After seeing 1923 season 2, episode 3, I have some thoughts on where this show might be heading, and it will likely be a bittersweet set-up for Yellowstone. Taylor Sheridan has expanded his Yellowstone franchise with two prequel shows, and with the original series ending in late 2024, the events of these shows are more critical than ever. 1923 isn’t just telling a prohibition-era story for the sake of it; it’s demonstrating a pivotal moment in the Dutton family’s history that’s leading to the ranch as we know it a century later.
Brandon Sklenar and Julia Schlaepfer play Spencer and Alex Dutton in 1923’s cast, and the two of them have spent the season so far on dangerous journeys to Montana. In season 2, episode 3, Spencer is seen traveling around Texas with his companion, Luca, who is killed at the end of the episode. Meanwhile, Alex passed through immigration at Ellis Island in New York City. She’s experienced attacks from lions, sharks, and an elephant, and seen human beings killed, yet this was one of her most traumatic experiences so far, shaping her character’s role.
1923 Season 2 Has Foreshadowed Spencer Dutton’s Death
Spencer Dutton Could Give His Life For His Family
Spencer Dutton is returning to Montana after years away from his family, hoping to protect them from Donald Whitfield and Banner Creighton. On the family tree, he’s the son of 1883’s James Dutton and the brother of John Dutton I, who died in 1923’s first season. Aside from Harrison Ford’s Jacob Dutton, Spencer is the senior Dutton in the family’s central bloodline, in a sense making him the heir if one were to view the family tree as a monarchy. He’s also a bit tougher and more experienced than Jack, making him more similar to James and John III.
1923 season 2, episode 3’s ending saw Spencer and Luca on a bootlegging mission from Galveston to Fort Worth, with their plan being to deliver an illegal alcohol shipment. Upon seeing a roadblock, Spencer advises Luca to turn back their truck, but Luca refuses. He states that, even if his family has sent him on this mission to dispose of him, he will do it because one must do what they can for their family. Spencer decides to walk to a train station while Luca faces the roadblock alone, leading to him being gunned down.
Like Luca, Spencer is doing what he has to do for his family, no matter the potential cost.
Spencer Dutton is a fan-favorite in the Yellowstone franchise, making it all the more upsetting that this scene might have been foreshadowing his impending doom. Spencer is returning to Montana to defend his family out of a sense of duty, when he truly wanted to live out his days with Alex. Like Luca, Spencer is doing what he has to do for his family, no matter the potential cost. Even though he won’t be going into it alone, he’s facing a metaphorical roadblock and shooting squad of his own. He’s a soldier; dying in battle might be his fate.
The Dutton Family Line Will Continue Even Without Spencer
Alex Is Already Pregnant With Spencer’s Son
Spencer may ultimately be the hero of the Dutton family in 1923, but it doesn’t mean he’ll become the ranch’s leader like Jacob or John Dutton III in Yellowstone. His fate may be to die fighting for his family, only to leave someone else behind to take care of it. Let’s consider some candidates. Jacob and Cara Dutton have protected the ranch for years, but someone is likely to succeed them soon. Jack Dutton is the obvious candidate, having been present the entire time and learning from Jacob.
However, Jack Dutton has shown faulty leadership skills at times, and season 2, episode 3, saw his wife Elizabeth planning to leave the ranch. Jack may depart from Montana to support his wife in Boston once the conflict ends unless he can get her to stick around. That leaves another interesting candidate to eventually take up leadership: Alex. She has no ranch experience, and she isn’t a Dutton, but Taylor Sheridan has been setting up a fascinating narrative parallel that’s worth exploring relating to two of the show’s main women.
Alex Dutton’s Season 2 Narrative Parallels Cara Dutton’s Backstory
Alex Could Become The Next Dutton Matriarch
Alex Dutton is a young woman of nobility from London who fell in love with Spencer and desired to live a more dangerous and ultimately fulfilling life. Unlike Elizabeth, who fears the ranch life and the risks she’s experienced, every conflict Alex faces has only made her stronger. She’s survived brutal animal attacks, and now she’s survived the dehumanizing experience Ellis Island had to offer her. Yet, she’s still moving forward with pride and determination, as she believes in herself and the choices she has made, accepting their consequences.
We don’t know a whole lot about Cara Dutton’s story before 1923, but she was born in Ireland decades prior and immigrated to America, likely experiencing difficulties just like Alex. We now know Cara to be one of the fiercest women Taylor Sheridan has written, who’s just as capable of leading the ranch as any other character we’ve met. Alex is carrying Spencer’s child, and she could become the family’s matriarch after his death, raising her son to be just like his father.
How Alex & Cara’s Similarity Sets Up Yellowstone’s Future
One Doesn’t Need To Be A Dutton By Blood
Having Alex end up as the ranch’s guardian and leader for a time would be shocking, as it’s a complete subversion of the patriarchal structure John Dutton III always imagined in Yellowstone. She’d probably play a similar role to Cara, helping to nurture the ranch’s inhabitants and protect them while the boys grow up to take over. Alex and Cara prove that one doesn’t need to be born a Dutton to protect the ranch, just like Rip Wheeler in Yellowstone. Anyone can marry into the family and embody their ideals.
The birth of John Dutton II is still a question mark in 1923. John Dutton II is the father of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III, who would have been born sometime around this series. We still don’t know who his parents would be, meaning it could either be Spencer and Alex or Jack and Elizabeth. Given that Alex is considering naming her son Spencer, it’s possible that Jack and Elizabeth may end up inheriting the ranch, or perhaps Alex will lose her first child and conceive another with Spencer before 1923 ends.