The baby in 1923 Season 2 isn’t who you think it is 

The 1923 Season 2 finale finally introduces one of the most important babies in the Dutton family tree, but you might be thinking he’s another John altogether. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)

By the time the 1923 finale rolled around, there were two babies on the way: Alex’s and Liz’s. But in the final episode, we only saw one being born, and that was Alex and Spencer’s son.

It finally solves one of the biggest Yellowstone mysteries in the entire timeline, and although it comes at a cost (we’re still recovering from Alex’s upsetting death), it could mean big things for the future of the franchise.

So, who is the baby at the end of the prequel series, and why is he such a big deal?

Who is the baby in 1923?

The baby born in 1923 Season 2 – Alex and Spencer’s son – is John Dutton II.

No, that’s not Kevin Costner’s John. There are three John Duttons within the Yellowstone timeline, and that’s John I (Spencer’s brother, who died in 1923 Season 1), John II (the father of Kevin Costner’s character), and John III, who Costner plays.

Alex gives birth to the second John, and names him after Spencer’s brother following his death a year earlier.

John II is born prematurely, and the doctors advise Alex that he’s unlikely to live. However, it’s Alex who dies, refusing to have life-saving surgery and opting to birth the baby instead.

John II is only six months old when he’s born, but he manages to survive, and is later seen in Cara’s arms on the ranch while she’s feeding him goat’s milk.

Needless to say, without John II, we’d never have John Dutton III, making him a very important part of the Dutton puzzle.

In the main Yellowstone series, we witness his dying moments as an old man, when John III takes him up into the mountains and has a heart to heart with him before he passes away in his arms.

How many sons does Spencer have?

Spencer has two sons: John Dutton II, and another boy who we don’t meet but are told about through Elsa’s closing narration in the finale.

This is a surprise, since nobody in the Yellowstone timeline has ever mentioned John Dutton III having an uncle.

Paramount

But Elsa tells us that while Spencer never remarried, he took up with a widow who later gave him another son. We don’t get a name, but don’t forget, there are two gravestones in the Dutton plot whose names don’t match anyone we’ve ever met (Chance and Ned Dutton!).

While we don’t get more information than that, it’s likely John Dutton II and his brother will become the central characters of the upcoming spinoff, 1944.

For more, check out our guide to the best TV shows to watch if you love Taylor Sheridan. And if you want to see what’s ahead, take a look at what we know about 6666 and The Madison.