Yellowstone Begins The End Of A Toxic Dutton Cycle
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After watching the Dutton family grow and change through generations with Yellowstone and its many spinoffs, Marshals is doing something different in a way that's new and unexpected for the franchise. Throughout the run of Yellowstone, viewers watched as the present-day Dutton family struggled to navigate what their legacy was going to look like and how their family's history was going to be preserved. Taylor Sheridan continued to weave the family's story in spinoffs 1883 and 1923, both of which looked into the past of the Dutton bloodline, providing perspective on how the past generations of the family shaped the present.
With Marshals season 2 diving deeper into what Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) is doing with the family legacy in his next chapter, there have been moments where watching the character navigate his issues with his late father, John Dutton, have been tough to watch. Kayce, who's a single parent to his son Tate (Brecken Merrill) after losing his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille), has been consistently trying to understand what decisions were made during his upbringing that he fundamentally disagrees with, then trying to do the opposite with his son. Surprisingly enough, this includes investing in Tate's future in an unexpected way.
After nearly losing Tate in a kidnapping that culminated in Kayce resorting to violence in order to save his son, Kayce's spent the majority of Marshals season 2 trying to figure out how to help his son move forward. Choosing a path that the Dutton family before him hasn't, Kayce's prioritization of Tate's mental health is refreshing.
Taylor Sheridan's Dutton Family Have Never Been Upfront About Mental Health
As a western, even a fairly modern one, Yellowstone has always been a series that's prone to burying its pain rather than talking about it. The Dutton family's difficulties with mental health have never been limited to just one character, or even a singular event in their lives. Instead, the generational trauma that built up around the family was clear from early on in the series, which put an emphasis on preserving the family's legacy no matter the cost. While the Dutton family's suffering has always been real, it's also something that wasn't consistently looked at as something that could change.
With John Dutton (Kevin Costner) at the head of the family during the majority of Yellowstone's run, it was clear from early on that protecting the family was the most important thing in the world, even if it came at the cost of his relationship with said family. With each Dutton displaying their own self-destructive tendencies, and the Dutton's before them sharing similar traits, the Yellowstone franchise didn't shy away from making it clear that the family was far from perfect. Even so, Taylor Sheridan's first family was never looking into ways to grow or heal, instead focusing on staying in control.
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Kayce's To Take Tate To Therapy In Marshals Season 2 Is A Massive Step Forward
During Marshals season 2 episode 3, "Falling Sky", Kayce makes it clear that he's not going to be the same type of father that he had by taking a stand with Tate. After noticing how much his son has been struggling since the kidnapping, and likely long before, Kayce made the executive decision that he was going to take Tate to a therapist. Kayce was firm about the fact that he wouldn't be budging on the appointment, even with Tate's disinterest in divulging his issues to a third party. Sharing that he didn't want to be like his own father, Kayce pushed Tate into something new.
While his decision is one that is, obviously, he right call, the fact that Kayce came to that conclusion and pushed forward without allowing Tate much of a say was a huge step forward for the Dutton family. Kayce didn't want to dismiss Tate's distress or assume that it would simply go away on its own, instead choosing to try to reach out for help for his son as they move forward together. Seeing Kayce make the responsible and emotionally vulnerable decision for his son, going against the Dutton way, was a huge win for Marshals moving forward.
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Kayce Dutton transitions from life on the Yellowstone Ranch to joining an elite unit of U.S. Marshals in Montana. Merging his cowboy heritage and Navy SEAL expertise, he tackles the challenges of balancing family, duty, and the psychological toll of combating regional violence.
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Yellowstone
- Created by
- Taylor Sheridan
- First TV Show
- Yellowstone
- Latest TV Show
- 1923
- Upcoming TV Shows
- The Madison
- First Episode Air Date
- June 20, 2018
- Cast
- Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Danny Huston
Yellowstone is a neo-Western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, centered on the Dutton family and their fight to protect the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch from various adversaries, including land developers and nearby reservations. Premiering in 2018 on Paramount Network, the show has been praised for its depiction of power struggles, family loyalty, and rural conflicts. It has expanded into a franchise with spin-offs such as 1883 and 1923, and an upcoming sequel series is in development.
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