EXCLUSIVE: LUKE GRIMES UNPACKS KAYCE AND JOHN DUTTON PARALLELS WITH TATE IN ‘MARSHALS’ SEASON 2
In Season 2 of CBS’s procedural Marshals, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) navigates residual reverence and simmering resentment toward his late father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), while fighting to shield his near-adult son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), from generational violence. Speaking exclusively to TV Insider, Grimes delved into Kayce’s complex psychological landscape.
Graveside Contrasts and Paternal Conflicts
Visiting John Dutton’s grave in Episode 2, Tate speaks of his late grandfather with unfiltered fondness—a sentiment Kayce cannot genuinely share. Terrified that Tate will inherit his violent path, Kayce remains deeply conflicted.
Grimes explained to TV Insider:
“A big part of Kayce’s arc in Season 2 is this father-son relationship dynamic with his own father and dealing with that, dealing with the fact that Tate’s about to turn 18… There’s a lot of butting heads with those two, kind of how you saw with Kayce and John.”
Grimes identified this central struggle as “what kind of father he wants to be versus the father that he had,” compounded by unresolved guilt: “There’s also a bit of the fact that he never totally avenged his father’s death. So, there’s some of that to play with this season.”
Combat Trauma and the Burden of Moral Goodness
Reflecting on Kayce’s relentless self-reproach, Grimes pointed to his military combat history and lingering trauma:
“Kayce’s pretty hard on himself. With the massive PTSD that he deals with, and a lot of the regret for the things he had to do overseas and at war, I think he’s a guy who, because he wants to be a good person and feels like he’s been born into a family where that might be impossible, he’s always been hard on himself. I would love to see him find some sort of peace, but it’s just part of the drama of our show.”