The Yellowstone Character Only Fans Notice Is Missing From Season 4

Season 4 of "Yellowstone" is here, and the question on everyone's minds is: Who was behind the attack on the Dutton family?

As fans remember all too well, several Duttons almost saw their lives flash before their eyes as a coordinated attack took place during the Season 3 finale to take out John (Kevin Costner), Beth (Kelly Reilly), and Kayce (Luke Grimes) within a short span of time. It took fans nearly a year between seasons to learn that everyone made it out of the incident alive, which is a miraculous feat in its own right. Now, if only they could figure out who tried to kill them, they could go back to all of the drama that usually surrounds their ranch.

However, that's not the only question fans have about the Season 3 finale incident. There's one character who was involved in the attacks, albeit in a far more innocuous manner, who's yet to return for Season 4 in any capacity. It's left fans with some burning questions that demand some more information.

John Dutton was put into a precarious position in the Season 3 finale when he pulled over to the side of the road to help a mother and her young son, who were stranded on the side of the road. While he had good intentions, it put him directly in the line of fire of his assailant. Fortunately, John survived the encounter by the skin of his teeth, but some fans are wondering why we haven't seen the young boy whom John assisted. 

Redditor u/BeachJackson started a thread pondering that exact thing, writing, "So, on the final episode of Season 3...you see John Dutton helping a lady change her car tire. He sends her son off to find the lug nuts he left out where he took a leak by the fence. Blue van shows up, shoots John, shoots lady. BUT, my question is: what happened to her son??? Did I miss something??" So far in Season 4, we've received no information about whether the boy suffered any injuries or made it out of the encounter unscathed. More than likely, the writers found a way to get the boy out of the line of fire so that they wouldn't have to address it. After all, "Yellowstone" can be a dark show, but having a kid get shot may have been a step too far.

Fans were quick to offer their theories on where the boy is now, but ultimately, it seems like a dangling plot thread that will remain unaddressed. After all, there's plenty of drama with the Duttons that the audience really doesn't need extra collateral damage thrown into the mix.