Yellowstone‘s spinoff Marshals killed off Kelsey Asbille‘s character Monica, but what was causing her onscreen death?
The Sunday, March 1, episode of Luke Grimes‘ recent CBS show revealed that Kayce Dutton’s wife previously died after she got cancer because of this of poisons dumped onto the Broken Rock reservation. Amid a robust response from Yellowstone fans in regards to the offscreen death, Grimes, 42, and Marshals showrunner Spencer Hudnut addressed the narrative decision.
“The best way that Yellowstone ended for Kayce was literally he rode off into the sunset,” Grimes told Entertainment Weekly after the series premiere. “Obviously, we are able to’t just watch this guy have his dream life. There’s no drama.”
Grimes defended the choice to shake up Kayce’s world.
“Something’s gonna must occur that gets in the best way of him having that,” he continued. “Otherwise, why is he gonna take a badge? The last time we saw him, he was throwing a badge in a field. Is he gonna go pick it up?”
Hudnut, meanwhile, argued that Monica’s death would allow them to deal with issues happening in real life, adding, “It was vital to attempt to honor that character. And likewise to make use of her passing as a strategy to shine a highlight on an actual issue that reservations are facing.”
He continued: “She passed, which is why [her son] Tate desired to go to the rally, which is why Kayce goes to the rally. And so she really is guiding his journey. Her presence and spirit will remain throughout this series. She’s such an enormous a part of who Kayce Dutton is that she can be with him along the best way.”
In a separate interview, Hudnut explained why Monica was the one chosen to die.
“Kayce had such an ideal ending in Yellowstone,” he explained to TV Line. “His dreams had finally come true. As we were attempting to determine methods to tell the following chapter in Kayce’s story, it felt like he really needed to be shaken out of that. Unfortunately, tragedy tends to search out Kayce, so something bad was going to occur for him come what may. It just kind of played out that it was going to be Monica.”
Hudnut stood by the fictional death despite possible backlash.
“To me, Monica is absolutely guiding Kayce through this primary episode, attempting to help him find his recent path,” he said. “And if you happen to actually break it down, Tate is at that rally to honor his mother, and Kayce goes there to guard Tate. So if not for Monica, Kayce never would have been in that position and should not have found this path.”
Yellowstone‘s spinoff Marshals hinted at Monica’s shocking death — but what signs were pointing to Kelsey Asbille‘s absence? The hit Paramount Network series introduced Us to Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Monica (Asbille), who remained at the middle of the show. After initially being a teacher at an area school on the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, […]
Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, which aired from 2018 to 2024, introduced Us to Kayce and Monica, who remained at the middle of the show until the finale. After working with Asbille, 34, for a few years, Grimes revealed how he broke the news of her character’s death.
“I used to be heartbroken for myself and for [Kelsey]. It felt like, ‘I don’t even know what that might appear like doing it without her, what that might feel like.’ Kelsey’s grow to be certainly one of my best friends,” he told TVLine. “She’s the good actor I’ve ever worked with. She’s all the way down to earth, sweet and type to each other actor and the crew.”
The actor personally told his former onscreen love interest about Monica’s fate.
“I worked up the courage to call. I didn’t know the way she was going to feel about it. I needed to see how she was doing. We had an important conversation,” he concluded. “In true Kelsey fashion, she handled it like a professional and totally understood. She’s going to do exactly positive. She is so talented, gorgeous and awesome. She’s going to work. That’s not a problem.”
Marshals airs on CBS Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.