‘Yellowstone’ Returns: We Finally Know How John Dutton Dies — And Who’s Really Responsible [Spoilers Alert]

The wait is finally over for Yellowstone fans, and the stunning premiere of Season 5, Part 2 answered the central question that's been on fans' minds since 2023.

The second half of Season 5 opened with Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) rushing to the governor's mansion in Montana, where she is met with a crime scene. After Kayce (Luke Grimes) arrives, they enter the crime scene to find that their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is dead — and in an unexpected twist, he appears to have shot himself.

Of course, this is Yellowstone, and there are no pat answers here. While Beth blames Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) immediately, Kayce voices open doubts, saying he does not believe he is capable of it, though she insists she knows he is.

READ MORE: The Most Epic Deaths in Yellowstone History

As the episode unfolds, Jamie's grief at a press conference in which he confirms his father's death seems real, and in subsequent flashback scenes, we see his girlfriend, Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), meeting in extreme secrecy with what appears to be a high-priced assassin, in which they agree on a plan to make Governor Dutton's death look like suicide.

When Jamie returns home after confirming his father's death, Sarah Atwood is waiting for him with a bottle of champagne to celebrate. She appears surprised to see his tears, while he seems stunned that she went forward with a plan to kill his father after just one conversation, which he seems to have genuinely believed would not lead to anything.

But she brushes aside his concerns, telling him, "You won. This is your kingdom now."

Elsewhere in the episode:

• The Yellowstone crew get settled at the 6666 Ranch in Texas, where they are slated to spend quite a bit of time.
• Kayce, Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and Tate (Brecken Merrill) decide on a new place to live.
• Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) and Chairman Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) survey the pipeline that's being built on the reservation, with Rainwater proclaiming, "This is our hill to die on."

The return of Yellowstone ended with Beth telling Kayce to go look Jamie in the eye and see for himself if he thinks he had John murdered or not, and "then come home and help me decide how to kill him."

At that, Rip returns to the Yellowstone to be with his wife, and her rage turns to grief as she's finally able to let it all out, collapsing into his arms and letting out a long, keening wail that ends the episode on an appropriately chilling note.

There are still so many questions ahead as Yellowstone rockets toward its conclusion. Did Jamie really not know about the plot to kill his father? What will become of the blackmail footage the real killer has of Jamie and Sarah Atwood? Are Rainwater and the Duttons banding together to exact revenge on Jamie?

From the look of some preview, the season is set to be a free-for-all, with Jamie and Sarah seemingly turning against one another — though at times, it's hard to tell who is on which side.

Yellowstone returns every Sunday on Paramount Network.

Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate, as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows like 1883 and 1923. He's interviewed cast members including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country legends including Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.