Warning: SPOILERS for 1923 Season 2’s Finale – “A Dream and a Memory”

Harrison Ford’s Jacob Dutton achieved something in 1923’s finale that Kevin Costner’s John Dutton didn’t in all five seasons of Yellowstone. 1923 season 2’s finale was a massive close for the Prohibition-era Dutton family, bringing their range war for the Yellowstone Ranch to an explosive end.

Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) finally made it home in 1923‘s finale, leaving his wife, Alexandra of Sussex (Julia Schlaepfer), on the train to Bozeman after serendipitously rescuing her moments before.

Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) had been waiting for the war hero’s arrival, and Spencer’s heroic finish didn’t disappoint.

Spencer finishes off the rest of Donald Whitfield’s (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton’s (Jerome Flynn) men with an elephant gun, proving Dutton has what it takes to protect the ranch.

Sadly, Spencer’s wife died after delivering their baby, John, opting not to undergo a life-saving procedure to have her necrotic legs and arm amputated.

I was devastated by her death after all the horrible things that happened to Alex Dutton in 1923. Otherwise, Spencer’s transformation upon arriving in Montana was a satisfying conclusion. Furthermore, Spencer’s stepping up significantly impacted Jacob and Cara’s ending.

Jacob Dutton Passes The Yellowstone Ranch Down To Spencer In 1923’s Finale

Jacob Dutton Peacefully Retires In 1923 Season 2, Episode 7

After the war is over, Jacob Dutton passes the Yellowstone Ranch down to Spencer, unburdening himself from the duty of its protection. Spencer first left the ranch to fight in the Great War, and he stayed in Africa after that as a hunter for the Protectorate of Kenya. That said, upon returning, it’s clear that Spencer plans to stay.

As Spencer prepares to run cattle up the mountain in one of the closing scenes of 1923, Jacob doesn’t opt to go with him, saying that he will stay on the porch and attend to simpler matters, like watching John Dutton.

Jacob’s peace in 1923‘s finale is earned, considering all he has endured to protect the ranch. In 1894, after his brother, James Dutton (Tim McGraw) died, Jacob uprooted his life and moved to his brother’s ranch in Montana, assuming its stewardship and the guardianship of Margaret Dutton’s (Faith Hill) sons, Spencer and John, after he finds that Margaret, too, has died.

To say Jacob had fought for the Yellowstone ranch would be an understatement, especially after the life-threatening injuries he endured in 1923 season 1. Therefore, Jacob’s passing the ranch to Spencer, restoring its succession, was an ideal end.

Why John Couldn’t Pass The Dutton Ranch Down In Yellowstone

John Dutton III Had No One To Pass The Ranch Down To

By unburdening himself, Jacob solved a problem in the 1920s that haunted John Dutton in the modern era; John couldn’t pass the Yellowstone ranch down, and not doing so successfully cost the family their legacy. John couldn’t continue the ranch’s natural succession first and foremost because of Lee Dutton’s (Dave Annable) death in Yellowstone season 1.

Lee died in Yellowstone‘s series premiere, unexpectedly, and his passing left John without the son that he expected to turn the ranch over to. While John eventually makes Kayce (Luke Grimes) his new successor, several factors complicate John’s youngest son taking over as envisioned.

John’s respite is virtually non-existent, only ever seeing a glimmer of retirement.

Kayce never wanted to be involved in the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch’s operations, much less run it. Moreover, John says at one time that Kayce wasn’t ready. While John eventually persuades Kayce to run the ranch and take over as Livestock Commissioner, John’s respite is virtually non-existent, only ever seeing a glimmer of retirement.

When Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz) tells John Dutton that she plans to run for the Senate, rather than continue as Governor of Montana in Yellowstone season 4, John forces himself to secure the role, increasing his duties rather than relinquishing them as he nears retirement age.

John Dutton’s Unfulfilled Achievement Worsens His Yellowstone Season 5 Death

John Dutton III Never Achieved His Peace In Yellowstone

Considering that all he ever wanted was to enjoy his ranch in peace, it makes John Dutton’s death in Yellowstone season 5 even worse. Let alone barring John from retirement, becoming the Governor of Montana forces the Dutton patriarch to move away from his homestead to Helena, into the governor’s mansion.

It is there that Grant Horton (Matt Gerald) sends a team of highly trained operatives to murder John Dutton, undercutting his plan to disrupt Market Equities’ scheme to build an airport in the middle of Paradise Valley, which is why he became the governor in the first place.