I’m simultaneously speechless and bursting at the seams with thoughts about 1923 Season 1 Episode 3.
The first two episodes of 1923 Season 1 were all over the map, quite literally. There was so much happening that it was difficult to invest in much.
“The War Has Come Home” finally brought two stories together in an exciting, unexpected fashion.
The most significant improvement to the show comes from cutting away from Teonna Rainwater. There may come an episode much like this one that will tie her story into the overall narrative, but for now, it only takes away from Duttons’ story.
As I’ve said before, it’s a story that deserves to be told, but it should come the same way we’ll be revisiting 1883 with the Bass Reeves Story. The Rainwater legacy is worthy of an entire series dedicated to its telling.
By the end of 1923 Season 1 Episode 2, everyone was on board with Spencer Dutton’s tale in Africa, and the addition of heiress Alexandra offered new possibilities.
Those possibilities paid off tenfold, as the two create a passionate love story that matches some of the best TV has had to offer. Taylor Sheridan has a knack for these tales, and Spencer and Alex will be sorely missed when this chapter comes to a close.
From the moment their eyes met, they spotted kindred spirits, but how they weathered their latest adventure seals them as a love story for the ages.
Although she knows the dangers of safari in Africa, Alex feels safe at Spencer’s side. It was a feeling put to the test when their afternoon drive turned into a fight for survival.
Even their flippant conversations convey the depth of their feelings for one another.
Alexandra: Well, if it was that hard to ask about a nickname, I won’t hold my breath for a proposal.
Spencer: Proposal?
Alexandra: I must say, you appeared much smarter at the bar. A marriage proposal. I won’t hold my breath.
Spencer: Hell, I’ll ask you that right now. [she laughs] I mean it.
Alexandra: I think this affair might need to mature beyond a day.
Spencer: Why? What for? Are you worried there’s things about me you might not like? I can promise you there’s plenty.
Alexandra: I didn’t hear a question.
Spencer: Marry me.
Alexandra: That’s a statement.
Spencer: It’s a demand.
Alexandra: You Americans are brutes.
Spencer: Yes, mam.
Alexandra: I will. I’ll marry you. Now I would like to see these footprints from the dawn of man. Unless you need to cross naming our children off the list, as well.
Spencer: We should give it some thought. [she laughs]
They ran to the edge of the nearest cliff, joined hands, and jumped into unknown waters for both of them. Alex thought she was kidding about marrying Spencer, but Spencer called her bluff beautifully.
I’m rather sad that they are not the beginning of the Yellowstone ancestral line, but their spirit has surely passed down regardless.
We’ve seen Dutton women die horrible deaths, so every move Spencer and Alex made had me catching my breath in anticipation of the danger that was sure to come.
Their daring to leave the camp seemed like a recipe for disaster, and we were not disappointed.
The scenes were elegantly crafted, alerting us to danger on the horizon as the elephants scurried across the road. But instead of the hyenas Spencer was there to hunt emerging from the trees in their wake, an elephant rampaged on their vehicle, leaving them without protection or escape.
Alex: I must admit, I had a different vision of how I would do it in. [they chuckle] It’s not funny.
Spencer: Darlin, there are not words to describe the pickle we just found ourselves in.
Alex: Is it bad?
Spencer: We need a higher tree.
Alex: This is the highest tree around.
Spencer: That’s the pickle.
You could see the fear in Alex’s eyes as she pondered their plight, but she was gamely trading barbs with Spencer mere moments before the pride of lions stepped in to feast on the fallen elephant.
To be honest, seeing animals killed hurts me to the core, so there was a flash of indifference when the lions started munching on their discovered meal. If you know anything about elephants, you know they are incredibly family-oriented, and thinking of the pain they will feel as a result of that death is a gut punch.
Of course, Spencer had no choice but to act to save their lives, and it feels a little better knowing that even though he’s been making a living killing bloodthirsty animals, he at least respects them.
The outrageous circumstances worked to cement the connection between Alex and Spencer, so we’ll call it a win.
Alex: I looked death in the eye, and I didn’t feel alive, Spencer. I only felt horror.
Spencer: But you felt. I never said it would be any fun. I just said you’d feel.
Alex: I don’t want to feel like that. Do you understand me? I don’t ever want to feel like that again.
Spencer: For a long time, that was the only way I could feel ’til I met you. I don’t ever want to feel that way again, either.
Alex: It’s settled then. Tomorrow you’ll find a new job.
Spencer: Honey, that wasn’t my job. That was just you and me taking a drive in the country.
Alex: Perhaps I should alter my perspective. The price of making love under the sun twice a day is being attacked by a pride of lions.
Spencer: Three times. The day’s not over yet.
Thankfully, their union brought Spencer to a different point in his life. He can feel again. He’s feeling love, but he’s about to be mired in pain, too.
