Yellowstone Fans Cry Foul Over Forgotten Dutton Sibling
The first episode of Yellowstone set the tone for the show.
It opens with John Dutton involved in a horrific car crash and concludes with a bloody shootout between brothers. In turn, the chaotic events of the episode create a precedent for the drama and tragedy that defines Yellowstone.
However, there is one important detail from the first episode of Yellowstone that has also been overlooked in regards to the family: What happened to Lee Dutton?
If memory recalls, Lee is one of the most important characters in the first episode (spoilers ahead).
He's introduced to audiences as part of the ongoing land dispute with the nearby Broken Rock Indian Reservation. Thus, when Lee ventures into the reservation to reclaim stolen cattle he's met with a direct confrontation. The showdown ends with Lee getting shot and perishing in front of his brother, Kayce.
Since then, Lee has all but been forgotten about while the rest of the Dutton clan moves along in season five. In fact, the forgotten Dutton sibling has even stirred an outcry on social media. It appears that fans are not so much demoralized that Lee died but, rather, is almost never mentioned by the other characters in the show.
It's definitely an oversight, according to fans, that Lee is not mentioned in subsequent seasons of Yellowstone. After all, it does appear to the rest of the ranch that Lee never existed. For example, the character doesn't appear in family portraits and is never mentioned by siblings. Yes, the death occurred years ago for viewers in the first episode, however, in regards to the timeline of the story – it has not nearly been as long. Thus, it would seem natural that the other Dutton siblings would reminisce or at least mention Lee.
Does his family not think about him? It's like Lee Dutton never existed despite his death serving as the catalyst for the rest of the show. Of course, for many viewers, the blame falls directly on the writing. Which, in this case, falls on a single individual since Taylor Sheridan insists on having complete creative control over each episode of Yellowstone.
Consequently, fans argue that Sheridan interjected the character into the story purely as a device for the pilot episode. Accordingly, he's pretty much ignored and neglected in future seasons (even if John has a brief interaction with him in season two). While there is nothing wrong with this approach, it's also a sign of bad writing. Moreover, it's got fans upset that the brother is never even mentioned. Rather, Sheridan has been more invested in revolving the story around Kayce, Monica, Rip, Beth, and Jamie.