Yellowstone fans have been left divided over the unceremonious death of a familiar character in the franchise’s new spinoff, Marshals.
The series sees Luke Grimes reprise his role as the youngest in John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) ranching dynasty, Kayce Dutton, as he embarks on a new chapter serving with an elite unit of the U.S. Marshals.
*Warning — Major spoilers ahead for Marshals episode one*
During Sunday’s premiere, it’s revealed that Kayce’s wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), has died from cancer off-screen.
It’s later revealed that her cancer was likely caused by toxic contamination in the Broken Rock reservation, leading Kayce on a quest for vengeance against the perpetrators.
Luke Grimes returns as Kayce Dutton in the new ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff, ‘Marshals’ (Sonja Flemming/CBS)
Monica (played by Kelsey Asbille) is killed off in the season premiere of ‘Marshals’ (Emerson Miller/Paramount+)
“I think fans will be upset — and they should be,” Grimes told the L.A. Times in an interview published Monday. “Kayce is very upset. It’s the worst thing that could have happened to him. But as much as I’m really upset not to work with Kelsey, it’s a good idea for the show.”
He added, “His dream life is no longer available to him. Now the only thing he has is his son, who is not so sure he wants the same life as Kayce. A big part of the season is Kayce learning how to manage all these new things — new job, being a single father.”
As Grimes predicted, many fans were upset by the decision to kill off the Yellowstone mainstay and shared their thoughts on social media.
“Marshals was good; it sucks that Monica was killed off, but it’s entertaining,” one person wrote on X.
“Ticked off that they killed off Monica!!! Why???” another fumed.
“Wow Monica is gone, just when we thought Tate and Kayce couldn’t handle anymore loss,” mourned a third.
In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Grimes explained that the decision to kill off Monica was vital for Marshal’s plot.
“The way that Yellowstone ended for Kayce was literally he rode off into the sunset,” Grimes said.
“Obviously, we can’t just watch this guy have his dream life. There’s no drama,” he continued. “Something’s gonna have to happen that gets in the way of him having that. Otherwise, why is he gonna take a badge? The last time we saw him, he was throwing a badge in a field. Is he gonna go pick it up?”
Executive producer and showrunner Spencer Hudnut added in the interview with the L.A. Times: “[Monica] is guiding Kayce, and their relationship is moving forward.
“His dealing with his inability to confront his grief is a big part of the season. It became clear that something horrible had to happen to put Kayce on a different path.”
Marshals airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and Paramount+.