Season five of Yellowstone is hotting up now as the stakes get even higher. However, there was a departure of character who has been part of the show for a while now. Expresss.co.uk has the lowdown on Emmett Walsh’s (played by Buck Taylor) final episode.
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers from Yellowstone season 5
Why did Buck Taylor leave Yellowstone as Emmett Walsh?
Emmett sadly died in the latest episode of Yellowstone titled Cigarettes, Whiskey, a Meadow and You.
From the looks of it, the character’s exit was part of the story rather than a decision on the part of the actor.
The instalment focused on the Duttons going to round up their cattle on their land and bring their herd home.
While the Duttons enjoyed this moment, allowing them to return to their humble beginnings as ranchers, it was sadly curtains for Emmett.
Everyone woke the following morning but Emmett didn’t survive the night and couldn’t come home as the family brought home their herd.
After they'd learned of Emmett's passing, John noted: "He just died on the trail, like every cowboy dreams it."
Emmett's death was a metaphor for the death of the cowboy and ranching life, something which John is desperately trying to hold onto.
As they returned home with the cattle, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) was trying to make sure Emmett's widow didn't notice his absence until the right moment.
John broke the sad news in front of a camera crew, who were in attendance for the branding but instead documented Emmett's death and his wife's public reaction.
The death may not have been of a major character but Emmett has been part of the show since season one, appearing in the first-ever instalment.
Since then, the character has made sporadic appearances in the series across the various seasons as a close and old friend to John.
Speaking about the show, Rip Wheeler actor Cole Hauser said: “It’s been a pretty wild, cool ride from year one to now."
He added to The Wrap: “I feel like Taylor’s done a wonderful job with writing the different colors of the character and allowing the audience to see different levels of who he is as a person, and I think in season five it’s a continuation of that.”
Yellowstone season 5 airs on Paramount+ on Sundays
