Paramount+’s 1923 marks the third installment in the Yellowstone franchise and is basically a sequel to the prequel. Episode one introduces a new generation of Duttons, with Harrison Ford starring as Jacob Dutton. Jacob’s the older brother of James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw in 1883. Oscar winner Helen Mirren stars as Jacob’s wife, Cara, and James Badge Dale is John Dutton Sr, son of James and Margaret (Faith Hill). John’s brother, Spencer, is played by Brandon Sklenar, and when 1923 catches up with him, he’s far from the Yellowstone Ranch.
The first episode, airing on December 18, 2022, reveals life on the ranch wasn’t any easier back in the ‘20s, with the combination of locusts and sheepherders destroying grazing land and killing off cattle. Episode one also confirms the Duttons have always been fiercely loyal to their family and incredibly protective of their land.
And now to the recap and yes, there are SPOILERS AHEAD. (You’ve been warned!)
The episode opens with Cara following an injured and armed man through the woods. He pleads for his life, but after a brief exchange regarding the prospects of getting into heaven, Cara shoots him dead. She throws back her head and screams.
1883 viewers will instantly recognize a familiar voice narrating the tale of the Duttons. 1883’s Elsa Dutton (played by Isabel May) tells us violence has always haunted her family, following them no matter what country they call home. “Where it doesn’t follow, we hunt it down. We seek it,” says Elsa.
And speaking of violence, the next Dutton introduced is stalking a lion in Africa. An elephant wanders behind Spencer Dutton and he doesn’t flinch, and instead stays focused on the bushes. The lion leaps from the underbrush and Spencer fires his rifle.
For a brief moment, it appears the lion moved faster than Spencer. Fortunately, that’s not the case.
Spencer’s pinned under the lion’s massive dead body when his two friends arrive. Apparently, he was tracking this specific lion in his position as a gun-for-hire. After the encounter ends, Spencer gazes out over the plains where zebra peacefully graze.
Elsa informs us that of her dad’s two brothers, only one lived to see his children grow up.
Fast-forward to Harrison Ford as Jacob, the only brother to survive into his senior years.
Jacob’s upset over the deaths of many of his cattle due to the plague of locusts. As Jacob looks at his fallen cattle, Elsa tells us her mother, Margaret, wrote to James’ brother Jacob and asked him to bring his family to Montana and save her family.
It took a year for Jacob to arrive at the Yellowstone ranch and when he did, he found Margaret frozen to death and her two boys starving. Jacob stepped in and raised the boys (Spencer and John Sr.) and also took over running the Yellowstone Rranch.
“[He] made it into an empire, and then the empire crumbled,” says Elsa.
Jacob and his men ride through town, past a heavyweight boxing match and women holding signs in support of prohibition outside of a business that’s calling itself a soda shop. Jacob heads in, pointing out to the leader of the protest that it’s not a bar. The woman reminds him the sign above the brothel claims it’s a dance hall.
Jacob and John Dutton Sr. grab a seat at the bar, and Sheriff McDowell (Robert Patrick) and Jacob engage in a conversation about sheepherders who’ve gotten themselves into trouble for trespassing. Sheriff McDowell doesn’t have enough deputies to tamp down the sheepherders’ anger, and he’s worried about bloodshed.
Jacob (the Livestock Commissioner) and Sheriff McDowell lead the crowd of lawmen over to the town hall where Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) delivers an impassioned speech in support of his fellow sheepherders. A cattle rancher has killed their sheep, and Banner wants someone to pay.
Scottish-born Banner blames the Irish, and a fight breaks out between the rival groups. Sheriff McDowell manages to quiet the crowd by shooting into the air. Banner doesn’t back down and is certain Jacob and the men in charge know exactly who killed the sheep. After all, their bodies were found on their killer’s land.
Jacob has no sympathy for the man’s deceased sheep, pointing out the sheep ruined the field and now the rancher’s cattle will likely die of starvation.
Jacob lays down the law. No one will graze in the valley. The only grass available now will be in the mountains until it rains. If that doesn’t work, then Banner will need to sell his sheep.
Banner’s enraged because there’s no one around to buy the sheep. Meanwhile, Jacob has a whole mountain range – the land, the lease, and everything.
“I have what my family fought for!” says Jacob, advising Banner that if he wanted more land, he should have leased more.
It’s a contentious meeting that ends without the sheepherders getting any satisfaction. Banner and his men wait outside for Jacob, and Banner wants Jacob to keep in mind that not just cattlemen belong to the Montana Livestock Association. Banner’s also a member and wants the rules to be applied equally.
Jacob suggests Banner brought this on himself and needs to take his sheep into the mountains. Banner doesn’t see that as a solution since bears will feast on his sheep.
When Jacob turns his back, Banner tries to grab him. John holds him back and Jacob doesn’t care that Banner’s got more men. Jacob’s only concern is Banner, and he holds his pistol under the sheepherder’s neck.
