Few things in this world rival the beauty at the Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch in Montana. From breathtaking sunsets to mountain ranges that look hand painted — there are pieces of perfection sprinkled around the ranch. Paramount’s Yellowstone highlights a lot of the majestic beauty of ranch life.
It also shines a light on the drama, destruction, and disruption that can happen when you’ve got a family name like Dutton. The Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch has belonged to the family for generations, but that idea causes a lot of strife for them.
Nothing is as straightforward as the Duttons would hope when it comes to owning the land; it seems that the name on the ranch poses more problems than solutions for the family. People are always after the Duttons; their very name seems to make those around them want to challenge them constantly.
Sometimes their adversaries decide to take the idea of a fight and turn it into a physical promise. Still, after four seasons of the gripping television drama, we know that’s not the brightest idea.
However, many still want to challenge the Dutton family, and to do so is almost to sign a death certificate themselves. From the blood relations to the branded, the Duttons are a fierce and loyal group; if you mess with one of them, you mess with all of them.
When someone challenges the Duttons, a few things might happen. One extreme is arguably pleasant — they experience a brutal beatdown that makes them question their existence. From there, they’re liable to move away, assume a new identity, and never cross the borders of Montana again.
The other extreme is a ride to the train station. Yep, the Yellowstone-Dutton Express itself. The train station has taken some big names in Yellowstone on a one-way ride, most recently, Garrett Randall. While the train station has already checked the tickets of several Dutton foes, some still exist.
We anticipate the train will be rolling again in season 5, with higher stakes than ever before. So who might take a ride next season? Who would we like to see with a one-way ticket? Let’s take a look.
Who might be heading to the train station
The thing about the train station is that it’s always accepting new passengers. If someone wrongs the Duttons, it doesn’t take long for them to find their name on a one-way ticket out of town, for good.
While they’ve got some long-standing enemies that have yet to be removed entirely, new foes are always lurking. With season 5, John Dutton is preparing to take on a new role, and taking that path will provide new adversaries for the family.
The train cars at the Yellowstone train station are getting a little lonely, and it’s about time for a new set of final rides.
Caroline Warner, one of the newest enemies of the Duttons, is all but begging to be taken to the train station. CEO of Market Equities, she’s got nothing good on the horizon.
Jamie Dutton is riding a very thin line between someone the Duttons are willing to protect and someone who is becoming a liability. After losing one son already, we don’t see John rushing to take Jamie to the train station, but if he doesn’t clean up his act soon, he might end up with a ticket, whether the patriarch of the family knows it or not.
Walker has done penance where the Duttons are concerned, but lest we forget that he was already promised a trip to the train station, one that he lucked out of. A loyal ranch hand, he does wear the brand, and he’s been easier to tolerate as of late, but he’s also let the Duttons know there’s not a whole level of trust there.
When you’re playing games as big as the Duttons play with enemies as powerful as those who hate them, you have to be willing to devote yourself to team Dutton fully. We’re still not entirely convinced that Walker isn’t going to end up at the train station one day — but it does seem they have bigger fish to fry right now.
With big losses happening in seasons 3 and 4 where bad guys are concerned, it’s entirely possible that we have yet to meet the next person who will take that long lonely ride, but audiences will know it when they do.
There’s an unmistakable look in the eyes of those who betray the Duttons, and long-time fans have figured it out by now.
Where is the train station in Yellowstone
The train station is both a physical place and a symbolic one. If you were to find the train station, you wouldn’t see a bustling group of passengers with rolling suitcases and excited looks on their faces.
If the day ever came that you happened upon the train station, you’d see nothing more than an extra chunk of the road off the main path, just wide enough to pull a truck over, perhaps one with the Yellowstone logo, and toss someone out of it.
That’s right; the train station is a piece of land that’s actually got a fascinating backstory of lawlessness, a jury of peers that can’t exist, and an area where you could — quite literally — get away with murder.
The Duttons have taken that idea and made it something they rely on in dire circumstances, so far — it’s worked out for them, but we’re only in season 4. Who knows what the future will hold. The new teaser trailer for the upcoming season promises that “all will be revealed,” and that promise is as eerie as it is exciting.
If these characters go to the train station — we’ll riot
Most Yellowstone fans have the same list of characters they hope never to see harm happen to. The Dutton family (for the most part) should stay far away from the station, as should the ranch hands we know and love. Those who have sworn friendship and loyalty to the Duttons are people we’d hate to see on that one-way ride, too.
While we could build a lengthy list of people we hope to never see in the truck with Kayce, Rip, or Lloyd; these are the top 3 who aren’t branded but have become bonded to viewers everywhere.
Lynelle Perry
Lynelle Perry might be stepping down as governor, but she’s not ready to leave the Yellowstone family just yet. Recently promoted to series regular, Wendy Moniz keeps her character alive and well in the exciting fifth season.
While she’s certainly ruffled some feathers during her time in Yellowstone, she’s also carved out a piece of John Dutton’s heart. Their bond is something fans have grown to love and want more of.
John has suffered a lot of loss in his life, he carries a lot of weight on his broad shoulders, and it would be a total shame for him to lose someone he cares about. We’re putting it out into the universe that Perry is someone who has an extended stay at the Yellowstone Dutton ranch.
Mo
Mo is Chief Thomas Rainwater’s right-hand man and a breath of fresh air within the series. He started off billed as Rainwater’s driver, but it didn’t take long for audiences to realize that he was a lot more than that.
He is a confidant for Rainwater, someone the chief can trust and rely on. He’s strong, resilient, and has a kindness about him that extends to anyone who needs it. That’s not to say that he isn’t ready to go to war to protect those he cares for, but he’s also willing to stop for a moment and see the other side of the coin.
Mo has told Rainwater that he doesn’t make decisions, but his input is always valued. Mo might not feel that his reach is quite as wide as it is, but we have a feeling that without him, it would be a much different show.
Chief Thomas Rainwater
Chief Thomas Rainwater is as brave as he is powerful and someone who has a tribe to protect and look after. When we first met him, he was at odds with John Dutton, and while they’re very different as people, they have some similar ideas.
In a chat with Jefferson White on The Official Yellowstone Podcast, Gil Birmingham said that his relationship with Dutton is certainly an ever-changing one, but he’s realized how important it is for them to work together.
“I think the way I see Thomas, he has this understanding that he’s not going to be able to outfight John Dutton even though he has these pending forces trying to take the land. But culturally speaking, I was just reading John Trudell, a great Native poet. And it’s about thinking clearly and coherently, using our intelligence. So I think Thomas is approaching it in terms of out-thinking the forces. You’re not going to have the resources to go up against what John Dutton has. But we can make alliances and we can go up against the people that are just really – that want to…monetize the land. And neither one of us want that.”
Putting their differences aside to work together promises a better future for both of them and the people they love most. The series would be missing a critical character if Rainwater were to perish.
You can see the characters you love and loathe in the first four seasons of Yellowstone on Peacock now, and don’t forget the exciting fifth season premieres on Nov. 13 on Paramount.