A heck of a lot has happened over the course of “Yellowstone” thus far, and as fans wait for the concluding episodes of creator Taylor Sheridan’s popular series, they’ll likely also be looking back over the course of the series and recalling how things became so dire and desperate for many of its central characters.
Of course, fans will also be thinking about the characters who have died or left “Yellowstone” during its five-season run. While there have been plenty — the series isn’t shy about killing off central or supporting characters — one of the most notable was land developer Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston), a regular antagonist of the show’s first two seasons.
A businessman intent on turning John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) Yellowstone Ranch into a sprawling urban development, including a casino and hotel, Dan was at odds with John for much of his time on the show. However, that all came to an end when he was shot dead on his front porch in the Season 2 finale. Still sticking fervently to his guns even in death, his last words were, “I have every right to be here. This is America.”
Dan Jenkins was close to avoiding his death in the series
Though John, Kayce (Luke Grimes), and Rip (Cole Hauser) strung Dan Jenkins up as a warning at the tail end of “Yellowstone” Season 1, by the midpoint of Season 2, Dan had formed an alliance with John and Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) against the encroaching threat of Matthew (Neal McDonough) and Teal Beck (Terry Serpico). While Dan even went so far as to hire his own personal bodyguard as part of the rising conflict on “Yellowstone,” that wasn’t enough to save him in the end. The Beck Brothers sent three hitmen to kill Dan, and while the land developer was savvy enough to take out two of them, the third put him down for good.
With Jenkins in the ground, however, John and Chief Rainwater have been able to carve out a much more cordial relationship in the aftermath of the alliance that the three once held. In fact, Rainwater even guided Kayce through a vision quest ceremony when the Dutton child was struggling with finding his place in life.
As for Jenkins himself, in the wake of the villains that have followed him, the “Yellowstone” Season 1 antagonist seems downright quaint. Still, it was this very nature that marked Dan as a somewhat reasonable man who could be dealt with, unlike the villains that the Duttons themselves (and Rip) have had to take out since.