Episode 3 of “1923” ended in a ravaging manner. The Dutton family, along with the Stafford family, were ambushed by Banner Creighton and his men as an act of revenge for executing their men without any trial. Jacob Dutton and his family were returning from the town, and they were expecting an attack but not this soon. Jacob is gravely wounded; his brother John has died, and Jack and Elizabeth are wounded too. Cara and Emma are in a physical and mental state of shock, having seen how the tide turned against them so quickly. Will Jacob survive the ambush? This is a bigger question, for he is the patriarch of the family. His death would mean the end of the Yellowstone ranch in the state of Montana. But does he survive? War and the Turquoise Tide is all about the Dutton family getting a hold of the situation and retaliating smartly.
Spoilers Ahead
The Aftermath Of The Ambush
Cara begins to clean the kitchen, where the bodies were kept for surgical purposes. Cara cannot fathom looking at so much blood in her room. She did not expect things to fall apart the way they did. But Cara knows she must remain strong and smart to make sure she can save the ranch from another calamity going forward. Cara cries her lungs out only once to let her pain out. She goes to conduct the rest of the chores required to run the household and the ranch, which is an important task keeping in mind the tragedies that have struck their family.
Cara asks the men at her ranch to send a letter to Spencer via mail. She insists on not sending it through the wire because the news of Jacob’s death will spread like wildfire, and she does not want that to happen. If the state learns of his death, all their enemies will find a reason to pounce on the ranch and tear it apart like a piece of meat. Banner’s men and sheep herders will come, all guns blazing, to take over the ranch. Though the letter might reach late, the news in town won’t spread. Jacob survived the attack, but there is a long road ahead to recovery. Jack and Elizabeth are recovering as well. Elizabeth’s mother shows up at the ranch to take care of her daughter. She makes it clear that her daughter’s wedding has been called off since the day her father died at the ambush. She does not intend to leave her daughter on this ranch and tries to force her to move back to Boston. Elizabeth chooses to stay back with Jack, and Cara respects her choice. Though her mother insists on taking her daughter back, Cara makes it clear that the girl’s choice is always the final choice at Yellowstone Ranch. Cara was not sure if Elizabeth would want to stay back after the traumatic experience she went through. She is happy that Jack and Elizabeth can now live the life they always wanted. Cara has now formally taken charge of all the activities on the ranch. Though she feels powerless, she knows she must take the reins to make sure the Dutton family is not erased from history.
Banner Creighton regrouped with his men to talk about further action to be taken against the Duttons. He is told that they don’t have the money or the men to fight this war. Banner has a proposition for a mining industrialist who will help him fight his war with the Duttons. He approaches the said industrialist and informs him of Jacob Dutton’s death. The industrialist believes this to be true and asks Banner what he wants from him. Banner makes it clear that he wants money and men to fight this war, and in return, once he has the Yellowstone Ranch under his thumb, the industrialist will be given all the rights to mine the ranch for silver, gold, and coal. Banner rubs on the industrialist’s ego by offering him a platter of money in the form of allowing him to dig up valuable minerals. Banner was aware this trick would work in his favor. This industrialist had never been allowed to mine in Yellowstone because of Jacob’s authority in the state. Now that Jacob is supposedly gone, the path is clear for people like him to jump on the opportunity that comes their way. Banner got his way to get close to the Yellowstone Ranch. The man is intrigued by Banner’s offer, but he is smart and offers to lend him money to find the men for fighting this war. Banner will be forever grateful as he marches to further destroy the Dutton Ranch. Banner and his men stole all the cattle, which belonged not only to the Yellowstone ranch but to other ranches as well. Banner is on the warpath against the Duttons, while his aim remains to take over Yellowstone now that Jacob is dead, as per the news he has received. He believes the support of the mining industrialist will help him throw money at people to be on his side. So far, his plan is working well.
Spencer And Alexandra Are Living The African Dream
It is not clear if Alexandra and Spencer got married. They are having the time of their lives in Africa as they move from coast to coast, enjoying a part of the continent that not many talk about. Spencer is not a hunter anymore, and Alexandra is glad he has stopped chasing danger. As they enjoy the pristine, clear waters of the African coast, they become more connected and intimate as the days go by. They visit secluded islands in the pursuit of exploring various facets of their relationship. Alexandra and Spencer love being in each other’s company. They make a promise never to stop chasing adventures, even when they grow old. Spencer has never felt this calm and quiet in his life. He is a product of a generation that served in the Great War. Spencer talks about how he was deeply affected by what he saw during his time in the army. Alexandra makes it clear that war leads to many irreplaceable losses; she lost her brother to it. They both agree to disagree but decide to live life with different opinions and learn to live with them while loving one another forever.
Teonna Is The Rebel
Teonna is still a part of the convent that is mistreating Native American women. The nuns are spewing lies about their background and culture and forcing them to embrace Catholicism. As Teonna witnesses another woman being beaten nonstop, she takes it upon herself to punish the nun. Teonna is wrecking the nun in retaliation for hurting her friends. The nuns again resort to beating Teonna black and blue. Sister Alice takes charge of making sure Teonna is controlled and brought under their thumb by relentlessly beating her with a wooden stick. The whole point of this convent is to erase the fact that Native Americans, their culture, gods, and rituals have to be destroyed, and they should embrace Christianity and accept Jesus Christ as their savior. Teonna is unbreakable at this point, but finally unable to bear the pain, she asks them to save her and help her. Teonna probably has a game plan behind the fake mercy call she made. Teonna is not someone who has given up on her identity so far. Sister Alice and other nuns were to cut Teonna’s hair as a step towards her giving up her culture. A steel loofah is used for a bath, and Teonna is destroyed beyond recognition. Teonna did not want things to go this way, but she surely had a game plan to make sure she survived this torture every girl goes through in the name of religious conversion.
