Marshals Episode 1's Monica Dutton Twist Has Yellowstone Fans United

Contains Spoilers for "Marshals" Season 1 Episode 1 — "Piya Wiconi"

Unfortunately for CBS, a good chunk of "Yellowstone" devotees who tuned in to sample the new drama "Marshals" didn't like what they saw — nor what it says about Kayce Dutton's (Luke Grimes) future. But among their issues, fans were united on one thing: They all think Monica Dutton's (Kelsey Asbille) death was unnecessary. 

The decision to kill off Monica in the first episode of "Marshals" was bound to be controversial. Many fans thought the young mother's death was too tragic, especially in light of what Kayce has dealt with before. "He's lost his mom, dad, oldest brother, adopted brother, his second-born child, and now his wife. That's a bit much," remarked u/MerelyWhelmed1 on the "Yellowstone" subreddit. 

Others noted that it completely ruined how the end of his storyline played out on the mothership program. "Killing Monica is such sloppy writing and really changes how I feel about the end of Yellowstone for Kayce. So much of how that show ended is really meaningless with Monica dying shortly after," declared u/Disastrous-Fruit8037. But Monica's death wasn't the only problem old viewers had with the new plotlines "Marshals" offered.

Despite its ambitions, a good number of fans felt that "Marshals" was far too much like every other CBS drama in existence instead of something unique. "It's not good. Like a generic network show with Luke Grimes shoehorned into it. Can tell Taylor Sheridan had minimal involvement," remarked a Reddit user.

The fact that Sheridan isn't as involved in "Marshals" as he is with his other shows in the "Yellowstone" universe — here only acting as the show's executive producer instead of writing or showrunning – remains a disquieting factor for many viewers. Still, some blamed Luke Grimes' acting for their malaise. "Kayce was the weakest character and Luke Grimes the weakest actor; he had the least charisma of all the leads on Yellowstone. Why they thought he could headline his own show really beggars belief," said u/IceStorm22. 

For many, this first dose of Kayce's future proved to be the only thing a show about the Dutton clan shouldn't be – boring. "I really tried to like it. But I litterally fell asleep twice," remarked u/jlive9. Kayce's future looks like it'll be anything but sedate, yet with Monica gone — and the action turned way up — audiences just might reject this sojourn into Kayce's new life.