“Yellowstone ”Spinoff“ Marshals” Confirms Death of This Major Character in Premiere Episode
“Yellowstone ”Spinoff“ Marshals” Confirms Death of This Major Character in Premiere Episode
Julia MooreMon, March 2, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC
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Kelsey Asbille as Monica Long, Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton in "Yellowstone" season 5Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the premiere episode of Marshals.
The new Yellowstone spinoff series Marshals premiered on Sunday, March 1, with Luke Grimes returning as Kayce Dutton
Fans had been wondering if Kelsey Asbille would also reprise her role as Kayce's wife, Monica Dutton. Her casting had never been announced ahead of the spinoff premiere
New episodes of Marshals air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+
Luke Grimes' new Yellowstone spinoff series, Marshals, begins with a clear sign that he's grieving.
He wakes up from a dream where he's back in his Navy SEAL days, trying to call his wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), but he can't get a hold of her. He wakes up from the dream to find his bed empty beside him, his wife nowhere to be found.
Monica's absence was felt throughout the episode, as hints continued to appear that she was no longer alive. Their son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), was clashing with Kayce, as he shared his plans to attend a protest over mines being built that would dump toxins on the reservation land.
On the day of the protest, Kayce gave Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green) and his team of U.S. Marshals a hand for extra protection, but he and Tate once again butted heads after Kayce asked his son to leave out of fear for his safety.
"After how much Mom suffered, you should be leading the charge here, not waving the white flag," Tate told his dad, as he held up a framed photo of Monica, yet another hint that she had died.
Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton and Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton in "Marshals"Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Along with Tate's comments, Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) confirmed Monica's death at the protest, as he told Kayce, "I don't think we've seen you on Broken Rock since Monica's burial."
"Yeah, she picked out her favorite spot on East Camp for me to visit her," Kayce shared.
It wasn't until the final scene of the episode that Kayce's heartbreak was truly on display, when he visited Monica's headstone for the first time and broke down in tears.
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"I miss you, baby. I miss my wife — my best friend. My only friend," he said.
Kelsey Asbille as Monica Long, Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton, Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton in "Yellowstone" season 5Credit: Paramount+
"I've been so lost. The best part of me died with you," Kayce said, his voice breaking as tears fell. "You've always told me to fight for the life I want. But I had the life I wanted — it was with you."
He then told Monica he's "changing paths" and is going to "try to find a new beginning for me and Tate" amidst their continued grief. "I love you, baby,” he whispered to her gravestone as the episode ended.
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Since Marshals was announced in 2025, fans have been wondering about Monica's fate, as Asbille, 34, was never confirmed as part of the spinoff's cast. Asbille has never commented on the series and also didn't appear in the trailer, which further fueled speculation that she would not be returning.
Grimes, 42, told PEOPLE that he had been hesitant about the idea of a spinoff initially because he wanted there to be "a real story and [to] make it interesting and make it believable."
"If it was just like, 'well, he's happy' — we're just going to watch him be happy? That's not very cool," Grimes said, which in retrospect seems to hint at the grief Kayce faces in the spinoff.
New episodes of Marshals premiere Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
