Marshals season 2 has premiered on CBS with a gut punch: the death of Dolly (Ellyn Jameson), who had been set up as a possible new love interest for Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton. Dolly dies in a car accident caused by her father, the villainous Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey), who was trying to flee after a botched kidnapping attempt involving Kayce's young son, Tate (Brecken Merrill). Tom pleads with Kayce to kill him, but Kayce instead tells him his punishment will be living with the knowledge that he caused his own daughter's death.
The shocking reset has reignited questions about whether Monica Long Dutton, Kayce's late wife, might ever resurface in some form on the show. Monica, played by Kelsey Asbille, died of cancer before the Marshals spinoff even began — a plot development that has reportedly been linked at least partly to legal reasons meant to separate Marshals from being seen as a direct continuation of Yellowstone.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Grimes — who stars as Kayce and also serves as an executive producer on Marshals — was asked directly whether audiences might see Monica return through flashbacks or dream sequences. He didn't close the door entirely, but made clear it isn't something that's been settled.
"I would love it, personally," Grimes said. "Her and I haven't really spoken about it. I don't know if she would be open to it. Those things are so personal and strange. She feels sort of done with that chapter in her life. But I would certainly love to have her around again, I think it'd be really fun. But I don't know if it's in the plan or not."
Grimes also said in the same interview that he misses working alongside Asbille, adding that her absence from the project was part of what made him hesitant about returning to play Kayce once Yellowstone ended.
With Monica gone, Kayce is now raising Tate as a single father. Early in season 2, Tate wastes no time reminding his dad that he'll soon turn 18 — a milestone that could set up future friction, especially if Tate starts pushing for more independence and distance from the dangers that have followed the family. That shift could eventually put pressure on Kayce to let someone new into his life, a prospect that may be a hard sell for fans given how beloved the Monica and Kayce relationship was. For now, though, Marshals doesn't appear ready to take that step.
Photo: GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
