Will John Dutton Die?: Questions Yellowstone Season 5 Still Needs to Answer

It seems almost inevitable that the Duttons are going to lose the ranch, or at least the ranch in its current form. John and Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) have always had an uneasy alliance, but there is certainly respect, and if John knows the ranch is doomed, could we see him give it to the Broken Rock reservation and Rainwater’s guardianship? 

If you’re paying close enough attention, that seventh generation of Dutton’s is Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill), but there’s a bit of a twist. Tate’s mother, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is a member of the Broken Rock community. That’s where she, Kayce, Tate and her brother and his family lived for quite some time before moving back to the ranch.

This could mean that Tate, being at least half-native American, could be the cultural loophole so at least part of the Yellowstone remains with the Duttons. This might also explain why John is encouraging Kayce and his family to move to the East camp house, which may be the specific part that was originally under Spotted Eagles’ purview. 

Will There Be Another Dutton Baby?

Originally, we theorized that John’s liberal paramour, Summer (Piper Parabo), would reveal that she was pregnant while she was still in prison. That announcement would then motivate John to get her released so that his son wasn’t born behind bars. 

However, Sheridan wasted no time getting Summer back into the light of day and into the embrace of John once again. In one of his first acts, the newly appointed governor pardoned all of Summer’s crimes. This now means John and Summer are spending a large amount of time together. Coupled with her slow ingratiation into the family makes it seem like she might not be going anywhere. Could we see this unlikely romance give us a Dutton baby? If we were to lose John, a baby would be a touching but dramatic legacy.

There’s also the possibility that history will repeat itself. In the first half of season 5, we’ve seen Carter (Finn Little), the “stray” the Duttons took in, sprout quite a bit. Carter already mirrors his surrogate father Rip (Cole Hauser) in many ways. They both have traumatic pasts. They were both taken in by the Yellowstone. They both have to fight for every scrap. 

And recently, we’ve seen them both fall for a pair of beautiful eyes in cowgirl boots. Hailie (Orli Gottesman) and Finn have spent quite a bit of time together, and this could easily lead to them making the same choice as a young Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip, which could mean an unexpected pregnancy.

It would undoubtedly be a touch of beautiful karma if these two teenagers, not prepared for the pressure of parenthood, allow Rip and Beth to adopt the baby. It’s been a storyline since the very first season that Beth cannot have kids, but clearly would want to have one with Rip, and this seems like a familiar path this family (and Sheridan) could walk down.