did it” — his announcement speech was absolutely one of his best moments of the entire series.
“There is a war being waged against our way of life. That is progress in today’s world. If it’s progress you want, then don’t vote for me. I am the opposite of progress. I am the wall it bashes against. And I will not be the one who breaks,” John says.
Yellowstone Season 5 premieres Sunday, Nov. 13 on the Paramount Network.
