Dutton Family DNA

Hey, everybody, welcome back to the official Yellowstone Podcast. It's Jefferson White here. I am joined as always by my incomparable co host Jen Landon. Hey, Hey, we are so so glad to have you with us today. As we've been talking about three shows now eighteen eighty three, nineteen twenty three and Yellowstone, you and I have done a lot of research genealogy. We've been learning right alongside the fans, how these characters relate to each other, how this history

Yeah, I mean some of you may have caught us referring to our beloved producer, mister Scott.

You know, they may also may not have caught us referring to Scott, because he is in charge of this whole thing. He's in charge of what stays in the podcast and what gets cut out. So it's also entirely possible that he's remained a mystery. He's protected his identity much like a sort of Batman style figure. Scott, thank you so much for being here. Man. You've been here from the beginning of this thing. You are you are a part not only of the DNA, of this podcast,

Well, hey, guys, I appreciate it. You know. Just to clarify, I'm not the no all authority on Yellowstone being part of the inner circle here, so to speak. We only know what the fans know. We don't necessarily know what's going on in that mind of Taylor Sheridan. A lot of it's still a mystery, so we unpack as we go.

That's what's so exciting about this whole process. You know, as the show is airing, we are learning this mythology as it goes, like from episode to episode, we are right alongside the audience kind of putting together this family t Okay. So right now we are lucky to live in the age of Yellowstone. There's three shows that we

Before we begin, just want to give a little bit of a spoiler alert for our audience, for anyone who hasn't seen, you know, all of any of these shows, and the one in particular I'm worried about is nineteen twenty three. Since it is currently airing, there might be some spoilers as we go through this family tree, so just you know, turn the volume down when we get there.

Yeah, if you haven't seen these shows yet, I encourage you to go watch them because they are amazing and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on them. So if you haven't checked them out yet, go check them out and then come back and comment on this podcast with everything we got wrong. So beginning at the beginning eighteen eighty three, we are introduced to the very first Dutton's chronologically that we've ever met, and that's James Dutton, Tim McGraw and Margaret Dutton, Faith Hill, Jeffy.

If I can just say, James Dutton, that is a bad man. Yeah, that is that dude. And I when I first saw this guy, it was really funny because you see him basically being attacked by these bandits and Sam Elliott and La Monica Garrett are sitting on a hill and they see him and they're just watching. They're talking about this farmer. They called him a farmer. But yet this guy gets off his horse and he is like the og sniper. He snipes these guys. And I'm

Over time we see the Duttons take on more responsibility and become perhaps more civilized. But James Dutton Tim McGraw, he starts from a wild place. You know, we learned over the actions of eighteen eighty three that he served in the Civil War. He has this background as a soldier, which so many of the Duttons do, as they're haunted across generations by violence. And this is it's prior to perhaps the civilization or the sort of comfort that later

The women behind this really show through, and you know they're first born. Is this most incredible woman you could ever imagine?

Absolutely? Yeah, Elsa herself their daughter. Yeah.

You know, it's interesting because everybody that talks about the Duttons talks about the men, the men, the Dutton family, but it's the women that are the strength behind the buttons.

I mean, I feel like, unfortunately that's how the conversation goes across the board. In all areas of life that the focus does.

Tend to be.

You know, I'm the dude and the woman usually gets short changed. But there are many instances where, you know, when there is a more traditional model where the man is more of the you know, doer in the world, there is almost always a woman who's holding him together with super glue and some plaster.

Yeah, as we're talking about, you know, these ancestors, John Dutton's ancestors, we have to remember that we're also talking about Beth Dutton's ancestors. We're also talking about this long line of women who, by the time we meet the Duttons have come down to Beth, to this absolute force of nature holding the Dutton ranch together with sheer force of will. You know, So everyone we're talking about today is also Beth's ancestors.

