Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe continues to grow, and thanks to the incredibly creative mind of Sheridan, it continues to do so in the strongest fashion. 1923 is the latest series to focus on the Dutton lineage that will eventually bring us up to date with the current patriarch, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his family. What comes with Sheridan’s amazing skill of storytelling and character creation is carte blanche when it comes to finding actors to fill those roles. I’d wager you’d be hard pressed to find someone who passes up on a chance to work with Sheridan, and having silver screen icons Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren leading the charge in 1923 only solidifies that.
1923 is a follow-up to 1883, which completed its story in a single brilliant season, and it starts us with a fresh cast of characters with the only surviving members of the 1883 clan 40 years later being John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale) and his younger brother Spencer (Brandon Sklenar), who were just boys in the 1883 series. We get an incredibly brief voice over catch-up, being told that Margarette Dutton (Faith Hill) had contacted her husband’s brother, Jacob (Ford), telling him that he needed to move to Montana and run the land, or else it’d be lost to any newcomers. Jacob and his wife, Cara (Mirren) came and found Margaret frozen to death, with her two children near death beside her. None of this is a spoiler if you’ve yet to see 1883, as this story begins 40 years later, so they’re just explaining why an elderly Margaret isn’t around helping run things.
Sheridan also isn’t afraid to tell multiple stories at once, sometimes even in different timelines as we saw mainly during the fourth season of Yellowstone. It was easily his weakest season of the show because the focus was so much on laying the foundation for a multitude of spin-offs, but he still didn’t shy away from it. In 1923 he’s able to harness telling multiple stories at once that will dovetail in time, and properly build up the characters within them.
First, we’ve got the Dutton ranch in Montana, as progress is coming on in 1923 and automobiles are filling the streets of the growing city in town. Jacob Dutton has the most land of any farmer in the region, and this rubs some of the Scottish sheep farmers the wrong way – namely, Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn). Creighton thinks it’s unfair that Dutton has so much land, while his sheep are starving. I won’t delve too deep into things, as it’s best to watch the stories play out over the 8-episode first season, but Creighton and Dutton will continue to see things differently, especially after a second antagonist is introduced in mining tycoon Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton). Like many Dutton adversaries, Whitfield wants all the land they own in order to pillage it of its natural resources, but like many of his namesake, Jacob will do anything in order to stop that from happening.
Jacob is the closest we’ve seen to a character resembling the beliefs of Costner’s John Dutton, and Ford delivers the goods on all fronts. I mean, this is Harrison Ford, one of the greatest actors of all time, throwing on a cowboy hat and completely embodying a patriarchal member of one of the most interesting TV families ever – in short, it’s fracking awesome. Then we’ve got Mirren unsurprisingly standing toe-to-toe with Ford, when not gloriously stealing the scenes she’s in, with Sheridan continuing to write women in magnificently strong fashion.
Another storyline taking place that’s incredibly unique and interesting to the Yellowstone-verse is that of Spencer Dutton, who went to war and came back a changed man. Well, he didn’t really come back, as he now spends his time hunting wildlife in Africa that have attacked camps and have a taste for human flesh. There’s a lot to love about this story, and it’s definitely the craziest one Sheridan has told in this universe, as Spencer has become a legend in his own right, but now is being called back home to help fight the war that’s brewing there. Now, this is 1923, so hoping on a plane and being back home a day or so later is out of the question, so even Spencer attempting to get home as quickly as he needs to is something that could cost him his life.
The final storyline happening is the most vicious of the three, taking place in a Catholic boarding school where they’ve stolen Native Americans from their homes and are literally beating the “savagery” out of them. It’s some of the harder scenes to watch in the show, with Teonna (Aminah Nieves) taking the brunt of the abuse thanks to not wanting to fall in line. It’s amazing to watch Nieves work here, as often during scenes like these in shows or films the abuser just continuously comes out on top, and while that technically does happen here, Teonna just won’t stay down and won’t take any crap. If one of the nuns slaps a child, Teonna will just leap up and begin pummeling the nun and it’s great to see.
Now, writing that I realize it’s hard to get my mindset across with it so I’ll try and clarify a bit more. These boarding schools happened, all of this happened, and a plethora of children died because of it, while others who survived were still ripped from their homes. It’s all incredibly hard and sad to watch, which is why I was so happy to see Teonna jump up and not back down. This leads to her being beaten on even more, and it’s a vicious circle, which is horrible, as these “people of the cloth” act as though she’s in the wrong when they’ve done all to instigate it. These evil people all deserve what they’re getting from her and worse.
That’s something Sheridan has always been good at, which is creating antagonists that the viewer just wants to see get what’s coming to them almost as soon as we meet them. There have been a couple of slow burners, but for the most part when someone bad is introduced their faces just seem so easily punchable thanks to the work Sheridan does in crafting them that way, and with how well the actors bring these dastardly characters to life.
