'1923' Season 1 Recap And Summary: Story So Far

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel series, 1923, is a tale of two families, the Rainwaters and the Duttons, trying to survive against all odds in the wild lands of Montana. There are laws, but only to protect the rich, the affluent, and the religious White. Some ten years after the events of 1883, the family patriarch, James Dillard Dutton, died on the ranch, leaving his wife, Margaret, and two sons, John Sr. and Spencer, behind. After James’ death, Margaret wrote a letter to his brother, Jacob “Jake” Dutton and asked him to come out West to save her family from extinction. In 1894, Jake and his wife, Cara, hurriedly arrived in Montana, only to find Margaret frozen to death and her two sons starved and unable to speak. Cara, who’d never had children, raised Margaret’s sons as her own while Jake turned his brother’s dream into an empire until another tragedy struck the family some 30 years later in 1923.

Spoiler Alert

A World in Chaos

It is said nothing remains the same after a prolonged period of violence, and even the valleys of Montana couldn’t protect itself from the aftermath of World War 1. It’d been a tragic year for the shepherds and cattlemen as locusts ate the grass in the valley, and there was nothing left for the flock. The ranchers couldn’t sell their livestock because the world didn’t need surplus beef anymore. The soldiers came home, and they started growing their own food rather than buying it at the highly inflated market rates. As said, nothing was the same after the war, and the world was slowly drifting towards the Great Depression.

An Enemy in the Herd

In the midst of such chaos, Jake, being the commissioner of the livestock association, came across a shepherd, Banner Creighton, whose flock was killed while they were grazing on another man’s lease. Banner wanted compensation for the lost livestock, but Jake held Banner responsible for letting his sheep eat another man’s grass, especially during such a calamity. This was when Banner tried to threaten Jake in the middle of the street and even broke down the fences on his ranch at night to graze his sheep. Things escalated further, and one of Banner’s men ended up firing a shot at Jake’s grandnephew and John Sr.’s only son, Jack. In order to teach Banner and his crooks a much needed lesson and strike fear into the hearts of the shepherds, Jake tried to hang these culprits from the tree and handed his entire flock over to the people of the Broken Rock Reservation. Jake believed that after the incident, Banner or his men wouldn’t dare to cross any other rancher again, but the humiliation only filled Banner with an undying rage, and he swore vengeance on the whole Dutton family.

Banner kills John Sr.

Soon after Banner returned from the mountains, he quickly gathered a small army and opened fire on the Dutton family while they were returning from the city. John Sr. died on the spot while Jake suffered severe bullet wounds that forced his wife, Cara, to take up the reins of the family and steer them through the peril. John Sr.’s wife, Emma, couldn’t bear the loss of her husband and shot herself dead soon after the tragedy struck the family. Meanwhile, Jack’s love interest and future wife, Elizabeth, was shot in the abdomen, which likely caused a miscarriage a few months later. Jake was bedridden and couldn’t move. Cara wanted to take him to the hospital or at least inform Sheriff William McDowell about the attack on the family. However, Jake asked her not to share the tragic news with anyone, as it would only make the ranch vulnerable to banks, miners, and thieves who wouldn’t let the family grieve in peace and would be knocking on their door frequently to steal their lands from them. In order to twist the knife in further, Banner stole half of their cattle. Jack wanted to retaliate, but Jake told Cara that he wasn’t ready to start a war, not until Spencer arrived in town.

Spencer Meets Alex in Africa

Jake’s nephew and John Sr.’s youngest brother, Spencer, who’d served in the army, had been struggling with his own demons. He couldn’t move past his memories of the First World War and was still haunted by the loss of life on the battlefield. After the war ended, Spencer started killing man-eaters for a living and became a famed hunter… the American with a gun who feared none. In Africa, Spencer came across a British aristocrat, Alexandra, a noblewoman who was head over heels for the American war hero. It was quite obvious that Alex didn’t want to lead a boring life in closed off chambers, and wanted something out of life which only a hunter like Spencer could have offered. This was the reason why Alex, who was already engaged to Young Arthur, son of the Earl of Sussex, ran away to Tanganyika with Spencer.

Cara Writes a Letter to Spencer

Throughout the years, Cara had written numerous letters to Spencer, though, struggling with his own demons, Spencer couldn’t gather the strength to read his aunt’s letters. However, Alex convinced Spencer to face the horrors with her by his side, and together they read all the letters Cara had written in the past 2 years, only to find out in the end that Spencer’s brother was dead, and his uncle was soon to follow. Spencer’s world came crashing down as soon as he got the tragic news that had ruined his entire family, and he quickly packed his bags to venture on a journey back home to save what was left of it. Alex decided to tag along, and the couple got married on a boat after facing a devastating accident in the middle of the sea.

Banner Joined Hands With Donald Whitfield

Banner didn’t just want to kill Jake Dutton for humiliating him in public and trying to hang him from a tree; he wanted to erase the Dutton name from the valley and take everything he once held dear. He wanted to force the family off their land so he could take over the Yellowstone ranch and run it as his own, but for that he needed financial support, which only a shrewd businessman, Donald Whitfield, could provide. Whitfield knew that the Paradise Valley was filled with gold deposits and other valuable minerals, which Jake Dutton wouldn’t let him mine because he loved the land too much. This was the reason why Whitfield funded Banner’s greedy crusade against the Duttons so he could take over the land and give him the lease to those mountains, thereby allowing him to mine wherever he wanted.

