Despite nearing its conclusion, 1923 season 2 still has time to solve four Dutton family mysteries that Yellowstone left unsolved. Neo-Western screenwriter Taylor Sheridan wrapped up his flagship Yellowstone series in December 2024. Still, key mysteries teased in the original series went unresolved, leaving them for Sheridan’s many Yellowstone spinoffs to solve. In particular, 1923 is expected to piece together some of Sheridan’s lingering plotlines, with key members of the Dutton family tree ripe for explaining certain Yellowstone characters and plot points we don’t yet understand.
1923 season 2 has been off to an ominous start so far, and winter has proved a challenge for each member of Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton’s (Helen Mirren) family. While Jack Dutton (Darren Mann) and his wife, Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph), struggle to maintain their connection amid an unforgiving winter, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) and his pregnant wife, Alexandra of Sussex (Julia Schlaepfer) fight their way back to the ranch. Meanwhile, Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) faces a harrowing escape. As 1923 season 2’s finale approaches, things will hopefully click into place.
Who Is John Dutton III’s Grandfather?
1923 Can Explain Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Connection
1923 season 2 is likely to explain who John Dutton III’s grandfather is, and we have clues. The link is significant because it will explain whether Spencer or Jack Dutton carried on the Dutton family tree after 1923, directly relating to John and his children, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes). In Yellowstone season 5, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) reveals that John Dutton is a fifth-generation rancher when he introduces his adopted father as Montana’s next governor. This detail indicates that John Dutton II (Dabney Coleman), John’s father, who we meet in Yellowstone season 2, is a fourth-generation rancher.
Therefore, John Dutton III’s grandfather, John Dutton II’s father, is a third-generation Dutton family member. The only third-generation Dutton that we know of thus far is Jack Dutton, the son of John Dutton, who died in 1923 season 1 in one of the most brutal Dutton family deaths. While there’s a buzz that Spencer could also be John Dutton III’s grandfather, that isn’t quite right, according to the existing Yellowstone lore. Since James Dutton’s (Tim McGraw) son, Spencer, is a second-generation rancher, he would have to have a child who then parented Costner’s character.
As Spencer and Jack both reach conclusions in their relationships that make them expectant fathers, it is still anyone’s game in terms of claiming a direct connection to John Dutton. In 1923 season 2, both Alexandra Dutton and Elizabeth Strafford, Spencer and Jack’s life partners, respectively, are expecting their first child. Therefore, both Jack and Spencer are set up to have a descendant in 1923 season 2. That said, if baby John Dutton II emerges in 1923 season 2, it will confirm that Jack is John Dutton III’s ancestor, since Spencer is technically one generation too removed from Costner.
Who Are Chance And Ned Dutton?
1923 Can Reveal Chance And Ned Dutton’s Parents
Another odd Yellowstone mystery that relates directly back to Kevin Costner’s John Dutton is the identity of Chance and Ned Dutton, two family members whose place in the Dutton family tree is not yet understood. Chance and Ned Dutton’s Yellowstone mystery dates back to the Yellowstone series premiere. As John Dutton and the rest of his family prepare to mourn the loss of Lee Dutton (Dave Annable) at his funeral in the Dutton family graveyard, John Dutton momentarily transcends the situation. John closes his eyes, calling to mind the graves of Chance and Ned Dutton, which briefly flash on screen.
Taylor Sheridan has revealed little about the identity of Chance and Ned Dutton, presumably boys, despite teasing their identities in Yellowstone’s series premiere. All we know is the date on Ned Dutton’s grave reads March 16, 1863, which does little to unravel the mystery. The date is 20 years before James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) made a northwest journey on the Oregon Trail, settling in Montana. The date on the grave, presumably a birthday, also takes place while James is in a Union war prison, so Chance and Ned Dutton are probably not James and Margaret’s children.
1923 season 2 can confirm the connection or explain the mystery otherwise, including why Chance and Ned had significance to John Dutton III.
Some Yellowstone aficionados believe that Chance and Ned Dutton could be Jacob and Cara Dutton’s children. The Yellowstone power couple never had children, raising John Dutton (James Badge Dale) and Spencer as their children. However, 1863, 20 years before Yellowstone’s first prequel, is about the time that Jacob and Cara would have tried to have their own family. It would make sense that the parents erected a monument to their fallen children after relocating to Montana. 1923 season 2 can confirm the connection or explain the mystery otherwise, including why Chance and Ned had significance to John Dutton III.
Who Is Patience Dutton?
1923 Can Reveal Patience Dutton’s Identity
Even less is known about Patience Dutton, another member of the family whose identity is a mystery. Patience Dutton is revealed in Yellowstone season 5, her grave appearing in the Dutton family cemetery as Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) and Summer (Piper Perabo) discuss the family’s history. When Patience’s grave appears on-screen, tall meadow grasses distort any clear dates. However, the year 1931 can be made out, although it’s not explicitly clear whether the date indicates a death or birth year. If it’s a birthday, and that seems likely, then Patience was born years after the events of 1923.
Still, if any of the 1923 characters discuss naming a future child Patience, then we will know how she ties into the family. On the reverse end, if 1931 was Patience’s death year, then she could emerge in 1923’s final chapters, either as Alex or Elizabeth’s daughter. That would mean that Patience Dutton dies when she’s just seven years old, setting up a tragedy between 1923 and the potential 1944 Yellowstone prequel for either Jack or Spencer. Patience would be the perfect name for either mother’s child, since Elizabeth and Alex have had to hold tight to that virtue.
How Does Teonna Rainwater Connect To The Dutton Family In Yellowstone?
1923 Season 2 Can Explain Teonna Rainwater’s Connection To The Dutton Family
The final mystery that 1923 can crack is Teonna Rainwater’s connection to the Dutton family. Teonna’s story has run parallel to the Dutton family’s developments since 1923 season 1, when she attended the U.S. School for Native Americans in North Dakota. Teonna escapes the abusive assimilation school in the first season, and we have since witnessed her brave journey to find a new home where she can live freely from the murders she committed against two Catholic nuns who assaulted her. While we know much about her, it’s not clear how Teonna connects to the Yellowstone universe.
Teonna could be Thomas’ grandmother, with his adoption and belief that he was Mexican until he was 18 somehow factoring into the story.
1923 gives us a significant clue. Teonna shares a last name with Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), the Broken Rock tribal chairman from Yellowstone. Rainwater begins as John Dutton’s nemesis in Yellowstone season 1, threatening to take the Yellowstone from John when he dies, and his kids are too poor to pay the inheritance tax. Ultimately, Rainwater’s threat to Dutton comes true in Yellowstone season 5, but in a full-circle way, fulfilling Taylor Sheridan’s prophecy. Many Yellowstone fans believe Teonna could be Thomas’ grandmother, with his adoption and belief that he was Mexican until he was 18 somehow factoring into the story.