I wonder if Taylor picked up on a piece of that in like that being a part of the conversation around eighteen eighty three, because in nineteen twenty three, one of the things that I love is that even though that show comes out obviously it's the next season, it's

Absolutely yeah. And there's this sort of recurring theme that as the men go out and take care of the cattle, often the ranch comes under asault, and the people left to defend the ranch, the sort of toughest, last line, scrappiest sort of defenders of the ranch are the women who are staying at home and holding the whole thing together. You know, as Kevin Costner goes out to be the

Kara Dun the casting obviously, it's like, what it's a no brainer. You get an opportunity of Helen marrin, you're gonna take it. But her essence is so not that of the diminutive female that she just brings that fearce independence to every single piece that she does.

Absolutely yeah. So starting you know, at the beginning, starting in eighteen eighty three, we've got obviously James and Margaret, that's Tim and faith for those of us, you know, for their close personal friends. They've got their daughter, Elsa, and they've also got two kids. So the only character that man to survive from the action of eighteen eighty three to the action of nineteen twenty three is John

So in eighteen eighty three, we see them coming across the country. They're on their way to Oregon. They get to Montana, Elsa passes. They have this, you know, they have this deal. Where she dies is where she stays, where we all stay, where we set roots in our family. And this is something that Margaret and James decided because Margaret said on the truck, I don't want her to be a signpost on the side of a trail where she dies we stay. I don't know if you guys

Yeah, and who we see as a child in Yellowstone season four's flashbacks. So Yellowstone season four has these two flashbacks where we're first introduced to James and Margaret, and at that time we're all so introduced for the first

Totally, And I know we hit on this before, but just because now we've sort of moved into that next generation, the one that has John Dutton, Spencer Dutton, Elsa, But now in this nineteen twenty three world, I want to look at how Kara and Jacob came. And we'll do that after we take a quick break. Okay, So we meet and spend time with James Dutton in eighteen eighty three.

So by the time we get to the action of nineteen twenty three, those boys have grown up. John Dutton Senior is you know, he's forty five years old now. Spencer, his little brother, is over in Africa, sort of haunted by his own demons. It's interesting as we talk about generations of this family, we're also talking about American history. So James Dutton, Tim McGraw served in the Civil War, Answer Dutton served in World War one, and then Casey

Well, which begs the question, there is a time period between nineteen twenty three and present day. Are we going to get to see what happens in there? Who is the predecessor to John Dutton as we know him today, Who are his what is his exact lineage?

Do me know that that's a complicated question, Scott. I think we're piecing that together slowly as more information is revealed in nineteen twenty three, and I've seen some really great theories on social media. I've seen fans work to

It feels like a riddle. It feels like one of those riddles that you would sit around and think about.

Well, I know Jen has been cultivating this and mulling this over because we've talked about this a couple times.

And I love when I'm gonna. I love when we all find out that I'm wrong.

So your theory, Jin, talk us through your theory.

Okay.

So and again, let's like really check what Elsa says. My father had two sons, right, only one of them.

Will live to see theirs.

Grown, meaning only one of those two sons. Is it is that roughly correct, we'll live to see their own son grow, right?

Yeah?

And I think the problem you have with that has been what has grown means?

Right? This is where it starts to feel like, well, like for me, my thought is okay, but we know that we lose John Dutton Sr. Right, And you might have this moment where you're like, yay, this means Spencer Dutton lives, and which is very exciting because we all like Spencer Dutton because he's cool in every way possible.

He's really cool. We have to all it cool. Let's just spend a second talking about perhaps the coolest Dutton we've met, with all due respect the other Dutton, Spencer Spencer's.

He's a cool Dutton. And also because he's giving off. I don't know if any of you pick us up like soft Harrison form Indiana Jones vibes, you know, like immediately when you look at him, it feels like a nod at that, which I hope was intentional because I thought it was so smart.

The clothes, you know, the costume design. Spencer's costume design really seems to pay homage to get our boy, Harrison Ford's Obscure film Indiana Jones.

Listen, we're digressing, and I'm gonna digress from one more second because when we when we meet the Alexandra character, I just have to say, in terms of taking costumes that are homages to other characters and movies that we love, I mean she also just like the second I looked at her, I thought it's Meryl streep in Out of Africa, you know, just down to I mean, just her physicality and everything. But to go back, guys, so John doesn't Senior dies, We think, yay, we get to keep Spencer Dutton.

