When Yellowstone started, John Dutton was dying and hoping to leave the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to the next generation, which included his grandson, Tate (Brecken Merrill). But over the course of the show, there was another character introduced who, like Rip before him, could succeed the Dutton legacy by being engrafted into the family tree. First appearing in Season 4, after that climactic Season 3 finale that nearly killed Beth, Carter was soon brought aboard the Dutton Ranch as Beth aimed to play house. By the time the show ended, Carter had become a full-on cowboy and seen firsthand how dangerous the job really can be. So, when Beth and Rip found a new piece of land to call home, it was no wonder that their young ward traveled to western Montana with them.

Beth Dutton Needs Carter In Order to Get Over Her Past Traumas

In many ways, Carter is an answer to prayers that Beth likely never prayed. After all that happened to her in her youth at the hands of her brother Jamie (Wes Bentley), it seemed that Beth would never be able to have children of her own. But while she couldn’t bear children biologically, Taylor Sheridan offered the character another chance to have a family. Despite how random his introduction felt upon first glance, it made sense that Beth would not only relate to him but quickly bring Carter into the fold, essentially adopting him. Without Carter, that loss Beth experienced in her youth would only have ended in tragedy. Instead, her predicament allowed her to help a young boy who had nowhere to go, and though she often gave him mixed signals (including refusing to be called “Mama”), she developed a quick kinship with Carter that made her, in effect, a mother.

Adding Carter Will Give Beth and Rip’s ‘Yellowstone’ Spin-Off Higher Stakes

While there’s a lot we still don’t know about this spin-off, we do know that Beth, Rip, and Carter will be the main focus. We know that, following Yellowstone, they’ve settled far away from Paradise Valley, and we know that Taylor Sheridan likely has more material in store. Though Y: Marshals remains our most anticipated Yellowstone spin-off, there is a lot of potential for a show like this, especially if it leans into this trio trying to become a legitimate family, and all the growing pains that implies.