‘Nine bullets don’t kill me, I doubt a steak will…’
After watching the Yellowstone sequel 1883 and loving it so much that I briefly considered quitting my job as a teacher to become a ranch hand in Montana, it was only natural that I would continue my odyssey into the murky world of the Dutton family with the next prequel series, 1923…
As the title suggests, we are fifty years removed from the events of 1883, and we pick up the action with Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford), the older brother of Tim McGraw’s character from 1883, and his faithful and fierce wife, Cara (Helen Mirren). While they have no children of their own, they are proxy parents to various other family members, including their nephew Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar), a man so damaged by the events of WWI that he has retired to Africa to become a big game hunter, and their great-nephew Jack Dutton (Darren Mann) – a dedicated rancher and loyal family man. Elsewhere, Jerome Flynn appears as a perennially angry Scottish sheepherder (a role that he was born to play), Julia Schlaepfer’s freethinking Alexandra serves as a love interest for Spencer, and Timothy Dalton threatens to steal the entire thing, portraying the absolute bastard and unscrupulous business tycoon Donald Whitfield. A word, too, for Aminah Nieves, the rookie actor who provides possibly the best performance of the whole run as a rebellious indigenous girl who plots to escape from her harsh Indian residential school.
As is customary for anything in the Yellowstone universe, 1923 looks incredible. Cinematic. Sweeping. Breathtaking even. But there is so much more to this franchise than just aesthetics. While this second prequel lacks the cohesive simplicity of 1883, sometimes getting bogged down in meetings about where cattle can or cannot graze, in its best moments, this is quite simply fantastic television once again. The characters feel lived-in and authentic. Ford and Mirren, national treasures both, have a ball playing alongside each other, and both lean into their respective ages to bring a world-weary quality that goes beyond acting and into something more honest. More visceral. This is also a rare example of a large-scale show that features lots of characters and plotlines in which nothing drags on or becomes dull. The love story in Africa. The land disputes back in Montana. Whatever freaky shit Dalton’s character is up to. All of it is essential.
The first season of 1923 is so damn good that despite having a small baby living in my house (she is my daughter – I haven’t just found one on the street), I still managed to devour it in less than a week. The Yellowstone universe really is something special.
