Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) is a core member of the Dutton family in “Yellowstone” as the wife of renegade son Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). Starting in Season 1 and continuing throughout the show’s run, Monica falls victim to life-threatening incidents with some regularity. Fortunately for fans of Asbille’s work on the hit Western TV series, her character has survived these dangerous situations so far.
First, in Season 1, Episode 6, Monica notices a fight outside of her son Tate’s (Brecken Merrill) school. She helps break it up but suffers a blow to the head. In the following episode, a doctor diagnoses her with a brain condition called epidural hematoma. While her survival isn’t a sure thing, she pulls through.
Later on, the Season 4 premiere opens in the immediate aftermath of a coordinated attack on many of the principal members of the Dutton family. In this episode, a masked assailant attacks Monica and Tate as well, but Tate shoots the attacker, securing his and Monica’s survival. Although a severe brain injury and a home invasion might seem like enough for one person to endure in a lifetime, these do not, however, mark the end of Monica’s ongoing brushes with death.
Monica surviving a car crash in Season 5 leaves a traumatic impact on her life
Monica Dutton once again ends up in a life-threatening situation in “Yellowstone” Season 5, Episode 1. By this point, she’s been pregnant for months. After feeling acute pain resulting from her pregnancy, she and Tate consult with Kayce and decide she would benefit from an emergency hospital visit. On the way there, Monica is distracted by her medical condition and can’t avoid a buffalo on the road. She and the driver of another car end up in a crash with the buffalo. Monica goes into labor, but her baby son doesn’t survive the damage sustained in this incident.
This major loss affects Monica and the rest of the Dutton family as the season progresses. Notably, after watching Season 5, Episode 4, “Yellowstone” fans felt emotional about a tender moment between Monica and John Dutton (Kevin Costner), in which he assures her that her baby lived what he would consider a perfect life.
So, while Monica survives three serious incidents, her car crash in Season 5 has the most significant impact on her, permanently coloring her character as “Yellowstone” approaches its endgame.