You just you know, you soft rolled us into a whole new generation of Dutton's here. So John Dutton Senior, who passes away in episode three of nineteen twenty three violently, as is often the way with our Duttons, has a son, Jack Dutton, and that brings us You know that that's

Well, that's an interesting thought because we know later on Yellowstone we're using the name John, which would imply it's coming from the John Dutton senior lineage, or is it? You know, you take a look at Jack Dutton and it's funny because I don't feel Dutton from Jack Dutton. Where does the lineage go? Does Spencer have children with alexand Andre is it Alexandra we know now that he

Yeah, and also just you hit on a thing that is to say, like again, the lineage of the Duttons that we see in Yellowstone can absolutely come from Jack or Spencer. Spencer's according to Elsa's as you said, Jeff, prologuer, premonition or whatever it is, absolutely can have kids. He could have ten kids, but he will not see any of them grow up. Oh, is that what you're taking from thee because as you were saying that, because I wasn't thinking that a moment ago, but as you were talking,

Live to see those kids grow up.

So the mystery remains, which son and uh, Scott, to your point about Jack, though, I mean, he's such a fun character. I do also I do agree that I feel like the Spencer Dutton stoicism is sort of Jeff, You're making a face. Am I own tricky territory here? Well?

No, I mean I just I won't. I won't stand for Jack Dunnet. I am not under Jack Dutton.

I think the young man, the Jack Dutton character, I'm not sure like how his recklessness is going to play out for his survival in the long run.

Well, you know, it's interesting because in the world of Yellowstone, you guys talked about many times, we don't know who's going to survive and who's not. You know, we're introduced to John Dutton Senior, and and I'm looking at this and I'm looking at this character, amazing character. I'm thinking, Okay, here we go. Here's what would typically happen. This man grows older, he's the firstborn son, he's going to take over the ranch. Dude gets killed. Yeah, I mean, who

Yeah, we got to learn the lesson. We got to learn the Lee Dutton lesson. Taylor showed us Lee Dutton the sort of eldest son, the promised heir to the throne, in episode one of Yellowstone, and then he ripped us, you know, he ripped him away. He stole Dave Annabel from us, in the same way that he's now stolen this James Badgdale performance. Because James Badge Dale or you know GBD, if you're freaky, that's an incredible character actor. And to have that performance robbed from us, I'll never

All Right, so we've moved, we're on this. We're kind of mixing generations here. We're at the John Dutton, Spencer Dutton, and John Dutton's son, Jack Dutton, and I just want to take a moment here because we started off the show with a thema talking about the women behind them. I would like to take a moment to talk about or just maybe give a shout out to Emma Dutton, who's played by Marley Shelton, an actress I worked with

You know, a little bit earlier, Jent I was giving Spencer Dutton his flowers, you know, I was, I was giving big ups to Spencer Dutton because he's cool. We love him, we love you know, he's He's clearly an amazing sort of intrepid adventurer. But I would be remiss not to mention the O G. Casey Dutt. Yeah, Casey Dutton to me seems like such a clear descendant of Spencer.

I totally feel that as well.

And the same way that that Spencer Dutton sort of remind me of Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones. And again, this movie has nothing to do with.

It, but.

Casey always gives me Brad Pitt vibes from what's the what do you know the movie I'm talking about Legends of the Fall.

Brad Pitt gives me Luke Grimes vibe.

I would agree with that one hundred percent, all.

Right, so I'll agree. Casey Dutton awesome guy. I mean, he's one of my favorite characters. He this dude again goes back. I know you want to relate him more to Spenser, but he's a James I mean right, he's in his gilly suit and he's a sniper too, by the way. But before that, you know, where do we get to John Dutton? If you guys remember in season two, there's a scene of John Dutton, our John Dutton sitting

Yeah, that's exactly right. So John Dutton Senior, we get to know his kids in episode one of Yellowstone, the very first episode of the show, we get to know all four of John and Evelyn's children. That's their oldest son, Lee Dutton. You got Jamie Dutton, middle child Beth Dutton, and then the youngest, Casey Dutton. Now we tragically lose

Now tell me if I'm wrong the Tate is the seventh generation, and I'll explain what I'm referring to, which the sort of premonition at the end of eighteen eighty three when the Native American chief says, in seven generations, my people will rise up and take it back from you, and James says, in seven generations, you can have it.

