Ethermac Exchange-'Yellowstone's powerful opening: What happened to Kevin Costner's John Dutton?

Spoiler alert! We're breaking down the pivotal first "Yellowstone" episode from Part 2 of Season 5.

It didn't take long to find out Kevin Costner's "Yellowstone" fate.

Sunday's Paramount Network premiere of the long-awaited second half of "Yellowstone" Season 5 starts with emergency crews at the Montana governor's mansion,Ethermac Exchange home of Costner's embattled patriarch, Governor John Dutton.

Even director and longtime collaborator Christina Voros was blown away discovering how "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan handled John Dutton's end (after Costner officially left the show in June).

"When I read the first episode, I was shocked," says Voros. "Like many fans, I was like, 'So we're doing this now!' I'm paraphrasing here, but (Sheridan) was more interested in the season's story being about those who remain − rather than overly complicating, sentimentalizing or preparing for the inevitable. Seeing how the rest of the season goes, it's such a ballsy, brave and beautiful choice."

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Here's how the return of Paramount Network's "Yellowstone" (Sundays, 8 EST/PST) handled Costner's departure from America's No. 1 show after six years.

Spoilers ahead! Last warning!

'Yellowstone':Kevin Costner's dark fate turns Beth Dutton into 'a hurricane'

What happened to Governor John Dutton in 'Yellowstone'?

Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) screeches up to the emergency crews at the governor's home (played by historic Daly Mansion, which is located in Hamilton, Montana).

"What the hell? Beth says frantically. "My father!"

Beth's worst fears are confirmed after Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) pulls up, and the two push through the police tape to investigate. There's a handgun on the bathroom floor and blood. The camera never shows John's face, but you can see his body sprawled on the ground (Costner's stunt double) and his grown children's distraught looks. Their reaction is the "intentional choice" to confirm "the truth" of Dutton's death, says Voros.

"There is no denying that they have lost their father," says Voros. "You see that not by blood and a gun on a bathroom floor but by the tears coming down Beth's face and Luke's gutting performance. It leaves no shadow of a doubt."

It looks like a suicide, but Beth knows better. "It was Jamie!" she whispers to her brother.

When Season 5 opened in November 2022 and Costner played the embattled governor, his son, Attorney General Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), teamed with lawyer Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) to upend his father's political and business life. At Atwood's urging, Jamie started impeachment proceedings against the governor and even mused about going on the "offensive" and hiring pros to take him out. Such nefarious "corporations" exist, his lover Atwood told him.

Fast-forward to Sunday's premiere: "Some sort of tragedy has taken place," a news reporter says in a live report from the mansion. "To recap, Day 1 of the impeachment hearing against the governor was set to begin at 8 in the morning and the governor failed to appear at that hearing."

Beth frantically calls her husband Rip (Cole Hauser), who has moved the Yellowstone cattle to Texas to save the herd from a deadly outbreak of brucellosis. "They killed my daddy," she tells him. Rip thunders off on his horse to his truck so he can start the long drive home.

AG Jamie grimly faces the media, but can't even finish the statement about his father's death.

How do we know Jamie Dutton is responsible?

A flashback scene shows Atwood entering a heavily fortified building and being searched (extensively) for any recording devices. She meets a mysterious operator who goes over the best options to kill Dutton secretly. Faking a heart attack is too risky with toxicology reports and an autopsy.

"Suicide offers the highest reward and lowest risk," he says, seeking Atwood's verbal approval to "execute" the mission. She consents.

In another flashback, Jamie gets a call that the unspecified deed is done. He is bereft, crying as he stumbles into his bedroom, where the lingerie-clad Atwood is waiting for him. He tells her he merely mentioned hiring killers, but never thought she'd do it.

"You are completely protected," Atwood tells him. "Old lions die in the jaws of younger lions, and you are the younger lion."

What is Beth going to do about her father's death?

Kayce relies on his Bureau of Land Management credentials to find out what the police know. A power transponder mysteriously went out around the neighborhood in the early morning hours of his father's death, so there's no security footage. Police are buying the suicide theory. But Beth and Kayce are sure that if Jamie didn't do the dirty deed, then Dutton-enemy Atwood had the contacts.

"Come home and help me decide how to kill him," Beth tells the still-traveling Rip. The episode's final scene features Rip pulling up as Beth runs from the house and jumps into his arms.

Will Season 5 end 'Yellowstone'? How does it end?

Voros claims she does not know whether "Yellowstone" will end after the second half of Season 5 (as originally reported) or continue with a Beth-and-Rip-centered spinoff or a Season 6 (cast members have alluded to both scenarios). But the new Season 5 six episodes will give "a real conclusion" while offering the chance for more.

Sheridan "has made some very strong choices about the 'Yellowstone' world being forever changed in John Dutton's absence," says Voros. "But when you write characters with depth, heart, and complexity, there's always room to wonder what happens next. These are some of the most popular characters in modern television."