Did Taylor Sheridan Just Rewrite the Yellowstone Family Tree in 1923?

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Warning: SPOILERS for 1923 Season 2’s Finale – “A Dream and a Memory”

remarkably, screenwriter Taylor Sheridan fractured the Dutton family lineage in the finale of “1923”, leaving a small possibility that he may mend it in the upcoming prequel, “1944”. The struggle between Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) over the Yellowstone Ranch reached its climax in season 2 of “1923”. Lastly, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) returned to Montana after a long journey. Fatefully, he encountered his wife, Alexandra of Sussex (Julia Schlaepfer), on the train heading towards Livingston, saving her from the cold on the railway tracks.

Following her arrival at the Bozeman hospital, Alex Dutton welcomed a baby boy she named John. Meanwhile, Spencer completed eliminating Donald Whitfield’s (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton’s (Jerome Flynn) group as Alex’s partner chose to deliver their child instead of undergoing an amputation of her necrotic limbs, affected by the harsh Montana winter. The unfortunate death of Alex Dutton in the finale of 1923 was heartbreaking. Nevertheless, Alex’s act of giving birth to John brought hope for the future generation, yet it may have created a fracture within the family lineage.

John Dutton III’s Status As A Fifth-Generation Dutton in Yellowstone Explained

Jamie Dutton Introduces John Dutton As A Fifth-Generation Rancher

The influence of different generations is significant in the world created by Taylor Sheridan’s series, Yellowstone. The Yellowstone Ranch has been a familial concern for many generations and belongs to John Dutton. To depict this continuity across time, Sheridan introduces various generations of the Dutton family throughout the storyline. His first prequel to Yellowstone, 1883, follows the initial Dutton ancestors on their westward trek along the Oregon Trail from Texas to Montana. This epic tale unfolds the roots and early branches of the family tree, laying the groundwork for Taylor Sheridan’s prophecy in 1883, suggesting that the ranch will be passed to Native Americans after seven generations.

In the fifth season of “Yellowstone,” Jamie Dutton (played by Wes Bentley) introduces his father, John Dutton III, as Montana’s incoming governor. This implies that John Dutton III is a fifth-generation rancher in the Dutton family. Since we first meet John Dutton II in season 2 of “Yellowstone,” it follows that he was a fourth-generation rancher. The fifth generation includes John’s children, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes), making them the sixth generation to have lived and worked on Montana’s ranches. Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill) is thus a seventh-generation member of the Dutton family, assuming this pattern continues. With Kayce selling the Yellowstone Ranch to the Broken Rock Tribe after seven generations, this timeline seems accurate.

How Spencer As John Dutton III’s Grandfather Breaks Taylor Sheridan’s Story

1923’s Spencer Dutton Logistically Cannot Be John Dutton II’s Father

A major curiosity leading up to the second season of 1923 was the dynamic between John Dutton III and his father, John Dutton II (played by Dabney Coleman), regarding their connections to the Dutton family in 1883 and earlier periods, as depicted in 1923. We knew from Yellowstone that John Dutton II and John Dutton III were fourth and fifth-generation ranchers, respectively. This suggested that John Dutton III’s grandfather, whom he references in Yellowstone season 4, could be a third-generation Dutton. However, the recent birth of Spencer and Alex’s child named John has led many Yellowstone fans to assume that Spencer is John Dutton III’s grandfather. Yet, there’s a significant contradiction with this hypothesis.

In the final episode of season 2 of 1923, it’s true that Alex delivers a baby named John, but it doesn’t follow logically that this baby is John Dutton II or that Alex and Spencer are Kevin Costner’s character’s grandparents on the show Yellowstone. This is because Spencer, as the son of first-generation Duttons, James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill), belongs to the second generation of the Dutton family. Consequently, Spencer’s children are part of the third generation of Duttons. If Spencer were the father of John Dutton II, who is a fourth-generation Dutton, it would disrupt the family tree lineage.

