Episode seven of “1923” ended with Alexandra facing her ex-fiancé, Arthur, and his family. Banner Creighton is finally arrested, and Cara is worried Jacob will act upon his emotions. Thankfully, he doesn’t. But he surely gives all of them a piece of advice on how the stronger party in politics always hunts the weakest when the time is right. This is what Don Whitfield is doing, and so is Jacob Dutton, to protect his family. Teonna is discovered by the priests from the convent, but she ends up killing all of them in self-defense. Her father is also on his way to rescue her and probably takes her further away to make sure she is not pursued by the convent. Her father rescues Hanks son, the man who was hosting Teonna, and makes sure he stays alive to take him to reunite with his daughter.
With many loose ends to be tied up by “1923” season finale, episode eight, “Nothing Left To Lose,” with a running time of one hour and seventeen minutes, will make the audience long for more. What are Alexandra, Spencer, the rest of the Dutton family in Montana, and Teonna Rainwater destined for?
Spoilers Ahead
Teonna’s Rescue
Teonna is holed up in the place where she was rescued by Hanks, the Native American sheep herder who was unfortunately killed by the men from the convent. Teonna, to save herself, killed them as an act of self-defense. As the cold is setting in, Teonna hides in the room, only to be rescued by her father and Pete, her now-deceased host’s Hanks son. Pete and Teonna become fast friends, and Pete somehow gets the pain she has gone through so that she can stay alive. Her father warns both of them not to fall in love because they have a tough road ahead to save themselves from the ruthless convent people. Teonna rebels against her father and makes it clear that she survived and that she will not stop herself from falling in love with Pete. Teonna and Pete feel they are destined for each other. They have faced extreme adversity and cannot seem to stop falling in love. They are not sure if they will make it to their destination and might as well take up the strenuous journey as people in love. Teonna ends up breaking down on Pete’s lap while she revisits all the trauma she faced in the convent. Only Pete seems to acknowledge and accept her pain. Her father is also pained to hear his daughter bawling her eyes out; he lets her cry to let her anguish out. Teonna knows the road is going to be difficult from here on, so she gathers her strength to face whatever hurdle they will face.
Banner’s Arrest Hearing And Jacob Dutton’s Future
Banner’s arrest creates quite a stir in town as the trial begins to prove if he was guilty of the murder and attempted murder charges filed by the sheriff, backed by Jacob Dutton. Banner pleads not guilty because his act was retaliation for what Jacob Dutton did to his men. With no proof that would back Jacob’s claims, Banner is given bail thanks to a very expensive lawyer hired by Don Whitfield. Banner is cocky at this point and openly threatens to kill Jacob Dutton and his family in court. Banner is confident of the fact that the backing provided by Whitfield will help him get ahead with his plan of wiping out the Dutton family for good. He has yet to come across the biggest Dutton obstacle, which is Spencer.
Banner, though filled with rage against Jacob Dutton, is convinced by Whitfield to be patient with his act of revenge. Whitfield emphasizes the fact that the Dutton ranch will be theirs sooner rather than later, and Banner wouldn’t have to take up arms to do that. Whitfield plans to take over the Dutton ranch by bringing the Dutton family to their knees financially. He will strike them when they are weakest. Jacob, on the other hand, is facing financial troubles because their ranch no longer has enough hay to feed the cattle on it. Jacob and his family are desperate, and with winter hitting Montana early that year, Jacob is looking for finances that might help him transport hay from another town to make sure their cattle survive. A man of his stature and caliber is also going through tough times with an industrialist hovering around them, closing in on them; Jacob must make sure to keep his ranch running smoothly. The loan he applied for to purchase more hay was rejected by the bank on the grounds of a lack of trust.
The bank is also aware of the weather changes that have affected Jacob’s ranch. Instead of a loan, they are willing to mortgage him into the fund in exchange for their property. Jacob is not keen on taking up this option because he does not want to leave his family debt-ridden once he is gone. Jacob is a smart man, but at the moment, he is in dire need of funding; unfortunately, his request has been rejected. The early onset of winter has had a dire effect on the ranch. The family had anticipated tough times ahead, but since the winter came early, they did not foresee this condition.
