1923 is a chilling world journey from Africa to Montana. Pascal Jans wrote a rave review for this website in May 2023 about season 1 of this beautiful series. I can highly recommend this review, especially if you are not yet familiar with the Yellowstone series by Taylor Sheridan. This series consists of the main series Yellowstone and the prequels 1883 and 1923. The series describe the life of the Dutton family in the fly-over state Montana.
Beautifully weathered heads that perfectly match the harsh environment in which they live
In season 1 the characters were formed. They are Jacob Dutton, played by (who doesn't know him?), Harrison Ford and Cara Dutton, the also well-known Helen Mirren. Harrison Ford is now 82 years old and Helen Mirren will soon be blowing out her eightieth candle, deo volente. Both quite old. And that is also reflected in this series. Beautifully lived-in faces that perfectly fit the tough environment in which they live. In season 1 we also met Spencer Dutton, creditably portrayed by Brandon Sklenar. He ended up in Africa after the First World War. A particularly tough and headstrong person. In Africa he met Alexandra 'Alex' of Sussex, played by Julia Schlaepfer. An aristocratic young woman. It is actually impossible for an aristocratic woman to marry a hunter, but love conquers all.
The Dutton family can use the help of the fearless hunter Spencer in Montana. That is because they are constantly threatened by Donald Withfield, played by the already well-known Timothy Dalton. A particularly nasty and sadistic man who is after the land of the Dutton family. He has hired Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) to do the dirty work. Banner has such a typical western appearance, raw and fearless. He is a bad guy who turns out not to be so bad after all. And then there is the continuation of the storyline from season 1 about Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves). An Indian girl who fled a downright sadistic Catholic boarding school but is fiercely pursued in season 2. Moving and confronting to see how the emigrants dealt with the Native Americans.
What I will remember most from season 2 is the breathtaking world trip that Spencer and Alex have to make to get to Montana. Due to an incident, they have to reach their destination separately and that this is not easy is phenomenally depicted. As a lover of 20th century history, the depiction of this trip was something I will never forget. And especially Alex's journey. In those days, traveling was not easy anyway, but as a single woman it was actually impossible. Take the arrival in America, emigrants did not just enter there. They were received on Ellis Island near New York and had to undergo inhumane tests there. After various incidents and hardships, Alex is taken in by Paul and Hillary, a friendly, wealthy couple. They only play a role in three episodes, but this storyline made the biggest impression on me. And especially the journey by car to Montana. Chills and beautifully designed.
Taylor Sheridon has built up quite a oeuvre. His series are often characterized by raw but also melancholic, often placed in a beautiful environment. The quality is very high, also in 1923 every detail is beautifully designed. This series is already noted in my full series agenda to go and see again in a few years.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
Nice to read that you refer to my review, although that is too much honor. I can completely agree with your review. The second season is again beautiful and I personally found that last episode phenomenal!
