Spencer Dutton is the youngest son of James and Margaret Dutton, the first of the Dutton family to settle the Yellowstone Ranch after the events of 1883. After both his parents passed (his sister Elsa also died in the final episode of 1883), Spencer and his older brother John Dutton Sr. were adopted by their aunt and uncle, Jacob and Cara Dutton.
Both Spencer Dutton and his brother John continued to live and work on the Yellowstone Ranch with the support of their aunt and uncle.
How Spencer Dutton fits into the Yellowstone Dutton family tree
Spencer Dutton was seen briefly in 1883 as a young boy, but his role in 1923 increasingly appears critical to the Yellowstone series narrative overall.
Here’s what we know so far about the Dutton family tree:
First-generation Dutton family: James Dutton (Faith Hill), Margaret Dutton (Tim McGraw), Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford), Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren), Claire (Dawn Olivieri),
Second-generation Dutton family: Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), John Dutton (Audie Rick/James Badge Dale), Spencer Dutton (Charlie Stover/Brendon Sklenar), Mary Abel (Emma Malouff)
Third-generation Dutton family: Jack Dutton (Darren Mann)
Fourth-generation Dutton family: John Dutton II (Dabney Coleman)
Fifth-generation Dutton family: John Dutton III (Kevin Costner), Evelyn Dutton (Gretchen Mol)
Sixth-generation Dutton family: Lee Dutton (Dave Annable), Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille)
Seventh-generation Dutton family: Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill)
Check out this new tool to build your own Dutton family tree.
1923 credit: Paramount
What do we know about Spencer Dutton so far?
It is well known in the mental health industry that soldiers returning from active combat suffer many issues, from post-traumatic stress to physical health ailments. And this is evident in Spencer Dutton.
After finishing his tour on the front in the Great War, Spencer refused to return home, instead hunting dangerous predators like leopards and lions and drinking himself to sleep in some of the most remote places in Africa. Oh yeah, and he doesn’t wake well.
Eventually, after a hunt for a pair of killer leopards, Spencer bumps into an engaged woman named Alexandria, obsessed with his lifestyle and free-living (she feels suffocated and obligated to a man she doesn’t love). A couple of whiskey shots later, you get the idea. Alexandria has left her fiance to follow Spencer Dutton back into the bush.
The lovebirds’ romantic escape is cut short, however, when a Bull elephant tears their truck to shreds, leaving them abandoned miles from help. Anticipating their days may be numbered with hungry lions lurking nearby, Spencer and Alexandria scurry up a tree and fight through the first wave of big cats. Still, the situation is hopeless. They don’t have enough bullets, a tall enough tree, or the energy to outlast a pride of hungry lionesses. But just as it seems the couple is finished, several locals find them and scare off the remaining predators.
The ordeal rattles Alexandria, who has second thoughts about her decision to run off with Spencer Dutton. However, Spencer promises changes, and the pair elope before setting off for their honeymoon on a beautiful African coast.
What role will Spencer Dutton play back at the Yellowstone Ranch?
In 1923 episode 4, while both Spencer and Alexandria continue to make love and lounge on the beaches and coastal islands of Africa, we learn that Spencer has never read any of the letters his aunt Cara sent him while he was at war. Alexandria and Spencer eventually stumble on a more recent note, dated just three months earlier, where Cara enumerates the many grievances and threats the Dutton family ranch face. Spencer’s brother has been killed. His uncle is incapacitated. The family is at war with a neighboring sheep herding clan (led by Banner Creighton, played by Game of Thrones alum Jerome Flynn) with an army and war chest supplied by Donald Whitfield.
Spencer and Alexandria reason that they have to go back to Montana to save the ranch, something Cara was always confident about (and warns Banner of). When Banner tells Cara he’s met her nephew, and he’s non-to-impressed, Cara replies, “not that nephew, the other one.”
Meaning, 1923 part 2 will no doubt see Spencer Dutton face off with the man who ambushed and nearly killed his uncle and adopted father, Jacob Dutton.
Unfortunately, Cara will have to keep Banner at bay for at least one more episode, as episode 5 of 1923 will likely chronicle Spencer and Alexandria’s journey home to Montana from Africa.
Stay tuned!
Related: Yellowstone Fans: Here’s How To Watch 1883 For Free Now