I’m glad 1923 season 2’s finale debunked a theory about the fate of Jack Dutton (Darren Mann). 1923’s epic ending closed out Taylor Sheridan’s Prohibition-era Yellowstone prequel with an action-packed and tragic 2-hour finale. Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) made his long-awaited return to Montana to save the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and exact his revenge on the villainous Thomas Whitfield (Timothy Dalton). What Spencer and the Duttons didn’t know until the chaos was over was what happened to Jack.

In 1923 season 2’s penultimate episode, “The Mountain Teeth of Monsters,” Jack Dutton was killed by Thomas Whitfield’s men. Jack foolishly abandoned his post guarding his aunt Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) and his pregnant wife, Elizabeth Stratton (Michelle Randolph). Jack hoped to join his uncle Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) and protect Spencer upon his arrival by train to Livingston, Montana, but Jack was shot dead after he made the mistake of trusting Livestock Commission hires who were secretly working for Whitfield.

I’m Glad Jack Dutton Didn’t Go To Yellowstone’s Train Station In 1923 Season 2
Jack Got The Burial He Deserved

After Jack Dutton was killed in 1923’s penultimate episode, his body was dragged away into the woods. It seemed Jack would be taken to the newly-discovered, lawless area between Wyoming and Montana that Yellowstone dubbed the Train Station. 1923 season 2 revealed Thomas Whitfield originated the Train Station as a way to dispose of his enemies. Naturally, there was fear that Whitfield’s goons would make Jack the first Dutton to be the victim of the Train Station.

Thankfully, Jack wasn’t taken to the Train Station after all. 1923 season 2’s finale revealed Cara sent Yellowstone cowboys on the trail to Livingston to find Jack, and Whitfield’s men had abandoned Jack’s body in the woods. While this was a callous move, sending Jack to the Train Station would have been even worse. At least Jack’s body was brought back to the Yellowstone so he could be properly buried in the Duttons’ family graveyard along with Spencer’s deceased wife, Alexandra Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer).

Jack Was A Disappointing Dutton, But That Was The Point
Jack Is All About Unfulfilled Potential

Jack Dutton’s death in 1923’s penultimate episode was a genuine surprise because of his untapped potential that, sadly, will never be realized. Jack was a capable cowboy and a willing recipient of his Uncle Jacob and Aunt Cara’s wisdom, but he was also naive, impulsive, and immature for his age. Jack’s love story with Elizabeth felt like puppy love, with Elizabeth grasping the very real and adult realities of being a wife and future parent much faster than Jack. Instead, Jack’s loyalties were to his cowboy lifestyle first, his wife second.

Jack was not meant to be the heroic Dutton he imagined himself to be.

Obviously, Jack had a lot of growing up to do, and 1923’s fans wanted to see him mature alongside Elizabeth and their child. Unfortunately, this is the Yellowstone saga, and more Dutton men die violently than live to ripe old age like Spencer and Jacob. Jack was gunned down like his father, John Dutton (James Badge Dale) and so many Duttons that will follow. Jack was not meant to be the heroic Dutton he imagined himself to be, and he’s a part of Duttons’ tragic lineage of family members who died for the Yellowstone.

What Happens To Elizabeth Strafford After Jack’s 1923 Death
A Part Of Jack Lives On With Elizabeth’s Pregnancy

One naturally feels deeply for Elizabeth Strafford’s profound loss when she buries Jack Dutton at the end of 1923 season 2’s finale. Elizabeth became pregnant for the second time, and she went through with her intentions to leave the brutal violence of Montana and return to Boston. Elizabeth hoped Jack would choose her and their child over the Yellowstone. Even if Jack lived, Elizabeth rightfully sensed Jack would never abandon his family, even for the new one he was making with Elizabeth.

Jack Dutton’s legacy lives on in his child with Elizabeth, and their story will potentially continue in 1944, the next Taylor Sheridan Yellowstone prequel. 1944 could see Jack and Elizabeth’s son or daughter, who will be about 20 years old, come to Montana to join the Duttons’ Yellowstone legacy. The senseless tragedy of Jack Dutton’s death in 1923 would have been magnified if Jack had been sent to the Train Station, and I’m grateful Jack didn’t become the second victim of Yellowstone’s most dreaded final destination.