Summary
1923 is a magnetic western with honest-to-God Hollywood star power. Taylor Sheridan has done it again.
I was skeptical that Taylor Sheridan couldn’t come back to that strangely profitable Yellowstone well without tripping up a bit. However, with each new series, he seems to be gathering more steam and becoming one of Hollywood’s great mainstream storytellers. Do you disagree? With Yellowstone and 1923 under his belt, he brought Harrison Ford, a Hollywood legend, to helm his first television series. Shrug that off all you want by the mere suggestion Ford is past his prime — he is not — how about signing the most acclaimed actress of the last twenty years, Helen Mirren, to lead the Dutton clan through one of the most turbulent times in American history? The result is a series brimming with magnetism, flawless writing, and genuinely engaging storytelling.
1923 season 1 review and plot summary
The year is 1923, and the Duttons are only concerned about the herd. That is the unwritten rule in Yellowstone, Montana. Family, personal lives, and dreams are cast to the side when it comes to their prized collection. If there are no cattle, families will be unable to survive a harsh, cold winter. That’s what Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) tells Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph, a movie star in waiting), who is upset she now has to delay her wedding by two weeks to Jack (Darren Mann). You see, the Duttons are fighting crippling droughts as locusts ate the herd’s crops. There is also the end of Prohibition, and the Great Depression has no end in sight. The herd comes first and never second.
That’s when Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford, a commanding presence as ever) makes the call to move his herd up the mountain. The issue is there are dangers, like giant grizzly bears and mountain lions, that will endanger their livelihood. Not to mention a spry gang of sheepherders led by Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn), who keep stealing the grass off Dutton’s land. In a phenomenal scene where Banner confronts Jacob in front of the courthouse, Dutton tells him that his family had fought for the land. Ford’s Jacob then delivers a line only he knows how saying, “Do you want to fight me for it?” That’s called a chef’s kiss, sir.
1923 is full of cinematic-quality moments like that one. Sheridan brings his standard depth when it comes to writing well-drawn characters and jaw-dropping thematic depth. For instance, the pilot has an armrest-grabbing opening sequence with Mirren having a killer confrontation with a man on her land, most likely a sheepherder; that’s a visceral scene full of sorrow and rage. It’s pure Sheridan, up there with such quality moments like Ben Foster’s shootout on the side of a hill in Hell or Highwater or the ominous choice of Jeremy Renner’s Lambert giving a wrongdoer a choice even Sophie couldn’t make in Wind River. It’s that good.
There is also Sheridan’s wicked smart lens he uses. For instance, the one to view how organized religion and the cross-sectionality treatment of indigenous women. In the subplot of extraordinary power, he takes you inside that unforgiving world. In what could be the series breakout character, Teonna (Aminah Nieves, phenomenal here) defiantly stands up to a sadistic nun (a terrific Jennifer Ehle) who beats her wrists mercifully for not remembering information from her homework assignment and the class discussion.
It’s a stunning scene, but nothing tops the eye-opening treatment of the school’s headmaster (Sebastian Roché), who rules his staff and students with an iron fist. And most importantly, these scenes are authentically relevant and matter. If you google papers on the indigenous, colonialism, and the displacement of putting children in Christian orphanages, the treatment is horrifying and shameful. These are the scenes that make Sheridan a master storyteller, which separates 1923 from not just other series but from Yellowstone and 1883.
Where the show falters a bit is the story of Mirren’s son, Spencer (a charismatic Brandon Sklenar), which seems oddly out of place and doesn’t quite fit. He plays a hunter who tracks down big game cats that endangered villages and tours carrying around wealthy aristocrats looking for grand adventures (and getting more than they intended). Don’t get me wrong, these scenes are entertaining and generate a fair amount of suspense for something that seems like a misplaced puzzle piece.
Is 1923 season 1 worth watching?
Sheridan and company are in fine form with their latest edition of the Yellowstone universe. With magnetic Ford and Mirren, a quality deep bench of actors, and engaging storytelling with deeper themes, 1923 should satisfy diehards and bring in new ones alike.
What did you think of 1923 season 1? Comment below.
I was disappointed that none of the 1883 Dutton characters (except 5 year old John) were more personally wrapped up at the beginning. Elsa’s short narrative didn’t quite cut it for me. I was too invested in the 1883 characters to give them up that easily. And where did Spencer come from? His existence needed more than just an afterthought. That said, I am anxious to follow the story. The Spencer story line seems out of place and it will be interesting to see if Sheridan can believably work it in. I also wonder if something in the 1923 story line can explain Helen Mirren’s accent. How did she come to marry Jacob in Tennessee? In any case, I’m anxiously awaiting Episode 2.
Well after watching all 4 episodes. Its well worth watching. 5 out of 5. People have to follow 1883, 1923 and Yellowstone to understand all the story lines and how they go together through the generations. Its well written. Every character shows a connection. My favorite is Spencer, who yes is a Dutton. Was in the war, witnessed horrific things. He lost himself when he fought in the war, has PSTD. Cant go back home yet cause he’s so messed up. I feel for him. In episode 4 people will finally get it when Alex reads all the letters Spencer
Has kept and unread all this time he’s been away.. He is one of the 2 Duttons that Jacob And Cara raised them as their own, when their parents from 1883 died ( James and Margaret Dutton) played by Faith Hill and Tim Mcgraw) so I get the whole story line! People need to watch 1883, Yellowstone and STOP saying certain storylines make no sense. They make perfect sense if you are a real fan!!!! Its another big hit for Taylor Sheridan!
Spencer is the nephew, not the son, of childless Jake and Cara. And that matters.
You have various typos that should have been caught. One of the most egregious: saying that the nun beat Teonna’s wrists “mercifully.” If only that were true. There’s no mercy among these Christians.
Also, it’s not 1923 Sheridan has under his belt along with YELLOWSTONE. It’s 1883, at the point you wrote this review
Finally, Spencer’s arc fits quite well. Have patience.