Summer has been on house arrest at the Dutton ranch(Image: (Image: PARAMOUNT ))

Yellowstone viewers slam John Dutton's 'creepy' behaviour as they hit out at Summer storyline

Yellowstone viewers have been left "creeped out" by John Dutton's behaviour in the show's latest season - and some of them don't believe it fits with his character.

by · The Mirror

Fans of Yellowstone have been voicing their opinions on John Dutton's actions this season, following the revelation of his exit in the first episode. This comes after Kevin Costner's departure from the Paramount Network show, which was announced earlier this year.

The head of the Dutton family was written out of Taylor Sheridan's neo-western drama in a shocking twist, with his death made to appear as a suicide. However, it seems he was actually murdered by an assassin hired by Jamie's (Wes Bentley) girlfriend Sarah (Dawn Olivieri).

While this plot twist has split viewers, some were also sidetracked by another storyline involving activist group leader Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo). The character was conspicuously missing during the Season 5, Part 2 premiere after her arrest at a protest in part 1.

In a surprising turn of events, when John became governor of Montana, he granted her clemency. But she wasn't completely off the hook, as she was placed under house arrest at the Dutton Ranch instead of being sent to prison.

John and Summer were romantically involved( Image: (Image: PARAMOUNT))

This decision allowed John and Summer to carry on their contentious romance, with Summer taking up a role as John's official environmental advisor during his governorship, reports the Express.

In the finale of Season 5, Part 1, Summer disclosed to John's daughter Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) that her brother Jamie was proceeding with impeaching John as governor.

In the latest episodes, there's a bit of a mystery surrounding how Summer will slot into the story now that John has been written out. Some viewers have taken a dim view of the eldest Dutton, blasting him for his "creepy" behaviour.

A Reddit user under the handle @rexeditrex didn't hold back, posting: "Just to be clear.... So John basically held Summer hostage for months and she was too stupid to realize it? Isn't that kidnapping? Kind of creepy to think that the Governor had a woman detained in his home for sex!" (sic)

Summer Higgins had a significant role to play in the first part of Yellowstone season 5( Image: (Image: PARAMOUNT))

Fans didn't shy from voicing their agreement in the comments, with one saying: "Yeah it's makes John look incredibly creepy." (sic)

Another energetically chimed in with: "Yes, this! The governor held her hostage under the guise of A) following the law and B) helping her out and then screwed her!" (sic)

Debating the choice of words, someone else wrote: "Not sure if hostage is the correct word since no one was being asked to pay her ransom. More like his prisoner." While another bluntly added: "John is an ***hole, is this somehow news to you". (sic)

On another note, some fans were less focused on the storyline itself and more critical of the show's writing, calling it "lazy". One viewer felt strongly about it, arguing: "I think it's just lazy, reverse-engineered writing to put a bow on a dead end story arc because of KC's unexpected exit from the show. They surely could have come up with something better. Hell, not addressing it at all would have been better." (sic)

One viewer chimed in with a critique, saying: "Definitely lazy writing. Summer was not written as a stupid character. A not-stupid person, when given some sort of clemency/released from prison, would look at the paperwork she was handed upon release." (sic)

Another fan concurred, expressing: "It doesn't seem like something John would do in my opinion so I don't think the writing fits."

Yellowstone airs Sunday nights on Paramount Network, with UK audiences able to stream it the following day on Paramount Plus.