Warning! This Article Contains SPOILERS For Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 14, “Life Is A Promise”
There’s a mystery surrounding Kevin Costner’s John Dutton character from the Yellowstone series premiere that 1923 season 2 can finally solve. John’s son, Lee Dutton (Dave Annable), dies in the opening episode of Yellowstone, and a service is held for John’s eldest son before the episode ends. Despite audiences getting a glimmer of a secret John Dutton mystery in the premiere, Yellowstone never followed up on that, leaving a significant loose end within Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western flagship despite its meaningful end.
The Yellowstone flagship series brought all its most important stories to a close in Yellowstone season 5, episode 14, “Life Is A Promise.” Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) sold the family’s land to the Broken Rock Tribe, returning it to its Indigenous stewards. He settled down with his family at East Camp after the conclusion of what happened to the Dutton Ranch at the end of Yellowstone. Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) moved on, too, after bidding farewell to John. Still, the Yellowstone season 5 finale didn’t touch this mystery, leaving it for 1923 instead.
John Dutton III’s Chance & Ned Dutton Mystery From The Yellowstone Series Premiere Explained
Yellowstone Secretly Introduces Chance And Ned Dutton In The Premiere
In the Yellowstone series premiere, the franchise opens up a mystery surrounding Costner’s John Dutton III that it never solves. After Lee Dutton is shot by Monica’s (Kelsey Asbille) brother, Robert Long (Jeremiah Bitsui), the family holds a ceremony for John’s eldest son at the family’s graveyard on the property, which is the final resting place of every other Dutton family member. John momentarily closes his eyes during the ceremony and transcends the surrounding scene. When he does this, he remembers something, and the graves of Chance and Ned Dutton briefly appear on the screen.
Strangely enough, Yellowstone never explains who Chance and Ned Dutton are, nor does 1883. Therefore, 1923 season 2 is the Yellowstone installment most likely to fill audiences in about Chance and Ned’s identity. Still, looking back on every season of Yellowstone, it seems odd that the flagship series established such an apparent mystery so early in its run and never teased another development. As such, Sheridan is likely saving the reveal for outside the flagship, probably since the primary Yellowstone characters exist over a century after their predecessors.
Everything We Know About Chance & Ned Dutton From Yellowstone
The Family Members Predate The Yellowstone Ranch
Despite the mystery’s lifespan in the flagship series being mere seconds, we can reduce a few things about Chance and Ned Dutton. Most important, the date on Ned Dutton’s tombstone reads March 16, 1863. The most significant thing to note about this clue is that the year, perhaps a birth year, predates James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton’s (Faith Hill) journey on the Oregon Trail and their settling in Montana. Beyond that, there are a few reasons to believe that Chance and Ned aren’t children of the 1883 characters.
1863 is 20 years before the family settled in Paradise Valley, Montana, establishing Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prophecy in 1883. Moreover, in 1863, James Dutton was in a Union War prison after his service in the Civil War, living away from his family. As such, it isn’t possible that Ned and Chance were James and Margaret’s birth children. We know from the graves that Chance and Ned probably died around the same time since their tombstones are approximately the same size and age. Additionally, we know John Dutton associates the pair.
How 1923 Season 2 Can Finally End John Dutton III’s Story Properly
What 1923 Season 2 Can Explain His Connection
1923 could be the last Yellowstone series with actual proximity to Chance and Ned Dutton unless the creator decides to make a series that predates 1883. As it stands now, 1923 season 2 is the last time the franchise can explain Chance and Ned’s identity when the characters are close to the mystery family members in the timeline, allowing the story to have real emotional stakes for the Dutton family members it affects. Another reason that 1923 is the perfect installment to reveal Chance and Ned Dutton’s identities is because their stories could lead back to the series’ main characters.
There’s a real possibility that Chance and Ned Dutton are Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton’s (Helen Mirren) children. From 1923 season 1, we know that Jacob and Cara Dutton don’t have children, opting to raise John (James Badge Dale) and Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) as their boys. It could be that Jacob and Cara erected the monument to fallen children after arriving in Paradise Valley, taking the opportunity to memorialize their kin properly. Still, 1923 can confirm Chance and Ned’s identity and explain why the pair meant so much to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone icon.