After his recovery, Jake even tried to avenge his nephew’s death, but before he could walk further down the path of vengeance, Cara informed Sheriff William about Banner’s crime and got him arrested from his new house, gifted to him by none other than Whitfield. It was obvious that Whitfield wouldn’t let any harm befall his new minion, which was why, even after his arrest, Whitfield’s lawyer bailed Banner out and prepared him for the second round against the Duttons. Cara knew Jake wasn’t strong enough to survive another attack, and her family didn’t have the means to resist Banner’s wrath, which was why she was constantly trying to contact Spencer, the ravaged wolf, who was the only hope the family was left with.

Spencer and Alex Get Separated

Spencer and Alex survived the accident at sea and reached Italy, where they boarded a ship, named the Majestic, bound for London. Alex spotted her ex-fiancé and his family boarding the same ship and asked Spencer if they could choose another vessel, as she feared a clash between them would be inevitable. However, Spencer didn’t have many options at his disposal, and he was already on the clock as his aunt was eagerly waiting for his arrival, which was why he asked Alex to remain in their quarters for the entirety of the journey to avoid any contact with her fiancé or his family. However, while on the ship, Alex decided to dine in the grand hall, and that’s when Young Aurthur, jealous of Alex’s new lover, got all heated up and challenged him to a duel. It was evident that Arthur was no match for the mighty Spencer, yet the young noble tried to save his honor, which eventually cost him his life. Spencer threw Arthur off the ship when he pulled a pistol and charged him. It was obvious that Spencer acted in self-defense, but the Earl of Sussex, who had lost his son, couldn’t be reasoned with. He used his authority and asked the ship’s captain to throw the American out of the vessel. They escorted Spencer out of the ship on a dinghy while Alex was remanded in her quarters. Alex’s friend, Jennifer, tried to help her out so she could meet Spencer one last time, but it was too late. From the deck, she screamed her lungs out telling Spencer that she would come to meet him in Bozeman, Montana, and even though Spencer couldn’t reply, it was obvious that he would wait for the love of his life till his death. However, before that, he had some pressing matters to attend to on his family ranch, which couldn’t wait anymore. The enemy had been approaching the Duttons from all sides, and any delay could cost Spencer the remainder of his family.

Whitfield Strikes A Final Blow

Even though the market had collapsed after the war ended, Jake Dutton did everything he could to keep the land debt-free. However, due to the attack on the family in the previous year and the ongoing recession, the family didn’t have much income at hand to pay the property tax. Whitfield knew all about the family’s financial condition, in which he saw an opportunity to take over the Yellowstone ranch. He made the payment on Jake’s behalf, and now the latter owed him a hefty debt. If Jake failed to repay the debt before the end of the year, then the deed to the ranch would revert to Whitfield, and the Duttons would likely be forced off their land. It seemed like, at this point, Jake wouldn’t have any other option but to mortgage his land so that he would have a chance to save it from falling into the hands of lecherous men like Whitfield.

The Story of Teonna Rainwater

In addition to the aforementioned characters, 1923 also introduced us to a young girl, Teonna, a Native American studying in a Catholic boarding school in North Dakota. It was suggested that Father Renaud, the headmaster, was nothing less than a monster hiding behind a cross, who would go to any lengths to “educate” and “civilize” the Indians. His hatred and prejudice for the Crow community and the indigenous people had been quite evident from the very beginning of the show, but no matter how evil he might be, he couldn’t tame the rebellious spirit of Teonna. In the still of the night, she sneaked into Sister Mary’s room and killed her, along with the nun who had raped her. She ran away from the school, and Renaud quickly sent three men after her to bring her back to the school. He even reported the two murders to the authorities.

Teonna’s grandmother, Issaxche Rainwater, had been trying to bring her granddaughter back from Indian school so she could get an admission in the day school and live close to the family, but the authorities wouldn’t let her take her granddaughter in. From time to time, the series underlined that the colonizers would try to divide the Native Americans so that they could rule over them, but young rebels like Teonna refused to submit to their tyranny. The two officers knocked on Issaxche’s door and killed the old woman, soon after which her son, Runs, Teonna’s father and the chief of the Broken Rock Reservation, swore to take revenge on the culprits and protect his daughter at all costs.

After her escape, Teonna came across Hank, a Native American grazing sheep a few miles near the school. Hank knew Teonna’s father and therefore took the young woman under his care to protect her from the monsters hunting her down. He brought her to Red Creek, where Renaud’s men found her and tried to take her back to the school, which was when Hank shot them down. However, while trying to protect Teonna, Hank was killed by one of the priests, and Teonna didn’t know what to do next. Fortunately, her father, Runs, found her, and along with Hank’s son, Pete, the trio decided to ride towards Wyoming while the authorities were still looking for them.

Season 2 Will Continue The Story

The second and last season of 1923 will further follow the stories of this bunch of characters, especially the members of the two families, who are trying to survive in the wild lands, which indeed look peaceful from afar, but the reality is not what it seems. I believe, as soon as Dutton’s last hope, Spencer, arrives home, he will take revenge against Banner for his brother’s death and stop Whitfield from taking over the Yellowstone Ranch. Meanwhile, Teonna might lose her father in the clash with the authorities and end up leading the Broken Rock Reservation. Her story cannot conclude without the death of Renaud, who had taken countless lives and brutally murdered all those innocent young girls at the boarding school in the name of education. With that said, I am hopeful that the second season of 1923 is going to be much more interesting than its predecessor, especially when we know what’s at stake.

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