Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton has more memorable quotes than any other character in Taylor Sheridan’s flagship show, but one line in particular retroactively enhances the show’s controversial ending. The neo-Western drama has spawned a number of in-development spinoffs and hit prequel series, underscoring how influential the show was in revitalizing the Western genre. While its sprawling vistas and cowboy action provide a measure of escapist pleasure for modern audiences, the Dutton family at Yellowstone’s center operates in shades of gray, elevating the show’s emotional and dramatic impact.
No character embodies the anti-hero archetype more than Costner’s elder Dutton, who works the entire series to preserve his ranch and his family’s long-standing way of life. He’s willing to use questionable methods to execute his will, but he does still have a moral center that keeps him closer to the straight and narrow than to evil. Of his many memorable one-liners, one stands out that speaks to his family’s anti-heroic nature, and while it came two seasons earlier, it retroactively makes the show’s ending more meaningful.
Why John Dutton’s “Meaner Than Evil” Line Was One Of His Best
It Speaks To What Drives John’s Actions
Season 3 of Yellowstone ended with the three key Duttons all coming under attack at the same time, and while all three survived, it was a grim reminder of the evil in the world that sought to tear their ranch, and family, apart. One episode earlier, John delivered what proved to be a prophetic line to his son Kayce, as they discussed the horrible business of keeping their land out of the hands of those who would corrupt and destroy it. The title of episode 9 is “Meaner Than Evil”, and it’s pulled directly out of John’s words to Kayce.
You can’t reason with evil, son. Evil wants what it wants and won’t stop until it’s won or you kill it. The only way to kill it is to be meaner than evil. That’s gonna be your last lesson, son: how to be meaner than evil and still love your family. And still enjoy a sunrise.
With Yellowstone fans now aware of the family’s history thanks to 1883 and 1923, it’s clear that it’s a creed that has driven every Dutton that has lived in Paradise Valley since James Dutton settled there. They understand that the world is a desperate, ruthless place, and the only way to survive is to be willing to fight and scrap with the same ruthlessness. As John believes, you may need to do things that might eat at a good person’s conscience, and make that personal sacrifice every day to protect yourself, your way of life, and your family.
Kayce Found A Different & Better Path Than John Dutton In Yellowstone’s Ending
Kayce Broke The Cycle Of Self-Sacrifice
Fortunately for Kayce, he found a way to move forward with both his family and his soul intact, and in the process managed to ensure that his family’s legacy would be preserved in the purest state possible. In lieu of continuing his father’s bitter and bloody battle against the legion forces of greed and hunger that desired the Yellowstone Ranch, Kayce sold the ranch (for virtually nothing) to Thomas Rainwater and the Broken Rock Tribe, with the explicit condition that it be preserved in its natural state, even if that meant tearing down everything the Duttons had built there.
While the Yellowstone series finale was of course forced earlier than it was ever intended, it still managed to at least wrap up the fate of the Dutton Ranch in a satisfying manner. Just as was prophesied at the end of 1883, the land that the Dutton Ranch sat on returned to its original owners, the Black Rock Tribe (themselves descendants of the Crow people that originally hunted the valley). Kayce managed to find a way to “win” without having to be meaner than evil, reconciling his own violent nature with his desire to be a good man.