‘Yellowstone’ Confirms John Dutton’s Replacement in ‘Dutton Ranch’

Warning: Major spoilers for Dutton Ranch season 1 aheadYellowstone had plenty going for it when it debuted in 2018, from the solid script, excellent cast, and tantalizing Western setting. However, the driving force behind the first season was Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, the legacy ranch owner who owned the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, a sprawling, state-sized kingdom in the rolling mountains of Montana. The hardened rancher is played with the perfect mix of malice, warmth, and somber strength by the Academy Award winner.

Once Kevin Costner unexpectedly left the show midway through season 5, there was a noticeable hole left in the franchise. The prequel series did an admirable job filling that hole with talented stars like Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliott, Harrison Ford, and Helen Mirren, but their characters’ roles were simply different from John Dutton’s steely modern patriarch. The recent sequel series to Yellowstone, Dutton Ranch, finally included a character that captured the mentality and complexity of John Dutton, portrayed by another Academy Award nominee.

Annette Bening’s Beaulah Jackson Echoes John Dutton’s Desperate Desire To Preserve Legacy

When Beth and Rip Dutton start fresh in Texas, they quickly cross paths with Beulah Jackson, a legacy rancher who, like John Dutton, has a family ranching history dating back to the 1800s. However, unlike John Dutton’s buttoned-up operation, Beaulah’s ranch is in shambles thanks to an incapable series of ranch foremen, including her volatile son Rob-Will. As Beth and Rip evolve into allies for Beaulah, endearing themselves to her with their competence as business assets, they learn that she is a true replacement figure for John Dutton as a family head whose primary concern is her legacy and the preservation of her ranch.

Like John, Beaulah is willing to go to great, and sometimes illegal lengths, to protect her ranch. While John had no problem sending his fixer Rip to eliminate any loose ends, Beaulah is willing to go as far as entrenching herself in the drug trade in order to keep her ranch afloat financially. Both characters’ actions are driven entirely by their desperate, almost obsessive desire to preserve their ranch, and in doing so their reputations and long-standing family legacies.

Beaulah and John Are Both Morally Complex Anti-Heroes

Kevin Costner as John Dutton in Yellowstone

Because of their willingness to operate outside the law, both Beaulah and John wind up as anti-heroes without the traditional moral righteousness of many Western protagonists. Neither is inherently evil nor villainous, but their single-minded objectives to preserve their ranches at all costs lead them into a moral gray area. As dangerous and illegal as Beaulah’s drug smuggling operation is, it’s important to note that, in addition to the many murders that John Dutton and his associates committed, John also ran for governor with the explicit purpose of serving himself and manipulating the law to preserve his ranch. That is an unequivocal measure of corruption, even if it comes under the guise (and with some of the rewards) of a governor looking to preserve the way of life of the common people.

The moral complexity of John and Beaulah is what makes both such interesting characters. Beaulah is certainly closer to the villain of Dutton Ranch than a hero, especially with her many lies and manipulation of Beth and Rip. However, John’s obsession puts his children and their children in danger often, so it’s easy to make the case that he played as significant a role in their misfortune as Beaulah’s deception. She is picking up the thread of the desperate, tired legacy rancher that was left behind by John Dutton in the Yellowstone franchise.