Marshals Season 2 May Finally Give An Overlooked Yellowstone Character A Real Storyline
by Joe Roberts · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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"Marshals" has been flirting with giving Brecken Merrill's Tate Dutton a storyline for a while. Every now and then the show seems to be forging ahead with an arc for this "Yellowstone" alum only to pull back and leave us wondering why he's in the series at all. Season 2, Episode 2, "End of Watch," once again suggests "Marshals" is actually interested in Kayce Dutton's son, but whether this will go anywhere remains to be seen.
"Marshals" Season 1 struggled to figure out what it was actually about, balancing so many characters and storylines that it ultimately ended up being a very confused and confusing experience. In many ways, the writers are hamstrung by the network procedural format, which requires they introduce and solve a new case every week. But when you have an expansive new ensemble to get to know and a lead character with considerable "Yellowstone" baggage to unpack, effectively executing the whole case-of-the-week thing becomes very difficult.
As such, Tate has mostly been lost in the shuffle, despite being a character whose inner life sort of demands exploration. "Marshals" began by killing off Kelsey Asbille's Monica Dutton, Tate's mother, later explaining that the character passed away from cancer due to a mine polluting the land on which she lived with Kayce and Tate. That's a heck of an emotional blow for her son, who has already been through the wringer thanks to Taylor Sheridan's merciless pen on "Yellowstone." You'd think "Marshals" might want to explore how this has affected him, and in "End of Watch" we get the sense that such a thing just might happen.
Tate Dutton pays a visit to John Dutton's grave in Marshals
"Marshals" Season 1 ended with Tate Dutton being taken captive by evil rancher Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey). In the Season 2 premiere, we learn that Weaver sent armed men to Kayce Dutton's home to assassinate Gil Birmingham's Chief Thomas Rainwater. That all ended with Tate shooting the intruder in what was yet another traumatic event that could have acted as a catalyst to explore Tate's psyche. At the time, it looked as though "Marshals" was finally giving Tate a storyline but it felt a little too late.
Season 2, Episode 2 once again feels vaguely interested in the Dutton scion after mostly overlooking his experience in Season 1. Having rained hell on Tom Weaver in the otherwise disappointing "Marshals" Season 2 premiere, Kayce managed to rescue Tate and bring him home. Episode 2 sees Kayce install new security measures on his property to try to prevent anyone getting close to his son again. He then goes searching for Tate, before finding him by the grave of John Dutton.
It seems the troubled teen is reflecting on things following his ordeal with Tom Weaver. "Mr. Weaver was evil," he tells Kayce. "I can't believe I thought he was anything like grandpa." But Kayce knows John Dutton had more Tom Weaver in him than Tate realizes. He also knows that, simply by virtue of being a Dutton, Tate's experience with Weaver won't be his last ordeal. "Our family legacy was never about land," he says. "It was about always having to fight. It takes a heavy toll, son." But it seems Tate is actually glad to be part of the Dutton legacy. "Good thing I'm strong," he replies. "Because you and grandpa raised me to be. It's the Dutton way."
Will Marshals finally explore Tate Dutton as a character?
Tate Dutton believing in "the Dutton way" is an interesting idea that the writers could exploit. As fans know, "the Dutton way" typically only brings violence and tragedy, and Kayce Dutton clearly wants to protect his son from such things. There's a tension there that could yield an emotionally resonant storyline for Tate as his father tries to steer him away from a legacy he's determined to uphold. The question is, will the writers stick with it?
Later in the episode, Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos) asks Kayce if everything is okay with Tate, and references his previous kidnapping in "Yellowstone" when she says, "I know something happened like this when he was younger." Kayce essentially tells her that he believes Tate will have a delayed reaction to his latest kidnapping. Again, that would make for an interesting Tate storyline — but will we see it?
The rest of the episode hints at Kayce's concerns about being a good father to his son and his conflicting feelings about his own father. But it only serves to remind us that the show has little time to actually focus on the human drama when its otherwise forced to tell a case-of-the-week story — which in this instance at least involves a thematically relevant father-son sniper duo.
Hopefully, "Marshals" will actually succeed in giving Tate a storyline in Season 2, à la Carter Dutton (Finn Little) in "Dutton Ranch." There's so much to mine with this "Yellowstone" alum it would be a shame to gloss over his experience again. But with so much going on in "Marshals" it's going to be tough to keep any sort of meaningful focus on him, his relationship with Kayce, and how John Dutton's legacy continues to affect the characters of "Marshals."