Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Paramount Network’s television drama ‘Yellowstone,’ despite boasting a stellar cast, did not get off to a perfect start in terms of critical acclaim when it first made its debut in 2018. Since then, however, the show has gone from strength to strength. As it stands, at the end of Season 3, the show has amassed millions of viewers from around the world.
For the uninitiated, ‘Yellowstone’ stars Academy Award winner Kevin Costner. It can be described as a drama that follows the Dutton family as they struggle to control and retain their massive ranch in Montana and fight off land grab attempts by corporations, land developers, an Indian reservation, and the US government.
After a strong run, the latest season of ‘Yellowstone’ – Season 3 – has come to a scorching end. While Paramount Network, in February 2020, confirmed that ‘Yellowstone’ had been renewed for Season 4, the ending of Season 3 has left fans with many unanswered questions. Of course, the question on everyone’s mind right now is whether John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner) will survive what appears to be a fatal gunshot wound and make it to Season 4. Here’s what we know about it so far. [WARNING: SPOILER ALERT]
Is John Dutton Dead or Alive?
Season 3 builds on the success of Season 2 and sees the Dutton family rerun the gauntlet. This time, however, it looks like that the Duttons might not have come out unscathed. The well-paced but gritty Season 3 builds up to what can only be called a chaotic and explosive finale, and sees the protagonist of the show, John Dutton, getting shot. If that isn’t enough to wreak havoc on fans, ‘Yellowstone’ literally drops another bombshell – John’s daughter Beth Dutton’s office is firebombed with her seemingly still inside. Therefore, every fan is wondering whether the father and daughter will survive the ordeal and lead the Duttons in the upcoming season. While it’s difficult to predict what decision the show’s creators will take, here’s what we make of it so far.
Let’s focus on Beth first. In the Season 3 finale, Beth is seen clearing her office when the firebomb attack takes place. In this scene, Beth’s assistant brings a box that is addressed to her. When Beth asks what the package is, the assistant says that it’s a box within a box. To her horror, Beth realizes that the parcel could well be a bomb, and though she screams out a warning to her assistant not to open the package, the warning comes too late. The bomb explodes, blowing the windows out into the street.
Moments later, ‘Yellowstone’ fans are made to endure another apparent tragedy. John Dutton gets caught off guard as he tries to help a mother and her son fix the tire on their car. At this point, a shady van pulls up, its back doors open, and John is shot multiple times. The horrified woman is not spared either as the perpetrator guns her down before escaping the scene of the crime. The sequence ends with John clutching on to dear life while he bleeds out.
Does this mean that John is dead? We don’t think so. For starters, even though John is unable to call for help, we catch a glimpse of his phone taking a bullet, so there’s a chance that his phone might have blocked a fatal bullet that could have ended his life. Secondly, only the mother from the mother-son duo gets shot, while the young boy John had helped moments earlier runs away into the fields. It’s highly probable, therefore, that the young boy will help John once the van and the shooters drive away. Finally, ‘Yellowstone’ won’t entirely be ‘Yellowstone’ without Kevin Costner leading the Dutton family against every adversity, and given this fact, we doubt that the creators will let John Dutton die. But what about Beth Dutton? Well, we think she’s alive too because Beth’s planned marriage to Rip, and her tensions with some of the other characters make for some juicy drama which only enriches the emotional rollercoaster ride that ‘Yellowstone’ has been so far. We’ll all have to wait for Season 4 to find out what fate befalls the Duttons.
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