Yeah, and it's a fascinating thing. You know, we've we've been focusing on the Dutton family and talking about the Dutton family, but there's another family at the very heart of this show, and that is Thomas Rainwaters family, the Rainwaters that go back not just seven generations, not just eight generations, but deep, deep, deep into the history of this place.

You know, ultimately we're going to probably get that reveal of how this all, what the through line is. You know, we've got other characters. We've us got Monica, who is again not a true Dutton, she wasn't born to Dutton, but in many ways stronger.

Yeah, you're really right to point out that Tait isn't just the seventh generation of Dutton. He also comes from another long tradition of family that's been here perhaps longer than the Duttons. In Monica's family who you know, no pun intended. Her maiden name is Long, her grandfather's name is Felix Long. So there are many other character whose family ties to this region even pre date the Duttons, you know.

And I wonder if in nineteen twenty three, some of the characters that we are getting to know in the Native American you know, quote quote unquote boarding schools, AKAA, you know, eradication schools, if any of the characters are meeting in that world are actually ancestors of the Native American characters and storyline that we were seeing playing out in Yellowstone.

And that's TBD.

This is one of the really amazing things I think about Taylor. There's a history here, but I think we also Taylor is representing American history. But I also think it's very important to always remember, as Taylor does and

Well, you know, an interesting thought trailing on that we go back to the seven generations. It goes back to the indigenous people, the Native Americans. But in some way you just brought a thought to the forefront of my mind. Tait is half Native American, right, So is that is it going back to them? And how do we bring it in?

In some ways that's always been my hunch, and because we've also set up this one, I mean, this historical relationship between you know, European settlers and Native Americans and the wars that have broken up between them, and then that war sort of being mimicked. Even in that first episode of Yellowston between Monica and Casey with the killing

I think it's beautiful. I think that's a beautiful idea if Tate can hold on to it. One of the enduring themes of Yellowstone is, hey, can this ranch last long enough for Tate to inherit it? Or are these encroaching forces from the outside gonna pit to pieces and melt it down in the furnace of the modern American economics?

And they had like a random fantasy thought, right, we think that Tate is the obvious, like that's who's going to get it, because he's like, you know, he's dutton, he's long.

It's a nice little thing. But the prophecy is that a goat.

You know that the Chief seid in eighteen eighty three that it will go back to his people. And there's a world where I can imagine Tate going. I don't want it like this thing has been a thing that is so loaded. He is his father's son. His father wants a simple life, and he goes, I don't want it, and it shifts hands.

We're missing something.

What are we missing?

We're missing Jamie had a child. I know John doesn't recognize him as a child anymore. But there's a sequence with Beth and Jamie and he's talking about his son. He talks about his son. So don't know where that's going to go, but I just wanted to bring that out there. There's this whole other unknown factor here.

That is an excellent point, Scott. The future of this ranch. We've been diving into the past, the history of this ranch, and we've been identifying certain unknowns. The future of this ranch is shot through with unknowns, and I for one cannot wait to find out what happens to this generation of Dutton's that we've come to know and love in the Action of Yellowstone. So until next time, until we have some more answers. Thank you guys so so much for joining us.

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The Official Yellowstone podcast is a production of one oh one Studios and Paramount. This episode was produced by Scott Stone. Brandon Getchis is the head of Audio for one oh one Studios. Steve Rasis is the executive vice president of the Paramount Global Podcast Group. Special thanks to Megan Marcus, Jeremy Westfall, Ainsley Rosito, Andrew Sarnow, Jason Red and Whitney Baxter from Paramount, and of course David Glasser, David Hukin and Michelle Newman from one oh one Studios.