WARNING: Major spoilers for the Yellowstone season 5 premiere below.Heading into Yellowstone season 5, Kayce and Monica experience a big change in their lives—just not in the way they expected. In a tragic turn of events, just as John Dutton is sworn in as governor, Monica goes into labor and gets into a car accident, losing their unborn son in the process. Given that Kayce's visions last season foresaw the end of Monica and him in a way that has yet to be revealed, the events in the Yellowstone season 5 premiere certainly set the stage for a massive shift in their relationship.
After the loss of their son, who they posthumously name John, there's no telling how the Dutton family will react. With Market Equities still battling for the ranch land and the relationship between Jamie and Beth tenser than ever, grief will mix with anger, resentment, and retaliation.
Screen Rant sat down with Luke Grimes and Kelsey Asbille ahead of Yellowstone season 5's premiere and they discuss how the loss of their baby will change their relationship, how grief will actually bring the Dutton family together, and more.
Luke Grimes & Kelsey Asbille On Yellowstone Season 5
Screen Rant: Casey and Monica are faced with a devastating loss in the first episode of season 5. How do you foresee this impacting their relationship which has already had so many ups and downs?
Kelsey Asbille: This changes who they are, but I think, at least for Monica, it really redefines her relationship to this family in a really big way, moving forward.
Luke, at times, like this family is so important. You have Monica, and you have your son Tate, but his relationship with the Dutton family as a whole is complicated. So will this bring them together in a way we haven't seen before? How will they respond to this situation?
Luke Grimes: Yeah, one of my favorite things about their relationship this season is normally when they would go through something difficult, it would sort of push them apart. And, as always, they go through something very difficult. And this time, it really seems to pull them together closer than ever before. Which is a way, way more fun thing to play than being at odds. So it was really nice. They're truly in love and together this season.
Well, I love to hear that, because I'm always rooting for Kayce and Monica. But, Kayce's visions at the end of the last season, he saw the end of [Monica and Kayce]. That could be up to interpretation, but Kelsey, is that the beginning of this end? Will we see what that means this season?
Kelsey Asbille: We do see what that means. And I'll leave it at.
Kayce has been put through the wringer over and over again, Luke. How does he find the strength to go on, especially continually facing these losses?
Luke Grimes: Kayce, I just feel like the thing that I love about him, and [what] I think people connect to is, he's really resilient. There's always something overpowering him. And he's always able to just keep moving. And I just love that quality. You get to play a big vulnerability with that, that not many characters in Yellowstone have. They're heroic, and they say what they want, and they get what they want, and they do what they want - he has a bit of that too. But he's also a raw nerve, and he's vulnerable, and he feels things, and it's really fun to play all that stuff.
Will we get to see more of [them on the reservation] as the season goes on with Kayce embracing Monica's heritage and looking to explore that more with Tate?
Kelsey Asbille: Yeah, we do. I think that balance has always been really important for Monica. She walks [in] two worlds in a way, especially in terms of raising her son. So I think it means a lot that Casey embraces it the way he does.
About Yellowstone Season 5
Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family, led by John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States. Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect – the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders – an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and vicious business rivalries.
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Yellowstone season 5 is currently airing Sunday nights on the Paramount Network.