by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Spinoffs are trending. Hollywood does this for a variety of reasons, but one of the more prevalent ones is that there are still stories to tell in the universe. Whether it’s telling the story from a different perspective, different location, or different time, a show’s extended universe helps keep the brand alive, while continuing to hook audiences in. Look at The Walking Dead. They have three different spinoff shows, plus the original, and AMC will still continue to expand into a few more shows that’ll be released at some point over the next few years. Similarly, Yellowstone is rapidly expanding the universe of the Duttons, this time bringing us back to 1923.
Yellowstone is an easy show to spin off. We stick with the same family, just over a few different timeframes. Creator and show runner Taylor Sheridan knows how to keep us hooked by telling great stories and bringing us amazing characters. The Dutton family has now wedged themselves into pop culture lore, with Yellowstone and 1893 receiving critical acclaim and an almost cult-like status among viewers who swear by it. Paramount+ is doubling down on spinoffs, and it spared no expense with 1923. We’re still in the same area of Montana, just telling the story of a new set of Dutton descendants. This time we’re telling the story from Jacob Dutton’s (Harrison Ford) perspective, alongside his wife Cara (Helen Mirren).
I’m liking this new era of Ford’s career where he’s doing more TV. This particular show plays to the type of performance he has been good at lately. He’s a grizzly, old man who struggles to let go of the past. Jacob is a strong ranch hand, who’s as tough as nails, but he struggles with the evolving world around him. He still rides a horse when the automobile is becoming more common, he struggles with banks when they need things like collateral instead of a handshake, and he refuses to invest in electricity, since it is an indulgence, rather than a necessity. Ford does manage to balance his grumpy old man routine with heart and tenderness for his family, though. This is largely due to his strong chemistry and relationship with Mirren.
If there was a 1923 season one MVP, Mirren would be the best choice. Cara is a character who’s very much ahead of her time. She’s laying down the law, even when she doesn’t have any rights or authority in early 20th century Montana. Cara isn’t afraid to show her emotion, but she also isn’t afraid to smack her family around to knock some sense into them. I love Mirren in this, as she’s a Swiss army knife who can do almost anything. The show’s opening scene involves her, which is a great way to show how dangerous this time is for the Duttons. Cara also loves her family dearly. Her trying to bring them together is one of my favorite parts of the show. She also goes toe-to-toe with some of the season’s antagonists.
There are a few different antagonists throughout the season, the first of which being Banner Creighton (Jermone Flynn). I’ve been a fan of Flynn’s work since his Game of Thrones days, so I was delighted to see him in 1923. Banner herds sheep in the same area that the Duttons heard cattle, and they come into conflict due to land rights and other bureaucratic gibberish. The conflict he has with the Duttons in Episode Three is one of the better action moments of the series. Banner thinks he got the best of the Duttons, only for him to rethink his strategy and connect with another member of the town far more ruthless and more devious.
The second main villain is Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton), who is a local mine owner and business tycoon. Dalton, in all his glory, really knows how to ham it up as a villain. After he did a fantastic job as one of the villains in the fourth season of Chuck, I was sold on his ability to be a bad guy, despite his James Bond background. He knows that just killing the Duttons won’t solve anything, so he plays the long game. He goes after them in specific ways that target their weaknesses. Whitfield is addicted to power and stops at nothing to get it.
It’s that very power and authority, particularly with the police and religion, that is a hot topic in 1923. Jacob is part of a council that administers justice throughout the area. The way that justice is served, though, is not always equal. The Duttons often look away from their deeds, while trying to knock others for the harm they’ve done. This is also the case for the Catholic school that Teonna (Aminah Nieves) is part of. The school condemns her for the violence she does to the nuns, while turning the other cheek on the violence they commit towards members of the school, mainly Indigenous girls from around Montana.
The story involving Teonna is one of the more compelling stories of the season, and I followed it from the edge of my seat. It broke my heart to see the way she was treated at the school, but to see her story progress was intriguing to me. I’m hoping for more of that in (hopefully) upcoming seasons. Another compelling story is Spencer Dutton’s (Brandon Sklenar). He is in Africa after fighting in World War I. Although I wish more had been explored about the effects that the war had on him, I still appreciated Spencer’s story. I’m rooting for him to get where he needs to be soon enough, along with finding his travel companion Alexandria (Julia Schlaepfer).
1923 is set at probably the best and most interesting time in all the Yellowstone series. It’s at a time when the United States is in a tumultuous state. It makes the story more interesting, and I will be coming back to it in the future. This isn’t to say the other Yellowstone shows aren’t as good; they’re all on par with one another. It’s just that 1923 has the hallmarks of what makes Yellowstone so good: great performances, a solid story, compelling characters, and oodles of drama. Ford and Mirren make the series, and the way the season ends keeps me intrigued for future seasons. This is among Paramount+’s better shows, and I’ll be looking for more information on it in the future, to find out what’s next.
Score: 8/10
1923 is currently streaming on Paramount+
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