Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" boasts its fair share of shocking deaths, some of which befall members of the seemingly invincible Dutton family. For proof, look no further than the season 1 premiere, "Daybreak," which sees Lee Dutton (Dave Annable) -- the family's eldest son and most loyal rancher -- get shot down during a cattle heist gone awry. So, what happened exactly?
"Daybreak" sees the Dutton family's cattle wander into the Broken Skull Reservation, which is run by their then-rival Thomas
Rainwater (Gil Birmingham). Given that this clan of cowboys aren't the type of people to let their enemies keep their cattle, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), his sons, and their livestock agents storm into the neighboring territory to reclaim their cows, but the residents of the Broken Skull Reservation are expecting them and all hell breaks loose. Bullets start flying, and Lee is the unfortunate soul who gets caught in the crossfire.
By no means is Lee's death the wildest moment on "Yellowstone," but it shows from the beginning that Sheridan's Western is a drama with stakes. What's more, the situation causes a giant mess that almost results in one of Lee's brothers losing his marriage.
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Lee Dutton's Death Turns Yellowstone Into A Soap Opera
We've already established that the Duttons don't let their rivals keep their cattle, so you can imagine how they responded to Lee getting shot. Shortly after the family's oldest son gets struck with the bullet, his brother, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), shoots his killer in self-defense, tells him there's no such thing as Heaven, and sends him into the void. Shooting a member of the Broken Skull Reservation tribe would cause drama at the best of times, but this situation is messier, as the victim is the brother of Kayce's wife, Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille).
While Kayce didn't outright kill his brother-in-law in cold blood, the Dutton family members still go to great lengths to cover it up. This includes sending Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) to assassinate an innocent medical examiner whose autopsy results could shed new light on the death, which is one of the earliest moments on "Yellowstone" that proves the Duttons will stoop to any lengths to cover up their crimes -- and they are supposed to be the show's most heroic characters.
In the end, Kayce tells Monica the truth and she eventually forgives him. Not only that, but Thomas Rainwater opts not to act on getting revenge, even though he knows Kayce did it, and the Dutton goes on to live as a free man. Lee, meanwhile, becomes largely forgotten after his death, as his loved ones don't mourn his passing for too long. Still, the death and the drama that stems from it helped turn "Yellowstone" into a wildly entertaining and downright ridiculous cowboy soap opera.
"Yellowstone" is currently available to stream on Peacock.
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