While the latest entry in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe, 1923, has given fans a lot of questions to ponder over the course of its first season there is perhaps one that has engaged both fans and cast alike more than any other: who among the Duttons in 1923 will end up being up being the parents of John Dutton II, aka the father of Kevin Costner’s character in Yellowstone? Early in the season John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale) was killed leaving fans to assume that either his son Jack (Darren Mann) or brother Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) would be John II’s father, but then the mystery seemed mostly solved for some when it was revealed that Jack’s wife Liz (Michelle Randolph) was pregnant. Sunday’s Season 1 finale, however, came with some major developments for the entire Dutton clan and now, fans are back to the drawing board.
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Warning: spoilers for the Season 1 finale of 1923, “Nothing Left to Lose” beyond this point.
The season finale saw two major developments on the “who are the parents of John II” mystery. The first was with Jack and Liz. While Liz had previously been revealed to be pregnant despite having been shot in the abdomen in the same attack that killed James Sr., “Nothing Left to Lose” saw Liz lose that pregnancy and left the young woman uncertain about her future as a mother in general, especially with the series including a touching scene with Liz and Jack talking about Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) as an example of a woman who never had children of her own but still has purpose.
The second major development is with Spencer and Alex (Julia Schlaepfer). While there was no confirmation of pregnancy between this couple, some fans have noticed that Alex seemed to be a little unusually seasick in the episode which could hint that she is expecting as well. If Alex is pregnant, however, that isn’t exactly a happy occasion for her and Spencer. The episode ended with the two of them being split apart when Spencer was forcibly removed from the ship and Alex was being taken back to London, though Alex declared to Spencer that she would find a way to meet him in Montana.
So, what does this mean for the big Dutton family mystery? It largely means fans are pretty much in the same place they’ve been all season long. We still don’t really know or have any strong leads as to who John Dutton III’s grandparents are and according to Randolph, even the cast remains in the dark.
“I have not been told anything,” Randolph told Deadline. “I have my own suspicions, but nothing has been confirmed and it’s definitely something we go back and forth on as a cast. random people have like sent me things online about people arguing over who it would make sense for me to be … the grandmother of Kevin Costner? So, I don’t know, but I definitely hope it’s Jack and me because that would be fun.”
The first season of 1923 is now streaming on Paramount+. The series has been renewed for Season 2.
