Yellowstone has one Dutton family mystery nobody can solve

One member of the Dutton family has been causing trouble, and he’s part of a Yellowstone mystery that fans can’t quite wrap their head around.

When it comes to the Dutton family tree, we have a forever-growing Yellowstone timeline and multiple prequels to spell it all out for us. But that still doesn’t stop some fans from pointing out the major questions that remain when it comes to John Dutton and his brood.

One recent riddle comes from the least likable Yellowstone character, Jamie Dutton. Though he’s technically not a Dutton at all — it was revealed that he was actually adopted in Yellowstone Season 3 — his existence makes the ranching family’s lineage all the more confusing.

Specifically: why would John and Evelyn Dutton adopt a boy to whom they had no relation at all? As it’s explained to viewers, Jamie’s birth mother was murdered by his drug-addicted father, who was later imprisoned. The Duttons legally adopted him as a baby. A nice gesture, but one that fans can’t understand in the first place.

For starters, nobody can work out why the Duttons would take on the responsibility of a child from a troubled family. John and Jamie’s relationship is complicated at the best of times, so the idea didn’t work out well for any of them in the long run.

“From my view, he never wanted to adopt Jamie. He has probably resented having to deal with him since he was a baby. John and Jamie were doomed to clash because Jamie was an obligation, not a son,” wrote one fan on the Yellowstone subreddit.

“John didn’t adopt anyone,” argued another. “His powerful wife did. John never had a choice. John never wanted him. How did his wife know some low-life meth heads and would want their baby? When she can continue making her own? It makes less than zero sense.”

“Adopting a middle child is even more strange,” another comment noted. “Why was he adopted? …Why would this powerful family want the child of a murderer still alive in prison?”

“I think John said, ‘If I didn’t love your mother so much…’ which I think could be important. Because his ‘mom’ could be whoever his actual bio mom was and whom John feels a connection to. Or it could be more of TS’s sloppy writing and meant to refer to Evelyn Dutton. Who knows?!” one comment said.

Indeed, it’s never clarified why the Duttons chose to take Jamie on. But with all the trouble he’s caused since…we’re betting they likely regretted it.

Catch up with plenty more great TV shows to stream this month while you wait for new Yellowstone episodes.