1923’s Finale Time Jump Explained: How Long Spencer Dutton Lives

Warning: SPOILERS for 1923 Season 2’s Finale – “A Dream and a Memory”

1923 season 2’s finale ended with a surprising time jump that revealed how long Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) lived and ran the Yellowstone ranch. 1923‘s ending, “A Dream and a Memory,” saw Spencer’s long-awaited return to Montana to save the Yellowstone from Donald Whitfield’s (Timothy Dalton) hostile takeover. Spencer also reunited with – and tragically lost – his wife, Alexandra Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer), but not before Alex gives birth to their son, John Dutton II.

1923‘s ending did a pair of remarkable things that may have escaped audiences. Yellowstone employed flashbacks throughout its five seasons, including showing the death of 1883‘s James Dutton (Tim McGraw) in Yellowstone season 5. Yellowstone also showed Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) visions through Native American rituals. However, 1923‘s finale is the first time the Yellowstone franchise utilized a time jump flash forward and showed the afterlife, and both centered on Spencer and his eternal love for Alex.

How Long Spencer Dutton Lives In 1923

Spencer Runs The Yellowstone For 45 Years After 1923 Ends

1923‘s season 2 finale establishes that Spencer Dutton dies at 80 years old, and he lives for 45 years after Alex dies on March 29, 1924, just three days shy of her 24th birthday. Spencer was not in 1883 because he was born in 1889, six years after the death of Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) prompted James to settle the family in Montana. Elsa’s climactic narration in 1923‘s finale establishes that “45 years” after Alex died, “my young brother joined her, ” which means Spencer died in 1969.

1923‘s final moments show the dying Spencer making his way to the Dutton family graveyard and laying himself to rest at Alex’s tombstone. Spencer dying at 80 is comparable to his uncle, Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford), who was 80 years old at the end of 1923 season 2. It’s not clear how much longer Jacob lives after 1923‘s conclusion, but Spencer doesn’t quite match his uncle’s longevity, though Spencer is certainly among the longest-surviving Dutton males Yellowstone has recorded.

Spencer Is John Dutton III’s Grandfather In Yellowstone

1923 Answers Two Big Yellowstone Mysteries

Jack Dutton’s (Darren Mann) shocking death in 1923 season 2, episode 6, “The Mountain Teeth of Monsters,” answered one mystery from Yellowstone. Since Jack died at a tragically young age, by process of elimination, it left Spencer as the grandfather of John Dutton III (Kevin Costner). In Yellowstone season 4, John told Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) that his grandfather lost his leg and suffered from “phantom pain.” Old Spencer’s gait in 1923‘s finale bears out that he had a prosthetic leg when he died.

1923‘s ending is also the origin of John Dutton II, who is the father of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III in Yellowstone. John II is the son of Spencer and Alex Dutton who was born prematurely at six months. Alex sacrificed her own life to give her son a fighting chance at survival, and John II was raised by Spencer, Jacob, and Cara Dutton at the Yellowstone. In Yellowstone season 2, the old John Dutton II is played by Dabney Coleman, and he dies sometime in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Spencer’s 1923 Ending Leaves Behind Big Unanswered Questions

Will Spencer Return In 1944?

Spencer Dutton’s death leads to the first time the Yellowstone franchise has depicted the afterlife, as Spencer and Alex are reunited in their version of heaven. Spencer and Alex are young and beautiful, and they are together in the grand ballroom of the British ocean liner they sailed on in 1923 season 1. 1923 ends on a heartwarming and romantic note as Spencer and Alex get the happy ending they were denied in the mortal world, but there are questions about Spencer left behind by Elsa Dutton’s narration:

Spencer never remarried. Took the comfort of a widow and made another boy, refused to marry her. And one day, the widow was gone. For Spencer, her memory didn’t fade, didn’t fray at the edges, and didn’t dull. Not one. Alexandra Dutton was born on April Fool’s Day, 1901, in Oxfordshire, England, and laid to rest March 29, 1924. When old age robbed him of his memories, he simply closed his eyes and dreamed up new ones. And 45 years later, my young brother joined her.

Who was Spencer’s second son with an unnamed widow, and what happened to him? How will Spencer lose his leg, and when? What kind of father was Spencer to John, and was his son “a horrible child,” like Alex says she was? Further, what challenges did Spencer face running the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, especially after Jacob and Cara passed away? It’s unknown if Brandon Sklenar will reprise Spencer in Taylor Sheridan’s next Yellowstone prequel, 1944, but Spencer’s story after 1923 is bound to continue since we know he lives until 1969.