With under two months to go before the premiere of “Yellowstone” season four, fans are cranking up the excitement.
“Yellowstone” fans are also getting their last-minute speculation and theories in before the new season arrives. Reddit is the place to be for fans of the modern western to socialize and get their “Yellowstone” fix. It is also the place where “Yellowstone” newbies can find answers to their burning questions about the show. The show creates lots of questions for first-time viewers and veteran watchers are more than happy to provide answers. In a recent Reddit post, a new fan wants to know a little bit about the Dutton family history and the order of succession. The poster makes a few excellent points about the legacy of cattle ranching families and how a ranch is to stay within that family.
“I can speak from personal experience that farming empires can break and fracture by splitting them up between siblings,” the “Yellowstone” fan points out. “And you can see by simple logic how only the firstborn line can sustain the operation. Lee was clearly being groomed to be John’s heir, but was that the case with John’s generation? Or his father’s? Was Jaime expected to be an employee of the Ranch after John dies, with his own children as a cadet branch while Lee lived like a king?”
Another Redditor points to a flashback scene that may or may not have revealed that John Dutton had a brother that died.
“In the scene where they show John’s dad dying, his father is talking about how much he misses his mother,” the fan says. “Then he says something like “your brother! I miss your brother!’ I take it that means that John had a brother who died, so he was the only living heir.”
It never clearly states that John did indeed have a brother. Perhaps season four will dig deeper into that storyline
‘Yellowstone’ Fans Discuss Legacy of the Dutton Family
It is something you often see in the western/cowboy culture. Often in these situations, the first-born child is expected to take on the managerial role. As John Dutton‘s first son, Lee Dutton, perished in the first season — there is no immediate heir to the “Yellowstone” Throne.
With Lee’s death in the first season, there doesn’t appear to be a natural succession order anymore for “Yellowstone” Ranch. As the first Reddit poster points out — it seems pretty clear that the job was to go to Lee. John has two other biological children, Kayce and Beth, and an adopted son, Jamie. You would have a hard time convincing anyone that any of those three should take over the ranch. You also have John’s grandson, Tate Dutton, who could potentially take over when he comes of age.
One thing every “Yellowstone” fan can agree on is that we are all ready for our favorite show to return. We are now under two months with a return set for November 7.
