“Yellowstone” fans point out an array of ‘very flawed’ storylines concerning the death of Lee Dutton in season one.
If fans can think back to the very first “Yellowstone” episode, we were shocked when the series had already killed off the oldest Dutton child, Lee. However, we just knew that if a show started off this juicy, it would be a good one.
In episode one, “Yellowstone” introduced viewers to the whole Dutton family, as well as an issue that quickly arose between the ranch and the Broken Rock Reservation.
When a fence broke, containing hundreds of “Yellowstone’ cattle, the animals wandered from the Dutton property to the reservation. The men whose land the cattle entered onto claimed the animals as their own. Naturally, this didn’t sit well with John and the rest of his cowboys. And they were not going to just roll over with hundreds of thousands of dollars of profit on the line.
The two sides went to battle for the profitable cattle, and during the highly anticipated gunfight, both sides saw casualties. The Duttons lost the oldest and most loyal brother, Lee Dutton. To avenge his death, Kayce (the youngest Dutton son) shot the man who killed his brother numerous times. That man, unfortunately, happened to be Kayce’s wife, Monica’s brother
Lee’s body was cremated to hide evidence that could somehow link Kayce to the death of Monica’s brother.
Once Lee Dutton’s body was nothing but ashes in the wind, his name drifted away with it. The character seemed to die with Lee.
Lee Dutton Who? ‘Yellowstone’ Character Only a Memory
One Reddit user and “Yellowstone” fan points out how odd it is that the Duttons never even mention Lee after his death.
“The show is very watchable but very flawed. My biggest issue is Lee’s storyline or lack thereof. He’s the eldest Dutton child who is killed in the first episode. We get that emotional scene with Costner holding his corpse and a funeral and all that, but as far as I can tell, he is not mentioned again, at least not in any substantial way. The man who was supposed to take over the ranch and presumably become the new livestock commissioner is killed, and not only is it forgotten publicly (aside from a brief news piece, I think), but his own family just doesn’t talk about him. That’s the kind of thing that should have massive effects on local politics and obviously on the family.”
The “Yellowstone” fan continues, explaining that Lee Dutton’s death should have taken a more significant toll on the family. The user also questions the series tactic with the heart-wrenching plot twist so early.
“It’s really glaring that a character who stood to have a major impact on the family and local politics isn’t explored at all. His death could be seen as setting off the shifts in family dynamics that are at the heart of the show, but really beyond the first two episodes, it’s not played that way. What purpose does Lee Dutton’s death serve in the show beyond giving a big emotional punch in the pilot episode?”
Well, some believe that Lee Dutton will make a return for “Yellowstone” season four. What do you think?