As a dedicated Yellowstone enthusiast, I find myself intrigued by Taylor Sheridan’s decision to leapfrog a generation in the making of 1923, seamlessly integrating its narrative with the existing Yellowstone universe. In the flashback scene of John Dutton II’s demise in season 2 of Yellowstone, we can estimate that this event occurred around the late 1990s or early 2000s, given his advanced age. This implies that John Dutton II was likely born in 1924, the same year Spencer’s son was brought into the world. Interestingly, Spencer’s son shares John Dutton as a name. Yet, upon closer inspection, die-hard Yellowstone fans might find it challenging to fully accept Spencer as John’s direct ancestor due to the skipped generation.

Taylor Sheridan & 1923’s Cast Have Not Confirmed Alex & Spencer’s Baby Is John Dutton

Spencer And Alex’s Status As John Dutton II’s Parents Is Inconclusive

The final episode of 1923 seemed to imply that Spencer and Alex’s child could be John Dutton II, given that Alex named her newborn John. However, neither the actors portraying his potential parents in 1923 nor any official sources have confirmed this development. In an interview with USA Today, Brandon Sklenar and Julia Shlaepfer, who play Spencer and Alex respectively, were cautious about their characters’ role as John Dutton II’s parents, leaving room for uncertainty about the family connections within the Yellowstone universe.

Julia Schlaepfer: “Only Taylor Sheridan can verify this, directly from him.

Brandon Sklenar: “John’s a popular name.”

As a passionate cinephile, I’ve noticed that neither Schlaepfer nor Sklenar have provided even a hint about being John Dutton II’s parents, which could make them my character Kevin Costner’s ancestors in the world of “1923.” Although there’s a thriving community of talented creatives working on Sheridan’s shows, he stands alone as the writer. This lends credence to Schlaepfer’s remarks that only Taylor Sheridan can confirm John Dutton II’s parents. Essentially, this suggests that the screenwriter has kept these details under wraps, and it might be his plan to unveil them in 1944, potentially introducing an intriguing twist to the next prequel series.

How Taylor Sheridan Could Preserve Existing Yellowstone Lore And 1923’s Ending In 1944

Elizabeth Strafford Could Be The Genuine Mother Of John Dutton II

In the storyline of Yellowstone, since Taylor Sheridan hasn’t confirmed that Spencer and Alex are John Dutton III’s direct ancestors yet, there’s a strong possibility that the show’s creator is planning to establish a coherent Dutton family tree in 1944. Here’s an intriguing speculation: If the baby from the finale of 1923 isn’t John Dutton II, then it might not make sense for the child to be John Dutton III’s father because he would be a third-generation Dutton and his son would be a fifth-generation. However, an interesting alternative could be that Jack Dutton’s wife, Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph), who is pregnant in 1923 season 2, might turn out to be the missing link in the Dutton family tree.

If Elizabeth chooses to call her baby John, it would be fitting, as this would make their son, John Dutton, the fourth generation of the Dutton line. Since Jack is part of the third generation (John Dutton I’s son, played by James Badge Dale), this would mean that if their son were named John, he could potentially have fathered Kevin Costner’s John without missing a generation. Sklenar noting that “John’s a popular name” highlights the significance of this name in both Elizabeth and Jack’s lives.

It’s possible that Elizabeth’s son, who might be John Dutton II, could make his appearance in 1944. In the prequel, Strafford’s son would have turned 20 years old, an ideal age to play a significant role in one of Sheridan’s Yellowstone stories. The finale of Elizabeth Strafford’s series, 1923, ends somewhat mysteriously, leaving viewers unsure about Elizabeth’s future or if she is still pregnant with Jack’s child. If this child were to grow up and reveal himself as the real father of John Dutton III, played by Kevin Costner, it would be an intriguing twist in 1944. It seems that Sheridan intentionally left a bit of the mystery for later.

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2025-04-27 13:10