Spencer And Alexandra Begin Their Voyage
As Spencer and Alexandra begin their voyage to America via London, Alexandra dreads seeing her ex-fiancé Arthur and his family board the same ship. Alexandra is not keen on facing Arthur’s family yet, and they decide to spend the next three weeks in the cabin allotted to her and Spencer. Alexandra is aware of the power Arthur and his family hold, and along with that, she is also aware of the fact that making them understand her predicament and the circumstances under which she left Arthur would be pointless. According to her, they are snotty rich aristocrats whose lives rely on the public’s perception of them, and they don’t run on emotions. Alexandra runs into her best friend, Jennifer, who is the only person from her bridesmaid group who understands Alexandra’s love for Spencer. Alexandra reveals to her that she married Spencer and is off to America to begin her life. Jennifer is happy for her best friend, but she warns her of Arthur and his family, who do not take her ending the engagement lightly. They have made sure to humiliate Alexandra at every turn, especially Arthur, who has not gotten over how Alexandra ended their engagement.
Alexandra takes it upon herself to make Arthur and his family realize that she is happy with Spencer and decides to make an appearance at the evening ball with Spencer. She wants to prove to Arthur that she is a woman who made a choice for herself and is happy with that choice. She is the kind of feisty woman who would want the world to know that she is happy and will not think twice before parading her husband to the world. Though Spencer is not comfortable with her antics, he goes along with them to make Alexandra feel satisfied. Since Spencer is from a farm family, he does not realize the importance the aristocrats give to honor and dignity. He is taken aback by Alexandra’s conviction to make Arthur’s family come to terms with her leaving him because she was in love with Spencer.
‘1923’ Episode 8: Ending Explained: Will Spencer And Alexandra Travel To America? What Is The Status Of Dutton Ranch?
Teonna, her father, and Pete finally reach Wyoming and decide to go further away from this state. They have no end game, but for now, they will plan to cross Wyoming and venture into Montana. Montana must be the place for them to take a pit stop because it will be the beginning of the “Yellowstone” universe where the Teonna Rainwater will either clash with the Duttons or work alongside them. Teonna, Pete, and her father are glad to have moved far away from the convent, and they can only hope nobody has been trailing to capture them. The priests from the convent, along with the police officers, find the dead bodies of the priests who were sent to look out for her. They somehow figured Teonna, along with two other people, would head up north. Their only way to catch up with them is to take a train and surprise them. Teonna wants to go far away from the wrath of the convent, and they can only hope the convent people don’t come to look out for them, and that they will probably disappear from their radar once they cross Wyoming. Teonna is happy to have survived so far. With Pete and her father by her side, her willingness to live and survive has gone up by a notch.
Spencer and Alexandra make an appearance at the ball hosted by the wealthy on the ship, which irks Arthur, far more than his family. He feels humiliated by the fact that she is parading Spencer around while it should have been him with her. Arthur is unwilling to forget Alexandra breaking off the engagement, even though his father makes it clear that she never loved him and that it is good that he did not marry her. It is not her not loving him that made Arthur hate Spencer and Alexandra; it is how Alexandra ended the engagement that bothers him. Arthur confronts Spencer and Alexandra multiple times, but they seem to fight back every time he comes close to verbally harassing them. Arthur finally challenges Spencer to duel with him on the deck of the ship, which he finally agrees to in order to end the fight that Arthur began. Spencer wants the fight to end to make sure the rest of the journey is peaceful and Arthur does not further harass them. Arthur and Spencer start dueling, which is witnessed by many, including Alexandra, Arthur’s family, and the rest of the people from the ball. Spencer easily defeats him, but Arthur refuses to yield. In his last attempt to kill Spencer, out of self-defense, Spencer throws Arthur off the deck into the sea.
Arthur died because he was too drunk to swim and survive. Spencer is arrested as per the maritime laws and the testimony given by Arthur’s father, who is the Earl of Sussex. Alexandra is restricted to her room until they reach London. The captain of the ship is unwilling to take the word of Alexandra and her best friend Jennifer, who were witnesses to Arthur’s erratic behavior, which led to his death. Spencer and Alexandra have no idea what the fate of their lives is from here on. All Spencer wanted to do was, have a quiet evening of merriment with his wife, which led to a disaster. Alexandra, too, is shocked to witness the sudden turn of events, which is another addition to their list of adventures. This is the adventure they unwillingly walked into, and for the first time, they are clueless about how to get out of it. The captain agrees to let Spencer go on charges of self-defense, but since there is no proof of his marriage to Alexandra, she will stay on the ship as per the orders of the Earl of Sussex, and she will disembark only in London.
