Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for 1923 Season 2 Episode 1.
While the flagship Yellowstone series has come to a close (for now), there is far more to explore concerning the Dutton saga. Starring Harrison Ford as Jacob and Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton, the prequel series 1923 follows the Dutton clan of the 1920s as they fight tooth and nail to keep what’s theirs. The show has finally returned, and Taylor Sheridan has proven that 1923 is as thrilling as ever. “The Killing Season” resumes the story as winter takes over Montana, but changing weather is only just the initial threat of this next batch of episodes.
Winter Has Arrived in the ‘1923’ Season 2 Premiere

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When 1923 Season 2 begins (some time after Season 1 wrapped up), Cara pens another letter to Spencer (Brandon Sklenar), revealing that loan sharks are on their tails. To pay off their debts, the Duttons have sold off much of their cattle, and are now forced to hunt for their survival. Jacob, Cara, Jack (Darren Mann), and Liz (Michelle Randolph) are bearing the winter together, and it looks as if they are in for the long haul. But before Jacob goes to town on business, he encounters a mountain lion resting on the front porch. The animal runs off the moment he gets too close, but its appearance gives him a reason to pause. No doubt, it is only a sign that more trouble is coming.
Elsewhere, at Donald Whitfield’s (Timothy Dalton) mansion, the business tycoon spends the morning in the bath with one of his prostitutes, Lindy (Madison Rogers), only to become hungry for more. He soon asks her to fetch the other, Christy (Cailyn Rice), who is revealed to have been tied up naked and locked in a nearby closet. Lindy tells Christy that if she only tries harder, Whitfield won’t have to punish her. Of course, Christy and Lindy aren’t the only ones who understand the depths of Whitfield’s cruelty and depravity. At a hotel in Livingston, Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) leaves his family to brave the pass to Bozeman. Though his son desires to go with him, Banner makes it clear to both his wife and son that only he is to deal with Whitfield, speaking of the man as if he were the Devil himself.
Spencer and Alex Dutton Fight to Reunite on ‘1923’

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Having been separated from his wife, Alex (Julia Schlaepfer), Spencer works on a vessel traveling across the sea in hopes of making enough money to return to America. He quickly befriends a young Italian man named Luca (Andy Dispensa), who he warns not to overfeed the ship’s furnace. That evening, Spencer discovers that Luca has been repeatedly raped by another crew worker, and wakes to find the culprit in the act once more. As a result, the Great War veteran beats the rapist within an inch of his life, saving Luca from further pain. When the ship’s captain arrives to see the mess, he shoots and kills the rapist, reminding Spencer that his place is not to patrol this ship but simply to work it.
Meanwhile, in Sussex, England, Alex is trapped in her home, visited by her friend Jennifer (Jo Ellen Pellman). Wasting away from grief after being ripped from her husband, Alex struggles to take care of herself. When she reveals to Jennifer that she is pregnant, and therefore running out of time to get to Spencer, it’s only then that she asks for her friend’s aid. “I belong with my husband,” Alex pleads. “His child belongs with his father.” She provides Jennifer with some family jewels and asks her to sell them so she can buy passage to America. Jennifer agrees, hoping to prove herself the sort of friend that Alex can count on.
Afterward, Alex writes to Spencer, who continues to work aboard the ship, shoveling coal — only this time, he does so alone, and without Luca’s aid. Concerned, he finds that Luca has left a suicide note in his bunk, though it is written in Italian rather than English. Spencer soon finds Luca sitting on the edge of the ship’s rail, looking down at the passing water. He explains to his friend that the death would be painful and that he would be hurting the family members that he cares about most if he were to simply give up. It doesn’t take long for Spencer to convince Luca that killing himself is not the answer, and they soon get back to work.

