‘When there’s two leaders there’s no leader...’
Yellowstone has become such a huge success that it is now a multimedia empire that shows no signs of slowing down. While consensus seems to state that it doesn’t matter what order you watch the various Yellowstone prequels, chronologically makes the most sense to me and 1883 was my first foray into the world of the Dutton family. And, by God, this is some of the best television I’ve ever seen…
Like many of the classic westerns of the Sergio Leone era, 1883 is a simple story. Following the American Civil War, James Dutton (Tim McGraw) leads his family west to Oregon. He reluctantly hitches his saddle to a group of immigrants making the same journey led by Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott), a grief-stricken but dependable former Union Army captain, and his trusted sidekick Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) – a skilled frontiersman himself. The series is mostly told from the point of view of Elsa (Isabel May) – the eldest Dutton child who seems to find trouble wherever she goes. Elsa’s mother Margaret (Faith Evans) tries her best to keep everyone alive and on speaking terms (while also finding time to get uproariously drunk from time to time).
I didn’t really know what to expect from this universe but I didn’t think it would be so beautiful, so touching, and so downright cruel. While it does conform to many of the existing tropes that have proliferated in Westerns for decades, the characters are much more three-dimensional than you might expect. They are so well written, in fact, that I can’t say I have been this invested in the fate of a group of fictional characters for a long time. When the material is this good, it barely needs elevating, but the acting here really is phenomenal. Elliott delivers the best performance of his career in a role that is always slippery and nuanced – complex and authentic. It’s a joy to behold. McGraw too, better known for his musical output, delivers a performance for the ages possessing a masculine stoicism to match anything in the Clint Eastwood roster. Unsurprisingly, he shares an incredibly captivating chemistry with Evans (they are married in real life) and Isabel May, who I hadn’t encountered before this, manages to take even the most overwrought dialogue and make it sound profound and deeply moving. It’s impossible not to get swept up in it all.
1883 looks incredible, the writing is almost perfect, the performances are utterly absorbing, and while it perhaps loses steam a little towards the end (although the very final episode is excellent), I can’t shake the feeling that this is the best miniseries I have seen in a long, long time. If Yellowstone is even half as good as this, I’m in for a proper treat.
