Note: The following story contains spoilers from Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 9.

“Yellowstone” is finally back. And with that comes a new mystery: How, exactly, did Taylor Sheridan’s juggernaut (the most popular show on television) write off its biggest star?

If you’ve been following since the last episode of “Yellowstone” aired on January 1, 2023), you know that Kevin Costner, who played patriarch John Dutton on the series, was at odds with Sheridan. This was due to the time the series demanded from Costner, who was trying to launch his own franchise with the “Horizon” films. (Two were filmed; one was actually released theatrically. He’s still hoping to find financing for parts two and three.) When the two reached an impasse, it was announced that Costner had left the series. He said his job was in movies anyway.

With Costner very much alive in the final set of episodes, which we’ll call 5A, and the first marketing materials featuring the star, you may be wondering: How exactly is “Yellowstone” handling his departure? Well, we are ready to tell you.

Did “Yellowstone” kill John Dutton?

Yes.

Is he really dead? No funny business? No return from beyond the veil?

No.

How did they kill him?

In the episode’s cold open, John’s body is discovered. It’s a bloody scene, viscera splattered on the walls, all that. You don’t see Costner’s face, but you see it’s John. And it’s quickly reported that “Montana’s 26th Governor” (remember John was elected governor in 5A) is no more. He dies at the governor’s mansion, not the Dutton ranch. Enough horrible things have happened there.

But did they say what happened to him?

Even before the cold is over, two narratives emerge: The official story is that John committed suicide. Of course, Beth (Kelly Reilly) thinks Jamie (Wes Bentley) set it all up. It’s easy to see why, the two were at odds and towards the end of 5A it looked like he was going to take the next step and leave his father. Sweet and confident Kayce (Luke Grimes) doesn’t know what to believe. He’s still trying to keep the peace, and he’s torn. Beth urges Rip (Cole Hauser), who is at Ranch 6666 in Texas, to return. And yes, we briefly see our favorite Jimmy (Jefferson White), still waiting for that spin-off announced years ago. Anyway…

Did Jamie really order his father killed?

No. Instead, it was evil, sexy Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) who ordered the hit. She meets Jamie and says, “Isn’t this what you wanted?” And he said, “No.” And starts to cry. She tells him that lions don’t die of old age, they die in the mouths of young lions.

What’s next?

Beth and Kayce are back at Dutton Ranch. None of them believe John killed himself. And while Beth insists that Jamie had something to do with it, she also recognizes that he can’t do anything on his own. They decide they need to go look Jamie in the eye to decide if he had anything to do with John’s murder or if he was just an innocent.

Then, Beth says, they can decide how to kill Jamie. Rip then joins them. End of episode. Things will become ugly.

“Yellowstone airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Paramount Network.