The tragedy that Jack and Elizabeth Dutton went through in 1923 season 1 still haunts them at the start of season 2, actors Darren Mann and Michelle Randolph reveal in an interview with ScreenRant. Showrunner Taylor Sheridan may be best known for his sweeping Westerns, but he also knows how to tell a good love story, and his second Yellowstone prequel is full of them. While Jacob and Cara have decades of wisdom behind them to get them through times, the younger generations will find themselves tested in ways entirely new to them.
Spencer and Alex may be physically separated at the start of season 2, but the Winter creates an emotional gulf between Jack and Liz that began when she miscarried in season 1. Though Jack did his best to comfort his wife, her pain is sure to be compounded by having to struggle through the bitter cold in the midst of a showdown with Banner, Whitfield, and the other evil forces surrounding the Duttons. As she gets a firsthand taste of ranch life, her husband must also spend more and more time away from her defending his family’s land.
ScreenRant interviewed Mann and Randolph in anticipation of 1923’s season 2 premiere, where the duo reflected on each character’s mindset in the wake of season 1 events. The actors warned that Jack and Elizabeth’s love story would suffer, teased how they are each handling the obstacles in their way, and gave their take on the seemingly eternal question of who John Dutton III’s grandparents are.
1923 Season 2 Puts Jack & Elizabeth Dutton’s Love To The Test
“This Season Will Challenge Us, That’s For Sure”
It may be difficult to imagine Jack and Liz having doubts about each other when Sheridan has so often shown the passionate couple leaping into each other’s arms at every opportunity, or else standing up to Liz’s mother and choosing the relative deprivation of Bozeman, Montana over the comforts of a big city. “I think it’s so hard because they started out with this romantic fairytale love,” Randolph agreed, “and then real tragedy happened.”
Even though Randolph insisted that getting through the miscarriage together “deepened their bond,” it also forced them to “grow up really quickly.” And the hits didn’t end there – after a season in which they each lost at least one parent, the ranch itself being in danger adds to the already impossible challenge of thriving during the Winter months. Liz previously rejected an offer to leave Montana due to her love for Jack, but how would she handle such a question in season 2?
I don’t think either of them wants to leave each other, but it’s a matter of survival.
While Randolph explained Liz’s thought process as, “I just want to live, and I want you to live. We need to be safe, and I don’t think this is the right place for us,” Mann wasn’t so sure that Jack would see it her way if worse came to worst. “Jack doesn’t want to lose his girl, but at the same time, this is the only way of life that he knows, and he can’t leave the family behind.”
This is his way of life, and he hopes that he can keep her satisfied and happy and healthy and all that, and stay in this world. But the season will challenge us, that’s for sure.
Nevertheless, The Duttons Have Opportunities To Show Their Strength
“What’s Right By The Ranch Is The Right Way”
Lest I throw up my hands in despair over the potential dissolution of a Dutton marriage, Randolph was quick to point out that Jack’s words of reassurance from season 1 would still resonate with Elizabeth. “It’s so well written, and I love what Jack says,” Randolph exclaimed, referring to the moment when Jack reminds his wife how incredible Cara is despite never becoming a mother. “I think even if Elizabeth is still needing time to grieve,” Randolph added, “What he says really does resonate with her because [she respects] Cara.”
Perhaps more important than being compared to her “ultimate role model” and the message that she has a purpose no matter what, it is the messenger who matters most. “The fact that the person she loves is saying that to her also just means the world,” Randolph concluded.
Of course, Jack himself hasn’t been hearing the same message from anyone lately. While the Duttons gear up for war, they are still in stasis without Spencer, a reality that is “tough, for sure,” in Mann’s view. Jack “doesn’t like sitting around,” the actor explained. “He’s not going to talk this out with you and hash it out.” But due to the weakened condition of the Yellowstone ranch and the isolation of the season, he is forced to hold off on the fight. “Continually getting told no and to sit back is tough.”
Nonetheless, no one can doubt Jack Dutton’s love for his family and his land – and 1923 season 2 will prove it both through his action and his inaction. “He respects his family so much that he’s going to do whatever he has to do to keep them happy and to do the right thing,” Mann emphasized. “What’s right by the ranch is the right way for Jack.” But is the ranch right for Jack when his great-aunt and uncle have yet to acknowledge his contributions in the same way they pine over Spencer’s absence?
He definitely wishes that somebody would say, “Hey Jack, why don’t you run the ranch and be the guy? Spencer doesn’t seem to be around!” But I guess that’s just not in his cards for whatever reason.
The 1923 Cast Are Silenced On The Subject Of John Dutton III’s Parentage
“If I Say I [Know], Then I’m Lying”
As the Yellowstone franchise inches ever closer to full circle, the question of John Dutton III’s (played by Kevin Costner in the original series) lineage comes to the forefront. Granted, fans all know that the erstwhile protagonist’s father was John Dutton II, but it’s not yet clear which of 1923’s younger characters will carry on the family legacy. While I remain hopeful that the answer will materialize before the next prequel (appropriately titled 1944) commences, the stars were not forthcoming with hints.
That’s not to say that the cast hasn’t bandied the question about themselves, though. In season 1, “we talked about that so much,” Randolph revealed. Mann added cheekily, “We talked about it so much that we eventually gave up on talking about it.” Shockingly, Randolph admitted that while filming season 2, “I don’t think we ever mentioned it.”
Don’t even think about it. Who knows?
Does that mean audiences won’t know who John Dutton II’s parents are by the time the credits roll on the season 2 finale? The actors weren’t too sure about that either. “I think we have a good idea, maybe,” Randolph ventured, before Mann contradicted her with, “I don’t know that I have a good idea.” Randolph good-naturedly amended, “I just feel like if I say I do, then I’m lying. So, I don’t know!” So, don’t place your bests too high – viewers will have to wait patiently for the Dutton family story to play out before getting ahead of themselves.