‘1923’ Premiere Reveals the Fate of the Duttons From ‘1883,’ Introduces New Generation [Spoilers Alert]
The premiere of 1923 on Sunday (Dec. 18) revealed the fate of the remaining Dutton family members from 1883, and the news was pretty grim for fans who had tuned in to the Yellowstone prequel in 2021.
What Happens to James and Margaret Dutton in 1923?
1883 ended with the heartbreaking death of Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), who had been the series' protagonist and narrator. At the time, James Dutton (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) were left with just their son, John (Audie Rick). In flashbacks during Yellowstone's Season 4, we find that the couple have added another son, Spencer, but as it turns out, the Yellowstone Season 4 flashback to 1893 that showed James Dutton badly wounded and ended with Margaret screaming was actually his death scene.
Who Are Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren in 1923?
As we find out in a disembodied narration from Elsa, Margaret sent for James' brother, Jacob (Harrison Ford), who arrived at the site of what's now the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch to find her frozen to death and her two sons nearly starved to death. He raised them as his own along with his wife, Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren), and as 1923 opens, Jacob has built the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and turned his holdings into an empire — but that empire is now in decline due to drought and the Great Depression.
Who Are the Other Characters on 1923?
The premiere of 1923 showed us that Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) has survived World War I, but he's so impacted by the horrors he's seen that instead of returning home afterward, he's made his way to Africa, where he has taken up hunting game. John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale) is his Uncle Jacob's right-hand man on the ranch, and his son, Jack Dutton (Darren Mann) is young, brash and headstrong, and also fiercely dedicated to the family and the ranch.
Jack is set to wed Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph), a feisty young woman who is marrying into a very difficult situation ... one that doesn't get any easier when her wedding has to be postponed due to ranch business.
Other characters include Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves), a young Native American woman attending the School for American Indians in Montana that is run by the church. She faces abuse from one of the nuns, Sister Mary (Jennifer Ehle), but it looks like their relationship could grow and change as time goes on. And since her last name is Rainwater, we're going to assume that she has something to do with Chairman Thomas Rainwater from Yellowstone.
Rounding out the cast are ranch foreman Zane (Brian Geraghty); a rancher named Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) who is very much an antagonist for Jacob Dutton; Sheriff William McDowell (Robert Patrick), a friend of the Duttons; and Donald Whitfield (Timonthy Dalton), a wealthy and intimidating man who is used to getting what he wants.
What Can We Expect From 1923?
A trailer for 1923 hints at the same mix of action, violence, romance and intrigue that characterized 1883, set in the timeframe of Westward Expansion, drought, Prohibition and the Great Depression. Mirren is playing Cara Dutton as an incredibly strong matriarch, and she kills one of the Duttons' nemeses in the opening scenes of 1923, so we can expect to trace the story arc leading up to that as the season progresses. So far, 1923 is shaping up around the same over arcing themes as Yellowstone, as the Duttons face constant challenges from nature, as well as the various entities that border their land — all of it set against a classic Taylor Sheridan backdrop of epic scenery and a soaring musical score that feels like television on the scale of an exceptionally grand film.
1923 airs every Sunday via the Paramount+ streaming service. As part of Taste of Country's comprehensive coverage of all things Yellowstone and 1923, check out the Dutton Rules podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.