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The Hunt for Teonna Continues on ‘1923’

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Of course, 1923 isn’t only about the Dutton family. There are other characters with stories at play here as well. “The Killing Season” soon picks up somewhere in the Oklahoma Territory, where Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) travels with the U.S. Marshals in search of Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves). Upon stumbling into a small Comanche camp, the Marshals attack the tribe and demand answers about Teonna. Of course, the tribe has never heard of a Crow in their territory, but that doesn’t stop Marshal Kent (Jamie McShane) from threatening a small child at gunpoint. This proves too much for Father Renaud, however, who demands that Kent release the child. He does, but only to then run the child over with a horse instead as they leave to continue their quest.
Elsewhere, Teonna is on the run with her father, Runs His Horse (Michael Spears), and Pete Plenty Clouds (Jeremy Gauna replacing the late Cole Brings Plenty, to whom this episode was dedicated). As Teonna and her father speak, he tells her that it is the American government’s plan to run their people into the ground. “That’s what governments want, they want beggars,” Runs His Horse notes. But Teonna doesn’t want to fight anymore. She has spent so much of her life fighting already. Nevertheless, Runs His Horse says the only way to protect what’s theirs is to fight back for it. After Pete leaves to go hunting, Runs His Horse asks Teonna if she is interested in the young man and wants his hand in marriage. She admits as much and decides to reveal her intentions to Pete as well.
As Pete is hunting, he spots Teonna, who begins to remove her clothes in front of him. When he follows her further into the woods, they are about to have sex before Pete spots a lone cowboy (Cody Lore) out in the distance. Hoping to gather Teonna’s clothes to keep them from being discovered, the cowboy reveals that they are not in Oklahoma at all, but rather in Texas — specifically, they are on a ranch owned by none other than Charles Goodnight (played by Taylor Sheridan in 1883). According to the cowboy, no one would mind if Pete was there, and no one would likely ever come looking for them either. With that in mind, Pete returns to Teonna, and they pick up where they left off.
“The Killing Season” Is Only the Beginning of ‘1923’ Season 2

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Back in Bozeman, Jacob, Jack, and the others find themselves in a speakeasy of all places. Considering the show is set during Prohibition, we can’t say we’re surprised. While there, Jacob meets with Sheriff William McDowell (Robert Patrick) and asks about Zane Davis (Brian Geraghty) and his family. At the end of Season 1, Zane, his wife, Alice Chow (Joy Osmanski), and his children were beaten and arrested due to the mixed-marriage laws in place at the time. Unfortunately, McDowell can’t do much to help, though Jacob yearns to see Zane and his family reunited. Additionally, the sheriff warns Jacob about Whitfield, who hopes to claim the Dutton land by paying next year’s property taxes. Jacob may have paid last year’s, but he’ll need a miracle to see this year’s through.
Meanwhile, on the ship, Spencer and Luca decide to start a fighting ring among the crew in hopes of earning more money for their travels. After Spencer beats a giant of a man first, he continues to fight more opponents, ultimately earning the pair $420 in total. With more hope than ever, Spencer goes to the deck and looks out as they approach their next destination. Elsewhere, in London, Jennifer takes Alex to the docks, having gotten just enough money from the jewels to buy her passage to the New World. Additionally, Jennifer gifts Alex a watch to help her on her journey, hoping that one day she will be able to return it to her. As Alex enters the ship in the tourist section (full of “thieves and gamblers”), she exclaims that she is now headed toward her next adventure.
In Bozeman, Jacob and Jack stumble upon a telephone booth, which has just been installed in town, before crossing to the courthouse. We have yet to see what challenges and dangers they have to face. However, at the ranch, Liz rejoices at the appearance of the sun and goes outside, only for Cara to spot her fear from the other side of the window. The mountain lion has returned, and it’s ready to devour Liz whole. Suddenly, Cara shoots the beast from indoors, killing it as Liz runs back inside. “Winter is the killing season,” the spirit of 1883’s Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) narrates, noting that there are plenty of dangers that are to come. Wolves howl in the distance as Cara looks out into the trees, and it’s clear that their troubles are far from over.
New episodes of 1923 are available every Sunday on Paramount+.

1923

1923 offers a powerful return with plenty of threads ready to continue.

Release Date

2022 – 2024

Network

Paramount+

Pros & Cons

Even apart, the Spencer and Alex plot is the best of this prequel
1923 was tasteful about Cole Brings Plenty’s death, honoring him well
The lion motif was well-played throughout the episode

Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren need more to do
Is Witfield going to do anything but lounge around with prostitutes?