Yellowstone fans have pointed out a major plot hole that ruins John Dutton’s idea to protect the ranch.
Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton’s attempt to save the ranch doesn’t actually make sense, according to fans of the Western drama.
From day one, it has been the mission of John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner) to ensure no one gets their hands on Yellowstone, especially any developers wanting to build on the land.
So far, he has been able to keep rivals at bay and in the latest series, John put the ranch under a conservation easement which limits uses of the land in order to protect it.
This means that the ranch would no longer be valuable to developers given the fact that they wouldn’t be able to build their desired projects.
But fans of the Paramount Network series have taken to Reddit, many scratching their heads as they claim that this wouldn’t benefit the Dutton family.
Kickstarting the thread, a user states: “John has put the land into a conservation easement.
“How is that such a threat to the ranch? John did it to protect the ranch.”
One fan then went on to comment: “The conservation trust is great from the standpoint of saving the land but the Duttons don’t have the cash to continue to live there since a conservation trust means you can’t do squat to the land.”
Another wrote: “Yeah if you start thinking about how a conservation trust or easement actually works, a lot of the plots crumble.
“I mean, I’m pretending I even know what the plot is anymore. I’m not sure I do.”
But others have clarified that by having the easement in place, it does not only protect the land but benefits the Duttons financially.
A fellow Reddit user explained: “My understanding is that the land cannot be developed. It will remain a cattle ranch and owned by the Duttons.
“They can sell it but the buyer has to maintain it as a ranch or get approval from the Land Trust to change the purpose of the land.
“The idea is that it can never be developed therefore the value of the land decreases significantly and the taxes go down.
“The land is only as valuable as the cattle ranch and the money that brings in.”
Of course, there is still going to be plenty of trouble ahead as it has been confirmed John won’t be in the remaining episodes.
Actor Costner quit the show due to conflicting schedules with his upcoming Horizon Western movie saga.
This means that an offscreen exit for John is needed but how will the rest of the family cope with his absence and is the Yellowstone ranch going to be able to survive without him?
Yellowstone is available to watch on Paramount Network.
