The season five premiere of Yellowstone ended in tragedy when Monica Dutton gets into a car accident and loses her baby. The episodes harrowing final minutes conclude with Tate (Brecken Merrill) telling his grandfather that his baby brother, John, had only lived on hour as Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) is seen cradling Monica in the hospital bed. It was a devastating ending for both viewers of the show and Kelsey Asbille, who portrays the grieving mother.
"I think that we [Asbille and Grimes] both root for [Monica and Kayce] so much that I think we really wanted a happy ending," Asbille tells Wide Open Country. "I think there are so many hopes and dreams that come with a new child and when that's taken away so tragically it changes who you are. And not just for Monica but also for Kayce — he goes through such incredible loss as well. We really just wanted to do that storyline justice."
While some viewers speculated that Kayce telling Monica that he saw "the end of us" could refer to the loss of their child, that question was answered in the second half of the two-hour season premiere. Kayce assures her that he "never saw this coming and this won't be the end of us."
"I'd have to choose the end of us and I would never choose that," Kayce says.
Despite — or maybe because of — the hardships they've endured, the couple has only grown stronger. Asbille says it all comes down to choice.
"They choose each other," Asbille says, when asked what she finds most inspiring about Monica and Kayce's relationship. "Despite everything, they choose each other every time."
Grimes agrees, adding that everything and everyone attempting to pull them apart has only strengthened Monica and Kayce's bond.
"It's against all odds," Grimes added. "There's nothing in their world that wants them to be together."
