The Yellowstone origin stories continue on Paramount+, with the latest from creator Taylor Sheridan, 1923. In it, the Dutton family navigates pandemics, the end of prohibition, and the Great Depression, while they fight to maintain their land and way of life. Sheridan is a terrific storyteller, and his reputation and successful track record afford him the opportunity to work with just about anyone in Hollywood. That notion is fully on display with this project, which includes the talents of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren among its impressive cast.
Due to the large time gaps between which each series takes place, typically only the familiar score of Brian Tyler, beautiful landscapes, and last names serve as connecting threads. There is one exception this time, which is revealed early on, as Isabel May who played the role of Elsa Dutton in 1883, provides narration following a powerful opening featuring Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren, The Queen) surviving a harrowing ordeal – a moment the show will ultimately build to.
Elsa’s narration helps to establish some of what has befallen the Duttons since settling their ranch in Montana. As shown in a flashback on Yellowstone, James (Tim McGraw, The Blind Side) was fatally wounded pursuing horse thieves, and according to the narration, his wife Margaret (Faith Hill, The Stepford Wives) passed soon after in a blizzard. Their two surviving sons, which are now grown in 1923, John Dutton Sr (James Badge Dale, Iron Man 3) and Spencer (Brandon Sklenar, Westworld) were found and rescued by James’ brother Jacob (Harrison Ford, Star Wars: A New Hope). He and his wife Cara remained on the ranch to raise them.
Within the first two episodes, Director Ben Richardson brings to life 3 very different stories, each operating at a different scale in terms of scope and focus. In Montana, the primary emphasis is on a conflict between sheep herders led by Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn, Game of Thrones) and cattle ranchers, represented by Jacob. A long closeup of Ford’s face, covered in dust, establishes that locusts have torn through the land, destroying fields that the livestock depends on for food. It also establishes the strength and reverence Ford still commands in any role.
As sheep are driven onto other’s property looking for grass, it leads to disputes, which can be de-escalated by the Sheriff (Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgement Day) while in town. But once Banner doesn’t heed Jacob’s warnings and takes his sheep up to the mountains of the Yellowstone, as well as threatens his nephew Jack (Darren Mann, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), there is no room left for a peaceful resolution. Meanwhile back at the Yellowstone, the Dutton women Cara and Emma (Marley Shelton, Scream) enlighten Jack’s fiancé Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph, The Resort) about the life she’s chosen by marrying into the family.
Also, in Montana, one of the great atrocities of our country is playing out at a Catholic boarding school for Indigenous American youth. The horrific and sadly realistic scenes depicting mental and physical abuse being carried out by Sister Mary (Jennifer Ehle, Pride and Prejudice) and Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities) against Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves, V/H/S/99) are extremely difficult to watch.
Sheridan has never been afraid to write about dark and depressing topics in his shows and films, but there is a difficult balance between wanting to depict the persecution that accompanied colonization, which is important to understand, and going too far. No matter how you see things, viewers should certainly be aware of the uncomfortable nature of this storyline. Difficulty aside, the performances of those involved must be commended as they elicit very strong feelings of sadness and anger. No matter what else happens in the show, we need this all to be building toward the ultimate payoff and complete retribution for Teonna.
The third storyline of 1923 focuses on Spencer Dutton and seems like an entirely different series, primarily due to its setting. Following the horrors of service in World War I, Spencer has earned a reputation as a war hero, and prolific hunter, and elects to forgo life at the Yellowstone, instead traveling across Africa, paid to provide protection from big cats and other dangerous animals. Fans of the 1996 Val Kilmer-led film, The Ghost and the Darkness, will draw easy comparisons in its similar story and tone.
This serves as the most exhilarating and interesting portion of the show through its first two episodes. Spencer is a fiercely intense character, portrayed brilliantly as such by Sklenar as his life is in danger for the vast majority of his screen time. That includes an especially well-done flashback sequence to the war, where Spencer is overrun by enemy soldiers and unable to retreat with the rest of his unit due to a broken leg. He stands his ground there, as he does in Africa when charged by lions and leopards. Future flashbacks will likely flesh out how he survived that ordeal and earned his perceived notoriety.
As we have painfully learned, love stories rarely work out for the Duttons in these Sheridan-written sagas, perhaps all sacrificed so that Beth and Rip can endure in Yellowstone. Along with Jack and Elizabeth, who seem too sweet and innocent for this world, Episode 2 “Nature’s Empty Throne” introduces us to Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer, The Politician), who becomes immediately enamored with Spencer and the life of adventure that he could provide in contrast with that of her pending marriage. Future episodes will determine the fate of both relationships, but if 1883 was any indication, it’s best not to get too attached.
Each prequel series advances the stakes of John Dutton’s struggle to maintain the Yellowstone in the present day, and Ford delivers an excellent summation in 1923 of what each series is about at its core explaining that man will try and take what you built, rather than try and build it for themselves. Their fear of you needs to be bigger than their greed, and clearly, a healthy fear of the Duttons has been earned. There is a lot to love about 1923 early on with three starkly different stories to choose from, but when they begin to converge, most likely towards the end of the first of two planned seasons, it has the potential to far surpass its predecessor.
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