Alexandra is rescued by Jennifer from her room, and in the hope of joining Spencer, who is being disembarked at the next port. Alexandra rushes to let him know she will meet him in Montana. Spencer and Alexandra have been torn apart because of the egoistical work of the Earl, who knew why Arthur died. He still did not support Alexandra and forcefully separated them with the hope they would never reunite. Knowing Alexandra and Spencer, both will make sure to wait for each other, and Alexandra, being the feisty one, will manage to reach Montana. She can only hope that Spencer will wait for her.
Jacob Dutton and his family are getting over the tragedy of Elizabeth losing her baby to an unfortunate miscarriage. Jack is by her side to comfort her and makes her believe that the purpose of her life is bigger than giving birth to children. Elizabeth is elated to have had Jack by her side in such tragic times. Because Jack was raised by Cara, he understands that a woman’s purpose does not begin or end with giving birth to children. This is something he learned from Cara because she spent her life taking care of the ranch and the family and taking up the lead when Jacob was unwell. Jacob, on the other hand, is struggling to feel any sensations in his hands. He is now aware that his age is catching up with him, and there is no other way but to accept that he will have to give up his mantle to either Cara, Jack, or Spencer.
Cara is hopeful that they will survive the winter, and by that time, Spencer will also show up. They are visited by Don Whitfield, who reveals that he has paid Jacob’s first year’s property tax on his behalf, and that if Jacob is unable to pay the money to them by the end of the year, the deed will be reverted to Don’s name. Don, as an industrialist, makes Jacob understand that the future is in technologies like automobiles and electricity, which will make cattle and horses obsolete over time. Tourism will take over Montana eventually, and Don can only hope that Jacob will move with the times and accept that his livestock business will not last long.
Don is the typical businessman who believes in technology superseding age-old practices. The irony of the statement made by Don lies in the fact that the Dutton ranch lived through all the technological advancements across decades, retained by the same family in the “Yellowstone” universe. Jacob, Cara, and Jack are surely rattled by the prospect of losing their only piece of land, which is part of their legacy, and they hope Spencer reaches Montana on time. This time Jacob and Cara are worried that Don Whitfield might be able to take over their land, and they have no plan for the future if that happens. Cara writes a letter to Spencer but discards the letter as soon as she writes it. Cara has not lost hope, but she is frustrated with the dilemma they are in. They know it is only Spencer who can help them get out of this mess made by Don Whitfield in his quest for land and power.
Conclusion
“1923” season finale delivered what was expected from the writer and show maker Taylor Sheridan. Taylor ended the show in the most intriguing manner, hanging the audience by a thread. Many plot points will now be discussed further in the now-renewed season of “1923.” The writing of the show is excellent and engaging because the narrative never slows down at any point. The running time of this episode and the last seven episodes was a minimum of 45 minutes, but the rendering of all the subplots did not slow down the pacing.
The screenplay of “1923” Episode 8 was tight, just like their previous episodes. Kudos to Taylor Sheridan for bringing up the topic of the forced conversion of Native Americans to Christianity. In the most rawest portrayal, this genocide is televised without brushing past the history and bringing forward the racist laws that the whites supported to make sure no inter-race marriages happened. Such topics have not been sugar-coated by Taylor and the director Ben Richardson in the hope of making the viewers aware of the draconian past of a nation that considers itself to be the “land of the free.” A good screenplay requires a good cast, and Taylor Sheridan made sure to bring in the A-game when it came to casting powerful actors.
Helen Mirren as Cara and Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton are forces to be reckoned with. They go from being strong to the vulnerable heads of the Dutton family, and their performance stays with you. Jerome Flynn as Banner Creighton is excellent from the beginning to the end. Brandon Sklenar, as Spencer Dutton, has an aura around him of a hero who will make sure to not just show his vulnerable side but to rescue the people he loves. Along with Brandon, there is Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra, who is the yin to Spencer’s yang. Aminah Nieves, as Teonna Rainwater, shines like a bright star, someone who just cannot be ignored. Her pain, struggle, and survival are tales that needed to be portrayed in the rawest fashion. The face-off between Don Whitfield, played by an excellent and charming Timothy Dalton (ex-James Bond), and Jacob Dutton was something many were waiting for. The scene is written brilliantly, satisfying all the viewers who were looking forward to it. “1923” ends with this episode, and it is easily one of the most finely written and executed shows on television right now. Kudos to Taylor Sheridan for having exceptionally expanded the “Yellowstone” universe.
See More: ‘1923’ Season 2: Expectations: What Can We See In The Second Season?