Sheriff McDowell warns Banner that if he goes after Jacob again, he’ll spend a month in jail. Jacob isn’t ready to end this fight and reminds Banner that grazing on another rancher’s land is equal to stealing the man’s cattle.
With one battle under his belt, Jacob joins a meeting of the Montana Livestock Association. Prices of beef have fallen, and one of the reasons is that the war’s over. Men have returned to their farms and ranches, and families no longer need to buy someone else’s beef.
The ranchers discuss the best place to graze, and Jacob thinks they should push the herds together and take them to higher ground. Bears and wolves will bother them, and they’ll need lots of cowboys to babysit the herds.
Jacob won’t charge the ranchers for using his land, but they’ll need to contract hay. Some of the cattle are weak and Jacob promises they’ll push them slowly. This is an extraordinarily difficult year because of the locusts, but no year is ever easy.
Back at the ranch, foreman Zane Davis (Brian Geraghty) watches as John Dutton Sr’s son Jack (Darren Mann) attempts to break a horse in the ring. Cara’s worried Jack’s going to get himself killed a week before his wedding. She’s also worried that Jacob and the men aren’t home yet. Zane volunteers to take some men and ride out to meet Jacob.
There’s a bit of good-natured teasing as Cara reminds Jack that a cast won’t go over well with his bride. Jack’s not worried at all. (He’s a real charmer with a 1000-watt smile! I’m guessing he’s a handful.)
Over at the government school for Native Americans, Sister Mary (Jennifer Ehle) is abusing her power as she teaches the girls about making soap. She continues to slap poor Teonna Rainwater’s hand until, finally, the girl’s had enough. (Teonna is apparently a relative of Yellowstone’s Thomas Rainwater.) Teonna (Aminah Nieves) fights back and is taken before the school’s headmaster, Father Renaud (Sebastian Roche).
Sister Mary’s got a bloody nose but refuses to admit she provoked the attack. When Teonna explains what she said wrong that caused Sister Mary to slap her hands repeatedly, Father Renaud takes Teonna’s side. He forces Sister Mary to recite a verse and brutally slaps her hands as she does so, yelling as Sister Mary blubbers.
Teonna begs Father Renaud to stop, and he suggests perhaps Teonna should be the teacher. He sympathizes with Teonna but reminds her she can’t lash out or else everyone will lash out.
She’s viciously whipped for striking Sister Mary as Father Renaud says he has compassion but not mercy.
Later that day, the students are ordered to take baths while Sister Mary walks them through each step. Teonna’s in so much pain she can barely move, and whimpers in her bathtub.
The students are given specific instructions on how to wrap the towels around their bodies and exit the tubs. Sister Mary even walks them through how to dry off.
Once they’re clean, the nuns inspect each girl. Sister Mary takes it upon herself to inspect Teonna, and Teonna won’t meet her eyes. Sister Mary doesn’t react when Teonna turns her back and removes her towel. Blood flows from the multiple lash wounds.
Sister Mary and Teonna come to an understanding that they need to steer clear of Father Renaud’s office from now on.
Teonna’s forced to mop up the blood and then later in bed she whispers to her friend. Baapuxti (Leenah Robinson) thinks they can hold on for one more year and then they’ll be allowed to leave school. But Teonna doesn’t believe their friends and cousins who have already left have survived. They all swore they would write and none have.
Teonna is certain they never made it home.
Back at the ranch, Cara waits anxiously on the porch for any sign of Jacob. Finally, she sees the men approach and counts every head as they ride up. They’ve all returned safe, and she breathes a sigh of relief.
Jacob orders Zane to prepare the herd for a move in two days. John points out that timeline means Jack will miss his own wedding. Jack refuses to be left out of the cattle drive since it’s his job, and Jacob thinks the only workable option is to postpone the wedding a week. They can’t postpone the drive.
Jack says he’ll tell his bride that’s how it has to be, and that earns a chuckle from John. “You tell her just like that, son. I want to see how that goes over,” says John. Jacob agrees and thinks if Jack takes that approach, there will never be a wedding.
Jacob’s going to talk it over with “the boss” first and get her opinion.
Jacob crawls into bed with Cara and warns her that the Temperance Society will be writing her a letter. He then fills her in on the need to move the herd, and her first thought is of the wedding. Jacob explains no one can make the wedding since the whole valley will be pushing the cattle. Cara says she’ll talk to the girl’s mom about postponing the ceremony.
Jacob thinks Jack can handle delivering that news, and Cara’s incredulous. The wedding is for the woman. If it were left to men, the ceremony would be spitting in their hands followed by a handshake and sex.
The following day, Jack breaks the news to his fiancée, Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph), and she doesn’t take it well even though she’s the daughter of a rancher. Elizabeth suggests he marry a cow and spend his honeymoon with it since cows are more important than her.
