Yellowstone: Does Kayce Dutton Survive The Season 3 Finale?

No one is truly safe in the world of "Yellowstone." While the Dutton family has continued to cling to life throughout the show's five-season run, many supporting characters have gone off to the train station and met with sometimes inglorious ends. While those who have stuck with the series since its Paramount Network debut are likely well aware of Kayce Dutton's (Luke Grimes) fate, viewers who've become addicted to the show thanks to CBS' steady stream of reruns might want to know how Kayce fares after unknown assailants target him and his family during the Season 3 finale, "The World is Purple." If you're a fan of Kayce, there's good news afoot — he is not among the dead.

Kayce is working in his position as commissioner of the Livestock Association at the time of the attack. He manages to use his army training to deflect several gunmen. Though he gets shot twice, the wounds are not severe, and he's soon up and about trying to figure out who plotted to eradicate the Duttons. Kayce subsequently spends the Season 4 opener — "Half the Money" — trying to track down the men who shot and hospitalized his father, John (Kevin Costner). He succeeds in his quest, which is just a fraction of the roaring rampage of revenge the Duttons ultimately go on. It's eventually discovered that the hit was ordered by Garrett Randall (Will Patton), Jamie's (Wes Bentley) biological father, who is subsequently killed by his progeny and taken off to the train station.

While Kayce survives this and a few other near-death experiences — such as the ones he dealt with in the military and a vision quest that endangers his life — he's managed to keep soul and bone together ever since.

While Kayce might be anxious to heal the divide between his family life and the Dutton's long-term desires, his portrayer, Luke Grimes stays copacetic regarding the twists and turns that lie in the road ahead for the character.  While waiting for Season 5 of "Yellowstone" to recommence filming, Grimes spoke with several media outlets about what lies ahead for Kayce — or rather, how much he doesn't know about his character's future. "Here's the thing with 'Yellowstone' and my character: Hope doesn't happen. I just learned to take it as it comes, and that's it," he told PEOPLE in July 2023.

However, his sanguine statement, doesn't prevent him from confronting the bumpy road ahead for Kayce and his family. In the extras contained within the Season 5, Part 1 DVD collection for "Yellowstone," Grimes explains that the grand conflict between Kayce's love for John and the affection he bears for his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) means he has trouble choosing between supporting his natal family and the one he married into, the Broken Rock tribe. This has stymied Kayce's evolution as a person, in Grimes' opinion. But the actor sees possible growth ahead in Kayce and Monica's return to the ranch. "I think this a huge moment for Kayce. It's his legacy, and I'm honestly really excited about this chapter for Kayce and Monica, because I think we're going to see a whole different side to them." 

In the fall of 2024, audiences will find out how things pans out for Kayce when "Yellowstone" returns to the Paramount Network for its final season.