When Alex was teasing Spencer about crawling out of the American wilds, going to America was the furthest thing from her mind. But after tragedy struck at the Yellowstone, Spencer — and his fiancee with him — is being called home.
Spencer has been fighting imaginary and furry enemies. Jacob Dutton and the rest of the Dutton family have been fighting a much more tangible force.
Stories of the wild rest were littered with tales of vengeance. What Jacob did to Banner and his cohorts for trespassing on his land to feed his sheep was vengeful. He should have known that it would create severe consequences for the ranch and his loved ones.
In his soliloquy in the previous episode, Jacob hoped that what he’d done would instill a fear so deep in Banner and his men that they’d never try anything similar again. Instead, he roused an evil that couldn’t be easily stopped.
In the Taylor Sheridan Universe, you know that if people get the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company, there’s a good chance their delight will be short-lived.
The whole ranch took a day to visit Boseman, not really a city, according to Elizabeth. But they got a whiff of what the future would hold with electricity, electric washing machines, and refrigerators — the promise of a more leisurely existence that never fully transpired in the wake of those marvels.
We’ve barely had a handful of scenes with Jacob and Cara, so it was fun seeing their playful side as she accurately posited that greed would change the world, and he wondered aloud how he became the old man in the mirror. It’s a ghastly discovery for all of us, but better than the alternative.
Elizabeth and Jack are working hard to match the passion Spencer and Alex share, but before this hour, they were so young and carefree that it didn’t come close.
The freedom Boseman offered the young lovers took their love up a notch, and they made love for the first time.
Elizabeth: My plan was a beguiling pose on the bed. I fumbled the moment, I’m afraid.
Jack: You haven’t fumbled anything.
It’s so funny what people think is sexy versus what really is sexy. Elizabeth looked positively radiant while struggling to get out of her onesie, leaving the front open just enough to entice Jack inside.
Sadly, that will likely be the last truly carefree moment of their young lives, as the reverie was interrupted when Banner’s men attacked the family on their way home, holding nothing back, gleefully shooting even at the women.
It’s hard to imagine the recovery from this tragedy.
It was practically otherworldly how they were attacked with so little regard for those who had done nothing to deserve it. Not even thinking of the Duttons for a moment, how does Banner reconcile what he’s done with his home life and forging a new path in America?
Taking vengeance on people heavily engaged in the odd fights of the American west is one thing, but pulling out a mob-style weapon you’re more sure to see on the streets of Chicago for the Valentine’s Day massacre to brutally cut down the enemy and everyone he loves is something else.
It’s the tie-in where Cara releases her pain the only way she can, by hunting down one of the men and ending his life, giving into a primal scream.
We know why John Sr. was such a nonentity on the show. It was no use getting to know him well when he’d be struck down like that. But Elizabeth, too, has been hit, and I couldn’t tell, but Jack seemed to be injured, too.
Nothing stopped him from protecting those he loved, and he was all the family left to do the job after John and Jacob hit the ground.
Harrison Ford hasn’t had a lot to do, either, but we aren’t yet sure if Jacob is dead.
Spencer must come home now. Get him home. Cara, get him home.
Jacob
It’s unlikely he’ll survive, but I suspect he could have a protracted death similar to Elsa’s. At the very least, the doctor arrived in time, but after being riddled with bullets, one in his side near vital organs, survival is a longshot.
Emma was stuck numb at the loss of her husband. She wandered right into the fray without fear or purpose. She just moved without thinking. When they arrived home, the injured were rushed into the house for aid, but Emma stayed in the wagon with her husband, neither joining him nor looking back.
They’ve all known about the dangers of the west, and as it becomes more difficult to survive, the strongest will live, and the weak will die. That’s why Jacob didn’t want the sheriff called. The last thing they need to do is announce they’re left without strong leadership.
It’s also why he demanded Cara write to Spencer. He’s been fighting actual and internal wars for a long time. Now he’s got one with a purpose closer to his heart.
Spencer, your brother has been killed. By the time you receive this letter, I suppose your uncle has been killed, as well. Your nephew has been wounded. This ranch and your legacy are in peril. War has descended upon this place and your family. Whatever war you fight within yourself must wait. You must come home and fight this one.
Cara [in writing]
This is the episode that changes everything that was established.
Spencer and Alex’s African adventures will come to a close. Spencer and Elizabeth won’t have the wedding of her dreams. Cara likely lost her husband, and Emma’s heart has been shredded.
What seemed like a silly battle over land rights has devolved into something primal, and the blood spilled on the Yellowstone will increase as the roaring 20s continue.
We were romanced, thrilled, and blindsided by the action during “The War Has Come Home.” Finally, knowing what comes next is crucial.
How do you feel about 1923 after this daring hour? Please share your thoughts below in the comments.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.