WTF! Taylor Sheridan Broke The Duttons’ Yellowstone Family Tree In 1923’s Finale (Or Did He?)

Shockingly, Yellowstone screenwriter Taylor Sheridan broke the Dutton family tree in 1923’s finale, but there’s a slim chance that he will redeem it in the next prequel, 1944. Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton’s (Helen Mirren) war for the Yellowstone Ranch came to an eventful end in 1923 season 2. Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) finally made it home to Montana. He serendipitously met his wife, Alexandra of Sussex (Julia Schlaepfer), on the inbound train to Livingston, rescuing her from freezing on the side of the railroad tracks.

After arriving at the hospital in Bozeman, Alex Dutton gave birth to a son, whom she named John, while Spencer finished off the rest of Donald Whitfield’s (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton’s (Jerome Flynn) men. Spencer’s beloved opted to have their child rather than undergo a life-saving amputation of her legs and arm, which were necrotic due to her extended exposure to the unforgiving Montana cold. Alex’s death in 1923’s finale was a tragedy. However, Alex gave hope to the next generation by delivering John Dutton. Still, her son’s birth may have broken the family tree.

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

Jamie Dutton Introduces John Dutton As A Fifth-Generation Rancher

Generations play a big role in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe. Ranching is a family business, and the Yellowstone Ranch has been in John Dutton’s family for generations. Sheridan represents this by showing different generations of the Dutton family through time. His earliest Yellowstone prequel, 1883, witnesses the earliest Dutton family members making a northwest journey on the Oregon Trail from Texas to Montana. The saga shows the first and second generations of the family tree, and establishes Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prophecy in 1883, which says the family will turn over the ranch to the Native Americans in seven generations.

In Yellowstone season 5, when introducing his father as Montana’s next governor, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) reveals that John Dutton III is a fifth-generation rancher. Therefore, we can assume that John’s father, John Dutton II, who we meet in Yellowstone season 2, is a fourth-generation rancher. John’s fifth-generation status also means that his kids, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes), are the sixth generation of the family who have occupied Montana. This makes Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill) a seventh-generation Dutton. That adds up, with Kayce selling the Yellowstone Ranch to the Broken Rock Tribe after seven generations.

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

One of the biggest outstanding questions heading into 1923 season 2 was how John Dutton III and his father, John Dutton II (Dabney Coleman), related to the Duttons in 1883 and 1923. We knew from Yellowstone that John Dutton II and John Dutton III were fourth and fifth-generation ranchers, respectively. That said, we could presume that John Dutton III’s grandfather, whom he mentions in Yellowstone season 4, is a third-generation Dutton. However, now that Spencer and Alex’s baby is named John, many Yellowstone fans presume that Spencer is John Dutton III’s grandfather. Still, there’s a glaring issue with this conclusion.

While Alex indeed delivers a baby named John in 1923 season 2’s finale, it doesn’t make sense that Alex and Spencer’s baby is John Dutton II or that the couple are grandparents to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone character. That’s because Spencer, being John Dutton II’s father, would skip a generation. As the youngest child of first-generation Duttons, James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill), Spencer is a second-generation Dutton. Therefore, Spencer’s children are third-generation Duttons. That means that Spencer, as a second-generation Dutton, being father to John Dutton II, a fourth-generation Dutton, would break the family tree.

It could be that Taylor Sheridan, wanting to make 1923’s story flush with the rest of the Yellowstone universe, skipped a generation for convenience’s sake. John Dutton II appears very old in the flashback to his death in Yellowstone season 2, which we can approximate happened in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Therefore, it makes sense that John Dutton II was born in 1924, the year Spencer’s son was born. Spencer’s son is even named John Dutton. However, when scrutinizing the details, Yellowstone aficionados can’t subscribe to Spencer as John’s ancestor completely since it skips a 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

While 1923‘s finale hinted that Spencer and Alex’s baby is John Dutton II, with Alex naming her newborn baby John in the finale, no one has confirmed the development, not even the 1923 stars who play his alleged parents. Brandon Sklenar and Julia Shlaepfer addressed baby John Dutton’s relation to the rest of the Yellowstone family tree in an interview with USA Today. In the conversation, the Spencer and Alex actors were quick to withhold their judgments about their characters’ status as John Dutton II’s parents, heavily suggesting that anything was still possible:

Julia Schlaepfer: “The only person who could confirm that is Taylor Sheridan himself, out of his mouth.”

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

Schlaepfer and Sklenar don’t offer so much as a whisper to confirm that they are John Dutton II’s parents, which would make them the direct ancestors of Kevin Costner’s character. While a village of talented individuals works on Sheridan’s shows, he is the only writer, which adds perspective to Schlaepfer’s comments. The 1923 actor saying that only Taylor Sheridan can confirm John Dutton II’s parents means the screenwriter hasn’t disclosed the details only he knows. Therefore, it could be that the screenwriter intends to keep the development under wraps until 1944, potentially adding a twist to the next prequel.

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

Considering Taylor Sheridan has yet to confirm that Spencer and Alex are John Dutton III’s direct ancestors, there’s a possibility that Yellowstone‘s mastermind plans to make the Dutton family tree add up in 1944, and there’s one glaring possibility. For everything to make sense, Alex and Spencer’s baby from 1923’s finale can’t be John Dutton II. The child is a third-generation Dutton, so he couldn’t have fathered fifth-generation John Dutton III. However, Jack Dutton’s wife, Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph), is also pregnant in 1923 season 2, and her offspring could be the missing link to the Dutton family tree now.

Elizabeth Strafford could also name her baby John, after Jack’s father. That would make her baby John Dutton, too. If Liz’s baby were also named John, that would make him a fourth-generation John Dutton, since her husband, Jack, belonged to the third generation as John Dutton I’s (James Badge Dale) son. If Elizabeth’s baby was named John, that would click, with Elizabeth and Jack’s John being the fourth-generation Dutton who could have feasibly fathered Kevin Costner’s John without skipping a generation. Sklenar saying “John’s a popular name” is key, with Alex and Elizabeth both having strong ties to the moniker.

It could be that Elizabeth’s son, potentially John Dutton II, will emerge in 1944. Strafford’s child would be 20 years old in the prequel, the perfect age to take a lead role in one of Sheridan’s Yellowstone stories. Elizabeth Strafford’s 1923 ending is left somewhat open-ended, with 1923 viewers not having the slightest idea where Elizabeth is heading or whether she’s still carrying Jack’s baby. Therefore, Elizabeth’s baby emerging as the genuine father of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III would be a great twist in 1944, and it makes sense that Sheridan saved a bit of the mystery for later.