‘1923’ Episode 4: Ending Explained: Does Spencer Read The Letter Sent By Cara? What Is Cara’s Game Plan To Counterattack Banner?
Cara is informed of the cattle that have been stolen from the eastern side of the ranch. Jack is angered by this move made by Banner and decides to follow them to Wyoming to bring the cattle back. Cara sternly asks him not to act hastily, as he might lose his life by making such ill-considered decisions. Banner and his men know the Duttons are angry, and Banner believes they will attack them just for the sake of revenge, which will eventually fall flat. Cara is thinking ten steps ahead and stops Jack from leaving the ranch. She has a word with Jacob, who asks her to take over as the leader of the ranch and make decisions on his behalf. He asks Cara to let the cattle go and keep things quiet till Spencer shows up. Jack is angry at the fact that Cara was given the power to make decisions now. She politely asks him to confirm the same with Jacob. Cara is happy to have the power to make decisions. Banner, on the other hand, believes that since the ranch is now run by women, they won’t have the strength to withstand the army that he will bring along with them. Banner and his sheep herders underestimate Cara at this point, and the war has just begun. Cara is asked to take Jacob’s seat at the livestock conference. Cara is joined by other men from the ranch who wholeheartedly support her. Cara makes an appearance and reveals that she is taking Jacob’s seat, for he is headed to Wyoming to deal with cattle thieves. Banner is rattled by the fact that Jacob might still be alive, but he shows no reaction on his face. If Jacob is indeed alive, the mining industrialist will not just pull out his money but will kill Banner, his family, and his men. Banner is sure Cara is not telling the truth and that this is just a Dutton trick to agitate him and his men.
Cara puts forward a proposal, signed by Jacob, to create a police force across the state so that cattle thieves and murderers can be captured. The said proposal will be sent to the state governor for approval if this party gives them a majority. Banner and his men oppose the move, while the majority is in favor of the creation of the police force. The motion is passed. Banner walks away from the conference since he knows the plan did not work the way he wanted it to. Banner is shaken, for he did not anticipate Dutton to retaliate covertly. Cara finally reveals to her men that the police force was her idea, and she had forged Jacob’s signature on it. This was her way of putting Banner on the back foot, which worked in her favor. Banner confronts her, claiming that she lied about Jacob’s survival. Cara asks him how and why he would know if the man were alive or not. It does not serve any purpose for him. She knows Banner will never publicly acknowledge attacking Dutton, which would mean the police would go after him. Cara’s silence and Banner’s silence about the matter make it awkward for Banner to go ahead with his plans to take over the Yellowstone Ranch. Cara knew Banner never expected a woman would make such a bold move.
Teonna finally decides to run away from the convent. Her friend Baapuxti asks her not to leave, for they will send her to jail. Teonna is least bothered by the consequences of her actions at this point. She fills her pillowcase with the bibles in the bedroom and heads to Sister Alice’s room. Teonna smashes Alice’s face with the bibles in the pillowcase and starts reciting chants in her native language, in which she talks about how important her land and her language are. Teonna will live and die on this land as a native, not as a Christian. She chokes Sister Alice to death and burns her face with a hot wooden ruler. Sister Alice, the convent, and their methods of eradicating the Native American culture are one of the many things that the Catholic Church conducted in the heart of the USA to make sure Native Americans forgot their legacy and embraced the Lord Jesus as their savior. Teonna’s fight for survival is like Cara’s fight for survival. By every means, they will take back what is theirs.
Alexandra comes across plenty of unread letters from Cara Dutton during their trip. She assumes it is Spencer’s old girlfriend, but he reveals she is his aunt living in Montana. He chose not to open the letters because these were a gateway to staying alive, which was peaceful, away from the war and kept them warm. He did not want to fall into that pit because war is the reality, and the letters they receive are a fraction of the life they want to live away from the bombing. Alexandra insists on reading the letters one by one, as she intends to get rid of his demons. She wants him to face his demons once and for all so that he feels at peace. As she starts reading letters, she finds out a lot about his family. Alexandra is very happy to know his family is equally adventurous as she is. They keep reading the letters until dawn when she comes across the latest letter sent by Cara. She reads out the letter with utmost pain, which informs him of his brother’s death and the grave injuries faced by his uncle and nephew. He is told the letter was sent three months ago. Alexandra is now aware they will be packing their bags for a long, grueling journey to the United States of America. Spencer is wracked with guilt for not opening this letter for months. He has no choice but to head to Montana to take care of his family and the ranch. Spencer knows this is his calling.
Theories
Episode five of “1923” will mostly cover the journey Alexandra and Spencer are about to take from Africa to reach their destination, Montana. Spencer knows there won’t be any time for him to settle down. He will have to join the war as soon as he reaches the location. Cara and the rest of the family will be happy to have him back and have him take charge of them. Cara will not make any hasty decisions that will affect the daily workings of the ranch until Spencer is back. She will try her level best to keep Banner at bay. Banner expected to face Jack Dutton, but he underestimated Cara Dutton. Will he take any wrong steps based on his emotions? We will have to watch the next episode of “1923” to learn more.
Conclusion
War and the Turquoise Tide is a perfect extension of the previous episode of “1923.” The calmness that engulfs the Yellowstone ranch is proof of the fact that they mean to retaliate smartly. Writer Taylor Sheridan and director Ben Richardson put out a wonderful episode packed with great dialogue, scenes, camerawork, and performances. So far, “1923” is a riveting watch, something that shouldn’t be missed.
