Discovering Monica’s doomed fate in Marshals’ first episode wasn’t exactly the revelation to end all revelations. Theories about her death abound after the first trailer was released, and the lack of Kelsey Asbille’s presence in future trailers indicated pretty heavily that her character would not be involved, at least not in a living and breathing capacity. Still, I can appreciate that the premiere fully addressed the issue rather than trying to sidestep it until a point when audiences forgot she existed.
It’s heavily implied within the Season 1 narrative that Monica is one of many tribe members who succumbed to cancer caused by tainted reservation land and water. (At least allegedly.) But given that Yellowstone’s series finale wrapped Kayce’s story up in such a seemingly closed-ended way, it’s curious that Luke Grimes’ character was the one given the plot focus here. Co-creator and showrunner Spencer Hudnut told The Hollywood Reporter that one of the biggest hurdles in breaking this show’s story involved giving Kayce a big enough hook to justify the spinoff’s spotlight.
That hook ended up being Monica’s absence, though Hudnut shared that this outcome was a result of BTS scheduling, and not an intentional cast culling. As the showrunner put it:
Article continues belowThe original conversation was that it has to be something. There was the thought of, 'Maybe we find him and he’s just bored because he was protecting his family and was a Navy SEAL, so then actually a calm life is not for him, which is a path.’ But probably not a satisfying enough path for Kayce. Then, truthfully, as we were trying to figure it out, Monica was not one of the ingredients that was available to me.
Once it became clear during the writing process that the creative team wouldn't be scripting stories for Kayce and Monica as a couple, that character void became the very foundational crisis point that Hudnut was seeking out for Grimes' character. He continued:
It wasn’t like Luke and I were sitting there saying, 'We should kill Monica.' It was more like, 'If she’s not available for this, then what’s the best way to move on from that character in the least exploitive way?'
Stating the he wasn't involved in any conversations about Asbille's return, or lack thereof, Hudnut was asked about how he and others arrived at the specifics of her death, and how much it may be further explored as the season continues. In his eyes, what plays out in Marshals was the less predictable path for the vengeful character, as opposed to crafting a remixed version of Yellowstone's final season where Kayce goes on the warpath trying to garner justice over her passing. Per the showrunner:
It was important to me to honor her death and give it a little more meaning. Of course there’s the version where you really exploit it and she’s just been killed, and he needs the [Marshals] badge to get vengeance for her. But Kayce Dutton doesn’t need a badge to go out and do something like that. It felt like he would be coming in at a different temperature than we wanted.
Truths all over that one. If Kayce's lone mission was in taking out those responsible for his wife's death, he would probably take an active approach to avoiding joining any government factions. Easier to stave off authorities when they're not your coworkers.
As far as how Monica's death will continue to affect things, Hudnut shared that Kayce and Tate are working at different speeds when it comes to accepting their grief. As he put it:
I think Kayce is a little bit behind his son in terms of accepting the loss of Monica, and really embracing his grief. We will revisit that period a little bit and also really explore in the first half of the season Kayce’s journey of trying to let go and really accept that she’s gone.
For her part, Kelsey Asbille seemingly hasn't spoken out publicly about Marshals or her absense from it. She did share a post on Instagram recently that serves as only her second since Yellowstone wrapped.
Marshals premiere made multiple references to John Dutton, and the show also namedropped Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler, so it's clear Spencer Hudnut wasn't advised by Taylor Sheridan to avoid any connective tissue between the shows. Whether we'll ever see Hauser and Kelly Reilly on the CBS drama is another issue entirely, as is the prospect of having Asbille return via flashback.
Marshals airs on CBS every Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET, with new eps streaming the next day via Paramount+ subscription.
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