There’s a hidden gem in 1923 season 2, episode 6 that John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) never got in all five seasons of Yellowstone, but Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) was grateful for. The prequel follows John’s ancestors as they battle for their lives and the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch during the Prohibition Era. Jacob is Costner’s ancestor, and Ford’s character resembles Costner’s significantly. He is the leader of his family, carrying them through hardships. Though in contrast, Jacob Dutton has Cara (Helen Mirren) at his side, who similarly carries the family on her back. For 1923’s characters, family is everything.
For Jacob and Cara, family means their adopted family. They aren’t the birth parents of John (James Badge Dale) and Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar), but they raised Margaret (Faith Hill) and James Dutton’s (Tim McGraw) boys as their own. The development continued a trend for the Yellowstone saga, with John Dutton serving as a father figure for both Jamie (Wes Bentley) and Rip (Cole Hauser). That said, despite John’s connections, Jacob is afforded something in 1923 that wouldn’t be achievable in the modern era, making John Dutton’s Yellowstone fate even sadder.
Jacob Dutton Had A Family Dinner In 1923 That Kevin Costner’s John Dutton Never Got In Yellowstone
Dining Wasn’t A Pleasant Experience In Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone
In 1923 season 2, episode 6, Jacob, Cara, Jack, and Elizabeth sit down with Zane (Brian Geraghty) and Alice’s (Joy Osmanski) family for one of Cara’s home-cooked meals. The atmosphere in the dining room is different from what we’re used to seeing in Yellowstone, and not just because Gator (Gabriel Guilbeau) wasn’t cooking or because Jacob’s family was forced to eat beans after a wolf ate their chickens. As everyone gets settled, it’s apparent that every seat at the table is full, creating the perfect family dinner that Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone character yearned for but couldn’t achieve with his kin.
1923 is self-aware of the development, with Cara pointing out that every seat at the table is full. Jacob assures his wife that this happy sight isn’t lost on him, and it’s evident from the sentimental look on his face that a full table deeply fulfills him. Zane, Alice, and their children, who now live at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch after the couple was criminally apprehended for their relationship, helped fill out the table. Having someone in each seat was an unachievable goal for John Dutton, and the absence of a full table haunted him and his daughter, Beth (Kelly Reilly).
Why A Peaceful Dutton Family Meal Was Impossible In Yellowstone
Unrest Haunted John Dutton III’s Family In Yellowstone
Even when John Dutton’s table was full, he wasn’t able to have the cozy meal that Jacob shared with his family in 1923. The modern Dutton family’s meals typically ended with a disagreement and everyone storming off, disappointing John and wasting the food prepared by their in-house chef without fail. In fact, in Yellowstone season 5, Jamie reveals to Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) that Beth used to stab him with a fork under the table, indicating just how hostile John’s family meals have been throughout the years. Even as adults, the Duttons can’t hold down a meal, and there’s a reason.
The modern Dutton family experienced a lot of traumatic circumstances, leading to general unrest, especially from John’s daughter. As we learn in Yellowstone flashbacks, Beth witnessed her mother dying after Evelyn (Gretchen Mol) was bucked off a horse and fractured her spine. We also learn Jamie made a decision about Beth’s abortion that devastated her, causing her to blame her brother for life. Between their circumstances and battling for the ranch, things were too turbulent for John’s family to have a peaceful meal. However, Jacob’s full table in 1923 gives us an idea of what that could look like.