Luke Grimes discusses emotional impact of John Dutton death in Marshals episode

• Kayce Dutton referenced his father during a dangerous rescue mission in Marshals.
• Luke Grimes defended the timing of Kevin Costner's exit from the franchise.
• The actor noted that John Dutton was originally intended to die earlier.
  

The legacy of John Dutton continues to loom large over his youngest son, Kayce, as depicted in the latest episode of "Marshals".

During the broadcast on Sunday, the character, portrayed by Luke Grimes, faced the emotional fallout of his father’s demise while leading a United States Marshal team.

The mission involved a desperate rescue of Andrea, played by Ash Santos, who had been abducted by the villainous Randall Clegg.

Reflecting on the "Dutton curse" during the operation, Kayce confessed to his teammate Cal that the weight of his family history felt like a heavy burden.

"Clegg's had it out for my family for years, and I put one of his sons down hard. So whatever happens to Andrea, it's on me," Kayce remarked, linking the current violence to past conflicts.

Following the successful rescue, the character expressed a poignant wish for his late father to witness the resolution of the feud. "I really wish my father was still around, so he could see Montana rid itself of the Cleggs," he stated.

Reflecting on Kevin Costner's exit from "Yellowstone", the 42-year-old Grimes shared his perspective on the patriarch's controversial death, which was revealed to be a murder-for-hire plot.

"I think we were all lucky to have Kevin on the show as long as we did," Grimes told PEOPLE, adding that losing the patriarch was essential for the story to "ramp up."

He noted that the character of John Dutton actually survived longer than originally intended in the show's initial narrative blueprints.