It’s his own fault, but a recurring event in Yellowstone always made me feel sad for Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III. There are many leaders in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe, which includes 1883 and 1923, but John Dutton was the first member of the Dutton family tree to helm one of the screenwriter’s shows. John and his family, including his daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) and son Kayce (Luke Grimes), therefore, set the tone for the Yellowstone franchise. While John and his kin face unpleasant realities as they protect the largest contiguous ranch in the United States, some are self-inflicted.

The destruction and shocking deaths John Dutton’s family faces in Yellowstone rob them of simpler times, and the challenges translate to bleak circumstances at home. That said, it was difficult for John’s brood, including Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), to live normal lives that weren’t affected by their father’s fight to maintain the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Taylor Sheridan reminds audiences of what the family endured with a recurring trope in Yellowstone. Yet Yellowstone’s saddest circumstances are self-inflicted by John Dutton, who wasn’t always the best parent to his children, affecting the whole clan later in life.

I Always Felt Sorry For Yellowstone’s John Dutton That He Never Had A Peaceful Family Meal At The Table
John Dutton’s Family Experienced Unrest At Mealtime

Contrary to Jacob Dutton’s (Harrison Ford) family in 1923, John Dutton III’s family in Yellowstone fractured over time while fighting for the ranch and enduring difficult life circumstances. This led to unrest when it came time to sit down and enjoy a meal together. Therefore, John Dutton never had a peaceful meal around the table in Yellowstone. Beth caused more chaos than anyone under John’s roof; she always picking a fight or fixating on something unhelpful. Still, Beth experienced a lot of traumatic moments growing up, which explains why she revolted against the idea of a happy family dinner, even as an adult.

Spencer and Alexandra with their baby John in 1923
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However, there are other reasons why John’s family dinners fell apart. It was difficult for Kayce’s wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), to enjoy a meal at the Dutton dinner table, since living at the ranch caused her family strife, like when their son, Tate (Brecken Merrill), was abducted. For Beth, even the idea of the dinner table was a controversial subject, which she believed represented a happy family that didn’t exist. The Duttons’ inability to gather for dinner plagued John, who would sit in misery among the empty seats.

John Dutton Was A Big Part Of Why His Family Could Never Get Through A Meal In Peace
John Dutton And His Endeavors Plagued His Life At Home

Despite it upsetting him, John Dutton was a big reason why his family couldn’t have a peaceful meal. While he wasn’t directly related to the conflicts that Beth endured, like her mother’s death and her unwanted hysterectomy, John’s dedication to the ranch took precedence over his family’s personal desires. Moreover, Beth felt like she couldn’t go to her father about her unplanned pregnancy, which is why she resorted to young Jamie’s help. Later in life, John’s parenting improves, and he apologizes to Beth that she didn’t feel safe confiding in him, producing one of John Dutton’s best quotes from Yellowstone.

In Yellowstone season 2, episode 4, “Only Devils Left,” Beth stabs Jamie with a knife under the dinner table. In Yellowstone season 5, episode 8, “A Knife And No Coin,” Jamie tells Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) that Beth used to stab him under the dinner table with a fork, indicating Beth’s scorn contributed to the unrest at dinner for years.

John is also the reason Monica doesn’t feel at home at the Dutton ranch. After Kayce and Monica got pregnant, John Dutton punished Kayce with the Yellowstone Ranch brand, scarring his son for life. John’s boys, Kayce, Jamie, and Lee (Dave Annable), remark that John told them all to leave the ranch at one time in Yellowstone’s series premiere, further suggesting John was an unforgiving father. Whether it was deserved or not, Yellowstone season 4 gives John a silver lining with Rip (Cole Hauser), Carter (Finn Little), and Beth breaking the cycle, dining at a smaller table, and enjoying a peaceful meal.