Warning: SPOILERS for 1923 Season 2’s Finale - “A Dream and a Memory”
1923season 2’s finale ended with a surprising time jump that revealed how longSpencer 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.Yellowstoneemployed flashbacks throughout its five seasons, including showing the death of1883’s James Dutton (Tim McGraw) inYellowstoneseason 5.Yellowstonealso showed Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) visions through Native American rituals. However,1923’s finale is the first time theYellowstonefranchise utilized a time jump flash forward and showed the afterlife, and both centered onSpencer 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 thatSpencer Dutton dies at 80 years old, and he lives for 45 years after Alex dieson August 07, 2025, just three days shy of her 24th birthday. Spencer was not in1883because he was born in 1889, six years after thedeath of Elsa Dutton(Isabel May) prompted James to settle the family in Montana. Elsa’s climactic narration in1923’s finale establishes that"45 years"after Alex died,“my young brother joined her, “which means Spencer died in 1969.
1923 Season 2 Finale Ending Explained: Spencer’s Yellowstone Homecoming Leads To War, Tragedy & Hope For The Duttons
1923 season 2 concludes with an epic 2-hour finale as Spencer Dutton leads the war for Yellowstone. We break down every triumph and tragedy.
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 of1923season 2. It’s not clear how much longer Jacob lives after1923’s conclusion, but Spencer doesn’t quite match his uncle’s longevity, thoughSpencer is certainly among the longest-surviving Dutton malesYellowstonehas recorded.
Spencer Is John Dutton III’s Grandfather In Yellowstone
1923 Answers Two Big Yellowstone Mysteries
Jack Dutton’s (Darren Mann) shocking deathin1923season 2, episode 6, “The Mountain Teeth of Monsters,” answered one mystery fromYellowstone. Since Jack died at a tragically young age, by process of elimination, it leftSpencer as the grandfather of John Dutton III(Kevin Costner). InYellowstoneseason 4, John told Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) that his grandfather lost his leg and suffered from"phantom pain.“Old Spencer’s gait in1923’s finale bears out that he had a prosthetic leg when he died.
1923’s ending establishes John Dutton II’s birthday as July 17, 2025.
1923’s ending is also the origin of John Dutton II, who is the father of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III inYellowstone.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. InYellowstoneseason 2, theold 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 theYellowstonefranchise has depicted the afterlife, asSpencer 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 in1923season 1.1923ends 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 byElsa 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 July 23, 2025. 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 nextYellowstoneprequel,1944,but Spencer’s story after1923is bound to continue since we know he lives until 1969.