The French Catholic priest who runs the boarding house is Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) and if you don’t want to punch him in the face every time he’s on screen, I don’t know what to tell ya. Same with Whitfield, and same with Creighton. And those are just some of the bigger names, as Sheridan is able to make every supporting character that goes against our heroes equally as deserving of instant face-punches when on screen. It’s a wonderful ability to have, and it makes it all the more sweeter to the viewer when it eventually does happen. Until then, however, man, do they do their job and get on our nerves.
I didn’t mention Sklenar’s acting earlier, but he’s someone I always wanted to see more of, as he does such a superb job of playing such a badass, cool character. He often shares the screen with his romantic interest, Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer), and the pair have great chemistry. It’s a different time, and falling in love instantly is definitely a thing, and Spencer’s reasoning for doing so also makes complete sense. Then there’s Nieves’s powerful work as Teonna, as she really must reach down to dark places for some of the more brutal scenes that lead to her guttural screams. Saying the acting is top tier in anything related to Yellowstone is pretty much commonplace, but everyone involved here still deserves the individual praise for their work here.
With a trio of storylines happening from the start, 1923 is ambitious to say the least, however, Sheridan makes it look easy. In the fourth season of Yellowstone when he went to one of the other timelines or storylines that aim to branch a spin-off like the 6666 ranch, you really (or at least I did) wanted to get back to the Dutton’s and what was happening on the ranch. In 1923 I never felt that once, as when we went to Africa to see Spencer I was thrilled, and when the next scene returned from break and we were at the Catholic school with Teonna, I was there for it, and when things are just picking up in her story and we went back to Jacob at the ranch, that’s all good, I’m all in for it. There just isn’t a weak point to 1923, outside of the fact that unlike 1883, this show has a second season coming and we have to wait however long it’ll be before we get to see things tied up for most of these characters.
That’s not really a complaint as much as it shows just how strong the show is, as I’d much rather have a second season in the wings over quickly wrapping things up just to make it a one-off like its predecessor. Still, don’t let the wait for a second season dissuade you from watching this one, as 1923 is engrossing storytelling at its best, with some truly talented actors bringing it to life in the best fashion possible.
Overall Score: 5/5
Blu-ray Video and Audio Review
The look and feel we’ve all come to love from Yellowstone is on full display here in 1923, with breathtaking scenic shots showcased in all three storylines, and time being taken to let the viewer absorb them without ever tiring of them. This shouldn’t be surprising, as the main goal of Sheridan seems to be to hammer home without any subtlety that progress can be a bad thing, and we shouldn’t take our world for granted. The land has always been a character in this universe, and it’s constantly given the spotlight in beautiful style time and time again.
The audio side of things is also fantastic, with the score pulling viewers into the scene, the dialogue coming through clean and clear from the center, and when the action picks up there are bullets zinging by and horses charging from all around with the proper speaker setup. Even without a surround sound, the dialogue coming through loud and clear is often one of the most important features, and it does so here perfectly.
Special Features:
Behind the Story – Like Yellowstone and 1883, each episode on each disc has a 4–8-minute wrap-up that sees the actors and certain crew members talk about what takes place in that particular episode, where they believe it may be leading, and their overall thoughts. They’re quick and fun to watch, though as I always warn, be sure to do so after you watch the episode, as there are spoilers abound.
Unstoppable Change: The Adventure of 1923 – This is the heftiest of the features coming in at almost 44-minutes in length, and it sees Ford, Mirren, Sheridan, and just about everyone else talking about all aspects of 1923. This is a must-watch if you watch any of them, though there are still some solid smaller features to come.
I Am The Land: Teonna Rainwater – This is a 14-minute feature that focuses on Nieves, what getting the role meant to her, how hard it was to do certain scenes, and so forth. It’s a focus on her storyline and it’s interesting to see how it was crafted together, and the hardships that doing so entailed.
Reflecting Humanity: The Art & Craft of Editing 1923 – This is a 15-minute feature that sees editor Chad Galster talking about what it’s like editing the series, and it’s an incredibly fun watch. I love watching things about the editing process, and it’s fun to hear him talk about what it’s like editing into the early hours of the morning, then watching the episode he’s just put into order alone for the first time in his suite. Another great feature on a solid disc of special features.
Inside the Series – This one I watched the start of, but didn’t finish, as it’s more of a preview for 1923 that would’ve aired prior to the series premiere in order to build interest. It doesn’t hurt to include things, but this one isn’t one I’d recommend watching like I would the previous ones.
Paramount Pictures Presents 1923: A Yellowstone Origin Story – Season One. Created by: Taylor Sheridan. Starring: Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Aminah Nieves, Michelle Randolph, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Ehle, Timothy Dalton, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Isabel May, Brian Geraghty, Sebastian Roché, Michael Greyeyes. Running time: 7 Hours 45 minutes. Blu-ray Released: Aug. 8, 2023.