Cara shows up right after that conversation and Jack explains what he said. Cara promises to sort things out and sends Jack home before he says something else stupid and gets into more trouble.
Elizabeth settles down enough to listen to what Cara has to say. Although Elizabeth’s a rancher’s daughter, she went away to school and isn’t used to this way of life. Cara warns her if she marries a cattleman, then she can expect him to miss every important event if it conflicts with the herd’s needs. And she can forget about him being around if it’s calving season. Plus, she will be expected to pitch in to help the cattle.
It’s a hard life, but Cara promises she’ll be free in a way most people can’t see. However, she needs to want the life and the boy – not just the boy. The cattle will always come first for a rancher.
Elizabeth promises she’ll learn the life because she is deeply in love with Jack.
Jack’s already gone, and Cara agrees to take Elizabeth to see him. Elizabeth spots him in the field and jumps out of the wagon, racing to Jack who’s riding like the wind toward her. They kiss as Elizabeth’s dad, Bob (Tim DeKay), expresses his displeasure over the display to Jacob. Jacob suggests Bob shouldn’t worry about that and shouldn’t worry if their first baby comes less than nine months after the wedding.
Night’s falling as the cowboys prepare to move the cattle.
The sheepherders are also on the move, driving a massive flock until they reach Jacob’s fence line. Banner’s shocked to see a fence so far out and has his men cut it open. He’s unwilling to let his sheep die if there’s grass available to graze that’s not being used by cattle.
With 20 minutes left in the episode, the action switches back to Africa and, specifically, a train station in Nairobi. Spencer’s asleep on board, reliving a battle he fought in the Great War.
The flashback shows a particularly brutal battle in which an injury made it impossible for Spencer to keep up with the rest of his unit. He had to stand his ground and even engage in hand-to-hand combat. He was stabbed but managed to get off a shot before his enemy could finish him off.
A porter wakes him, and Spencer reacts by pulling his gun on the poor man. Spencer apologizes, confessing he doesn’t “wake well.”
Spencer makes his way to a camp that’s being plagued by a leopard that’s repeatedly attempted to kill the guests. The man in charge wants to move his guests to a river camp, but Spencer prefers they remain where they are. If they move, they’re taking away the leopard’s bait. Once a leopard has a taste for human flesh, that’s what it craves.
The man in charge obviously disagrees.
Spencer’s requested that his tent be set up far from the rest of the group. He’s going to use himself and his two friends as bait. The man in charge walks away in disgust when Spencer urinates on his tent.
A short while later, Spencer makes small talk with a pretty female guest. He drinks nearly a pot of coffee with his dinner, determined to stay awake in case the leopard returns.
After dinner, Spencer returns to his tent where his friends – and goats – are hunkered down for the night. He warns the men to stay in the tent because the English might start shooting at anything that moves.
Back on the Yellowstone, Jacob and the cowboys move the herd as the sun’s beginning to set. (It’s an absolutely gorgeous scene.)
At the ranch, Cara, Elizabeth, and John Sr’s wife, Emma (Marley Shelton), eat dinner in silence. When Cara and Emma clear the plates, Elizabeth begins sobbing.
Day breaks and the herds from nearby ranches are beginning to merge as they’re driven further up into the mountains. John confirms they’ve never taken the cattle this high, and Jack’s anxious to rope a bear – not shoot one.
Jack rides up a little further and finds the field full of sheep feasting on the grass. He spots a man on horseback in the middle of the flock and before he can react, the man shoots at him.
Cara and Emma spend the morning feeding and looking after the horses. They admit they’re worried about the men being out for at least a week…probably two. But they’re cowboys – that’s what they do.
When Cara’s alone, she takes a break and writes a letter to Spencer. She tells him about the locust and the drought, and explains his uncle and brother are pushing the herd into the mountains in search of greener pastures. She also notes they postponed Jack’s wedding.
Cara confesses that when it’s busy, her mind is occupied, and she can forget he’s not there. But now that it’s quiet, she thinks of him and wonders why he won’t come home to them.
Spencer’s out in the bush keeping watch on the tents. He spots the pretty woman from dinner out to relieve herself but doesn’t see the moment the leopard sneaks up and attacks her. He’s got her pinned to the ground when Spencer hears something in camp.
Spencer moves toward the leopard as inside his tent, his friends discover there are not one but two leopards!
Spencer spots the leopard in the tree, eating the woman. He kills it but is too late to save its victim.
One of his friends screams, “Spencer, there are two!” Spencer turns just as the second leopard launches its attack.
And that’s a wrap on the first episode of 1923. The second Yellowstone prequel’s off to a solid start, and the cast is absolutely terrific. It seems there’s enough meat on the bones of this prequel to make sticking around for its short season worthwhile.
- 1883 Season 1 Episode 10 Recap: “This Is Not Your Heaven” Season Finale
- Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 1 Recap: “One Hundred Years is Nothing”
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