1923’s Duttons Would Be Ashamed of Yellowstone’s John Dutton 

This article contains spoilers for 1883, 1923 seasons 1-2 and Yellowstone.

Throughout the second season of Yellowstone prequel 1923, audiences have witnessed how hard it was for Dutton family to survive year after year. The Montana winters were especially difficult, as creator Taylor Sheridan and his team have highlighted in this sophomore season, and it is a reminder of how far the Duttons have come.

The Duttons of today are a much different animal. They would like to think they’re the same underdog merely fighting for survival, but that’s not the case. In fact, it can be easily argued that John Dutton (Kevin Costner) has forged the modern Duttons of Yellowstone into the same monsters his family once fought. Here’s how.

Family Used to Come First For the Duttons

It went strangely under the radar for Yellowstone’s five-season run just how awful a father John Dutton was. Plenty of fans will argue that he did, in fact, love his children, but his actions shouted a different story.

John Dutton III learned from his father John Dutton II (Dabney Coleman), who learned from all the J Duttons that came before him that the only real love was tough love. Audiences have witnessed this family’s stance on raising children since first prequel 1883 was released. It gave a glimpse into the lives of the first family of Montana generations ago – while they traversed the untamed terrain of America to eventually land in Big Sky Country. It was a harrowing time for the Duttons, and the original patriarch, James (Tim McGraw), had to remind his children of the harsh realities of the world and the dangers that surrounded them at all times. 

Yet, both James and his brother Jacob (played in his elder years by Harrison Ford in 1923) had a tenderness to them. In fact, while some of the lessons James or Jacob have to teach the next generation is a dose of reality, it is rarely delivered in a cold manner, and often with warm intentions. Fans have to look no further to the beautiful bond between James and his daughter Elsa (Isabel May). The love James had for his daughter was unquestionable, which led to one of the most heart-wrenching endings Sheridan has ever written. 

But John Dutton in this modern America apparently never taught that lesson to his kids. The inner fighting between siblings was a story thread for all five seasons, which even led to one sibling, Beth (Kelly Reilly), killing her adopted brother, Jamie (Wes Bentley). Some fans might pick up on the fact that John, if he were alive, might actually lament the loss of his surrogate son, but the coldness and indifference he showed Jamie was often highlighted in the show.

In fact, Jamie was not the only one who suffered abuse by John’s hand. Kayce (Luke Grimes) was the only individual of Dutton blood to ever be branded with the infamous ‘Y’ insignia of the ranch. This was done because Kayce was apparently too wild, according to John’s decree, and felt that he needed to be reminded of who Kayce belonged to. This didn’t seem like the same kind of harsh lesson that James or Jacob would teach their kids about the real world and family. This seemed unnecessary, and in fact, caused a rift between John and Kayce for years. Granted, there were times that John certainly stepped up to protect and love his grandson, Tate (Brecken Merrill), but John never really seemed all that close with anyone else in his family, and usually kept everyone else at a distance. 

Survival vs. Affluence 

John Dutton III (Costner) was born in 1955, and during his time the Duttons became one of the largest landowners in the entire United States. That’s a far cry from living month-to-month, not having any food, and literally being hunted by both man and mountain lion. That is the reality the Duttons of 1923 had to endure. 

John became everything his family fought against – namely, an aristocrat. You can dress it up in a cowboy hat and boots all you want, but John is exactly the kind of man his ancestors hated. Take for instance Timothy Dalton’s Donald Whitfield. Whitfield is a man of certain means who then tries to use his wealth to spread his influence across as much of the state as he can. Audiences have seen several iterations of this type of person, and often the Duttons are right there fighting them. Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) tried to bully the Duttons. The Beck brothers (Neal McDonough and Terry Serpico) took it one step further, even attacking the one family member that John holds dear. Then there were giant conglomerates like Market Equities and Roarke Morris who failed to take the family down. 

Ultimately, what’s the difference between those villainous power hungry millionaires and the patriarch of the Dutton family? This writer would argue, almost nothing. The flagship series would often have you believe that John’s intentions are so much purer, that he maintains the land and preserves it, and to an extent that’s true. He’s not trying to develop an airport or a casino, but to the Everyman, he is still a massive landowner, taking way more than he can manage, and perhaps more than he deserves. 

Recall the very first season of Yellowstone, when a group of blissfully-ignorant tourists are trespassing on Dutton land. An elderly man tells John, “It’s wrong for one man to own all this,” to which John replies, “This is America. We don’t share land.” This is exactly the kind of elitist rhetoric that John’s own great uncle fought against when Whitfield went to take the original Yellowstone ranch by whatever means necessary. How quickly John has forgotten who his family fought against. 

A Man of the Law, But Above the Law 

For generations, the power that the Duttons held was limited to the sheer willpower to survive. The hardships the family suffered in 1883 and 1923 make the modern Duttons seem like sheltered toddlers, even though they too might have to fight for literal survival. Yet John – regardless if he would admit it, and much like his land – grabbed more power than he needed. His great uncle Jacob was a livestock commissioner, and therefore had a similar power to enforce the laws, but this was just a drop in the bucket with John.

From day one, he had a plan for his children (biological or other). The ill-fated Lee Dutton (Dave Annable), who died at the start of the series, was always meant to take John’s place as commissioner, maintaining that level of control. He made sure Jamie (Wes Bentley) became a lawyer, and eventually put him in politics. He ensured Beth became the most fearsome businesswoman this side of the Bitterroot mountains. He positioned his children into positions of power, rather than simply being ranchers or cowboys. He wanted to use them to ensure he could do what the family needs in order to thrive. That meant that at times, circumventing the law his children knew so well was often the option. 

Some might argue that John never wanted power, as he often shied away from becoming governor – until he actually became governor. John was always well connected (again, much like Whitfield) and in those early seasons, he certainly looked like he enjoyed being a well connected, well respected man of the community. More importantly, John was never afraid to use his connections to lean on someone or strike the fear of God into them to get what he wants – a play right out of Whitfield’s book. 

If the law cannot be on their side, then it was time for cowboy justice, which has always been one of the most popular aspects of the show. Yet in recent 1923 episodes, it has been revealed that the Dutton’s beloved “train station” – where problems can disappear – is yet another one of Whitfield’s tricks, as Whitfield was the one who discovered and used the train station long before the Duttons. 

It seems John Dutton’s favorite read by the fire might, in fact, be Whitfield’s playbook. 

1923 season 2 debuts new episodes every Sunday on Paramount+ with the finale premiering April 6.

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