Netflix’s new Western explores a John Dutton-like character, taking risks with the archetype that Yellowstone has never fully embraced. The wait for Yellowstone season 5, part 2 has reached nearly two years, and though the hit Paramount Western’s final season is just weeks away, Netflix has introduced a new series to rival it. Territory follows a nearly identical premise, following the Lawsons, a fictional family that’s owned an enormous Australian cattle station for generations, and their struggle to maintain control during a conflict of succession.
Since Yellowstone’s first season, the series has posed questions about the titular ranch’s future in the absence of John Dutton (Kevin Costner). He embodies dying, forgotten ideologies, and though he has multiple children, he lacks a proper heir who can maintain the ranch as he or his ancestors have. The Territory cast features veteran Western actor Robert Taylor as Colin Lawson, a character who fills a similar mold for the Netflix show. A critical difference in their characterization makes Colin Lawson a fascinating figure.
Territory Commits To Making Colin Lawson Detestable
Colin Lawson Isn’t A Likable Character, & It Adds To Territory’s Story
It’s easy to compare Territory to shows like Yellowstone or Succession or even films like The Godfather, which show a capable patriarch without any reliable heirs. However, unlike Yellowstone, which features John Dutton as the main character and often strives to make his cause sympathetic, Territory focuses on the heirs of the Lawson family. Rather than pitying Colin Lawson for not having any heirs to protect his generational property, Territory examines how Colin Lawson’s parenting methods and leadership ideologies have ultimately weakened the cattle station and left it unprepared.
Though Colin Lawson importantly has moments where his choices benefit the protagonists, it’s agreed unanimously among characters that he’s an awful person. The show depicts him verbally and physically abusing his son Graham and doesn’t attempt to justify his behavior with positive or heroic moments. Territory embraces the idea that a man like Colin Lawson is toxic and ultimately detrimental to everyone around him despite the exterior image of strength. His ways may have worked for generations past, but failing to modernize and work together has ultimately been costly to his family.
Yellowstone Really Never Let John Dutton Be The Bad Guy
John Dutton Is Awful, But The Show Never Fully Acknowledges It
John Dutton has become one of television’s most iconic characters in recent years, with an outstanding portrayal by Kevin Costner. On the one hand, there’s some artistic merit to Taylor Sheridan’s approach, showing that though John might be an incredibly flawed man, there’s some honor in his actions. The Yellowstone Ranch may be more land than any one person deserves, but the show ponders the idea that it’s noble to withhold the natural beauty of that land rather than let it be turned into an airport or some other capitalistic venture. This turns John Dutton into a likable antihero.
At least, that’s John Dutton’s outward portrayal. When reviewing his actions, he’s manipulative, corrupt, and abusive. John Dutton is a narcissistic sociopath who projects an outward image of nobility. By all accounts, he should be the bad guy, but Yellowstone maintains ambiguity surrounding this matter. It’s an interesting approach in theory, but the Paramount show teeters around his evil so frequently that keeping up that ambiguity creates an odd tonal inconsistency. John Dutton has committed so many patently terrible acts that it’s almost ridiculous to suggest his morality is subjective in any way.
The Biggest Differences Between Colin Lawson & John Dutton
John Dutton Is Still The Boss
Colin Lawson and John Dutton crucially serve as the patriarchs for their respective cattle ranch kingdoms. Marianne Station is one of the world’s biggest cattle stations in Territory, while the Yellowstone Ranch is one of the most prominent in the US, meaning both possess enormous land properties that have been passed down through generations. A critical change for Colin Lawson is that he’s no longer managing Marianne Station at the start of the Netflix series, having passed down responsibilities to his son Daniel.
Colin even gets into a fistfight in the first episode and is ridiculed publicly for his age when he loses, which is something that’s hard to imagine happening to John Dutton.
Characters in Territory form similar archetypes to Yellowstone, with Lee Dutton filling a similar role as Daniel Lawson as his father’s ideal heir. In Territory, Graham Lawson is actually the eldest son, but his father overlooked him, perceiving him as weak. Despite likely being around the same age, the Netflix series suggests that Colin Lawson is out of touch while John Dutton is still actively involved in Yellowstone. Colin even gets into a fistfight in the first episode and is ridiculed publicly for his age when he loses, which is something that’s hard to imagine happening to John Dutton.