Marshals Episode 4: Kayce Dutton Finds A Surrogate John Dutton In Yellowstone Spin-Off

"Marshals" episode 4 sees Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton rescue a man whose helicopter crashed on a remote mountain. While the stranded Montanan is initially made out to be yet another greedy land-grabber, the likes of which John Dutton (Kevin Costner) would have hated, he's ultimately revealed to be a more benevolent version of Kayce's late father.

So, basically, another episode of "Marshals," another new show entirely. The "Yellowstone" spin-off's third episode proved this show has no idea what it's about, and episode 4 doesn't make things any clearer. Instead, we get a plot that involves Kayce's past almost catching up to him, the revelation that there's a "serial bomber" roaming the Montana wildlands, Logan Marshall-Green's Pete Calvin dropping a bombshell, and new villain Randall Clegg (Michael Cudlitz) pulling the strings behind the scenes. That's to say nothing of a major storyline that has Kayce meeting a man who almost feels like an alternate timeline John Dutton.

On "Yellowstone," the Dutton patriarch was both ruthless and sensitive. He was loyal to those who stayed loyal to him, and in scenes with his grandson, Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill), radiated a calm, nurturing aura. But he was also just a downright brutal at times, offing his enemies without a second thought and orchestrating some of the worst deeds committed by any character on "Yellowstone." That ultimately proved too poisonous for Kayce and his family, who removed themselves from the Dutton legacy by the end of the series, selling the Yellowstone ranch and seemingly moving on to a quieter life.

That's all changed with "Marshals," wherein Kayce is facing a host of new problems as a U.S. Marshal. But at least it appears he's finally found the father figure he never had on "Yellowstone" in the form of transplant rancher Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey).

"Marshals" started by killing a controversial "Yellowstone" character off-screen, revealing that Kayce Dutton's wife, Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille), died before the spin-off's debut episode. It wasn't the best start to Kayce's new life of quietude. The Dutton scion had long tried to flee his family's shadow and seemingly did so after John Dutton's controversial death, selling the ranch and riding off into the sunset with his wife and son in one of the best endings for any character on "Yellowstone."

But as Brett Cullen's Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Harry Gifford puts it during an early episode of "Marshals," "Duttons are born with dysfunction in their blood." Thus far, Kayce has struggled to prove his new boss wrong, but in episode 4, he meets a man who offers an alternative vision of how his life could, and still might, play out.

The episode sees Kayce and Pete "Cal" Calvin help the Forest Service with a rescue mission to locate the downed helicopter of local rancher Tom Weaver. The California transplant pivoted from stocks to ranching when he moved to Montana and founded the Weaver ranch. Prior to finding the chopper, however, Kayce dismisses Weaver as an outsider who "bought a big chunk of land and thinks that makes him king of the valley." Cal then suggests that Weaver is "doing a bad impression of [Kayce's] dad," to which Kayce replies, "or a good one." It's implied here that Weaver is basically John Dutton 2.0. But as the episode goes on, we see that Weaver might be a more evolved form of the late Dutton patriarch.

When Kayce Dutton and Pete Calvin find Tom Weaver, Kayce chastises him for taking his helicopter out in high winds, which ultimately resulted in the death of his pilot, Helen. But Weaver quickly reveals himself to be a kind and thoughtful man. Not only does he explain how he's trying to make his ranch into something more than a stock portfolio to leave his family, he also asks to keep his dead pilot's wedding ring so he can deliver it to her widow personally. This, Kayce claims, reminds him of a kind act carried out by his own father, and in this instance, episode 4 of "Marshals" recalls one of the most heartbreaking moments from "Yellowstone." Later, after Kayce saves Tom, the rancher provides his savior with ranch hands to help him tend his East Camp land.

At first, "Marshals" episode 4 appeared to be using Tom as a way for the specter of John Dutton to haunt Kayce — complete with a helicopter branded with his ranch insignia. But he's ultimately revealed to be a man who embodies John's best characteristics, and he's perhaps the man Kayce always wanted his father to be. With Tom's ranch hands working at East Camp, it seems we might be seeing more of this benevolent rancher in the near future. For now, then, it seems Kayve might have finally found some sort of peace amid the chaos, bonding with a man who could easily become some sort of surrogate father to the troubled Dutton. Either that or "Marshals" will pull a classic Taylor Sheridan move and reveal Tom as some sort of scheming manipulator down the road.

"Marshals" is currently streaming on Paramount+.