1883
spoiler are ahead for the entirety of1883 , including what happens in the show ’s close .
Summary
With just 10 installments to its name,1883is a succinct miniseries that serve as a fittingYellowstoneprequel — though some episode are well than others . create by Taylor Sheridan,1883is the first of several prequel serial in theYellowstoneuniverse , chroniclingwhy the Dutton family settled in Montana . Tim McGraw and Faith Hill play James and Margaret Dutton , while Isabel May plays their daughter , Elsa Dutton . McGraw ’s James is a former Confederate States Army captain who was accommodate in a prisoner - of - war clique for several geezerhood . In the cowcatcher , James ' family travels from Tennessee to Fort Worth , Texas , eager to jump a new life .
While in Texas , James Dutton meets Pinkerton federal agent Shea Brennan ( Sam Elliot ) , a former Union Army captain , and Brennan ’s fellow agent Thomas ( LaMonica Garrett ) , a skilled frontiersman who served as a sergeant in the Union ’s Buffalo Soldier regiment . The two Pinkerton agents have been tax with conduct an sashay to the West Coast ; eager to start a fresh life story , the Dutton menage decides to unite the Oregon - rebound wagon train . Overall , watching theYellowstonespinoffis like tuning into a 10 - hour picture . That suppose , while each sequence is essential to the story of1883 , some are a slice above the ease .
10Episode 8, “The Weep of Surrender”
Elsa Dutton Is At Her Most Frustrating
" The Weep of Surrender " has the unfortunate luck of come just ahead of two of1883 ’s all - time best episodes , but that ’s not the only reason its often cited as one of the serial ' weak installments . give the show ’s intense tempo , this sequence stalls a number . Not only does James question Shea ’s leadership , butElsa makes some seemingly rash decisions that involve all the Duttons and their allies . After falling very rapidly for Sam ( Martin Sensmeier ) , a Comanche warrior , Elsa decides to marry her novel love and go away her family behind . Elsa ’s defiance might be a key part of1883 , but her choices feel very rushed in episode 8 .
9Episode 6, “Boring the Devil”
A Showcase For Sam Elliot’s Talents
" Boring the Devil " emphatically has some memorable moments . In the wake of Ennis ' ( Eric Nelsen ) end , Sam Elliot ’s Shea consoles Elsa , who ’d been in an intense , first - love human relationship with the tardy cowboy . Elsewhere , Thomas buys a mirror for Noemi ( Gratiela Brancusi ) , cement their love for one another , and Faith Hill ’s Margaret has a drunken escapade at Doan ’s Crossing . From Shea and Elsa ’s heartfelt conversation to1883 ’s James and Margaret Duttonarguing about how Elsa ’s been changed by the journey,1883 ’s episode 6 is incredibly deadening and character - driven to a fault . It ’s by no means a bad episode , but it definitely disrupts1883 ’s usual pacing .
8Episode 4, “The Crossing”
The Duttons Face Adversity While Crossing The River
In " The Crossing , " Elsa , who serves as1883 ’s narrator , adopts the cowboy life style she ’s been encircle . Much to Margaret ’s alarm , Elsa hones her survivalist accomplishment , all while grow nearer to Ennis . However , as the episode ’s claim implies , the core focal point of this chapter is the Duttons ' sick - fated river carrefour . In a tense , sharpness - of - one’s - hindquarters setting , James and the other Dutton kinsperson member attempt to ford the river at dark . However , thing take a tragic turn when the family attempt to help oneself a group of immigrant across the piddle . A self-colored instalment tamp with emotional moments , episode 4 just does n’t have the same highs as other1883installments .
Elsa Dutton narrate the1883sequel ( and otherYellowstoneprequel)1923 .
7Episode 3, “River”
A Slower 1883 Episode That Builds Tension
Before the Dutton family and the rest of the Plough wagon train attempts to ford the tight - moving water in " The Crossing , " they reach the Brazos River in sequence 3 . As they approach , James and Shea continue to adjoin heads over the secure approach path , with the former advocating for speed against caution . This is also the chapter that introduce the immigrant group , including Noemi , and sees Ennis seeking James ' permission to court Elsa . A bit slow than other episodes , " River " is still gripping television . While the1883episode sets several plots into motion , it also deploys dandy inter - character conflict .
6Episode 7, “Lightning Yellow Hair”
Sam & Elsa’s Abrupt Romance Takes Center Stage
viewer of1883are often rive over the deservingness of episode 7 , " Lightning Yellow Hair . " While the episode definitely has its faults — faulting that hold it back from being a truly great episode of television — it ’s also packed with thrilling moments . Fans of the series are divided over the sudden romance plot : Elsa meet Sam and , soon enough , the two backwash horses and take shelter together during the instalment ’s violent storm sequence . Given that Elsa was just entirely crushed by Ennis ' death , her newfound love affair does finger a bit abrupt , but , clearly , that has more to do with the series ' overall tempo than anything else . Plus , the kernel fight , which sees tornado descending upon the group ’s Plough , is exhilarate .
5Episode 1, “1883”
1883’s Pilot Immediately Hooks Viewers
Theprequel series , which kick offYellowstone ’s timeline , opens with a gripping flashforward : pioneers and people Indigenous to the Great Plains area fight each other while Elsa Dutton look out on . After Elsa defeat someone , she ’s surrounded — and then the sequence cut aside to the outset of the Duttons ' journey . Like any good pilot , much of the episode is spent introducting the characters to the audience , but what sets1883apart is that it does so through moments of thrilling legal action . Eventually , Sam Elliot ’s Shea convinces James Dutton to link his wagon train , suggesting an alinement would be advantageous to both party . An fabulously strong start , " 1883 " straightaway hook watcher .
4Episode 2, “Behind Us, a Cliff”
An Ode To The Great Westerns Of The Past
alternatively of opening with a prospect from a future episode , " Behind Us , a Cliff " give with a flashback to James ' meter in the Confederate Army . After losing at the unbelievably bloody Battle of Antietam , James learns some valuable insight from a general . Back in the show ’s present timeline , the group organise for their journey west — and things are already fraught , specially given Shea ’s approach to leadership . Later , a band of ill - intentioned riders confronts the wagon railroad train , lead to a shootout between the two groups . Full of all the matter that make Westerns so great,1883episode 2 is both an ode and something fresh .
1883premiered on December 19 , 2021 and was not renewed for a second time of year .
3Episode 9, “Racing Clouds”
1883’s Epic Western-Style Battle
The penultimate episode of1883is also one of its good . When Shea , Thomas , and James substantiate their group will be blame for the nearby murder of several Lakota charwoman and kid , the trio try their best to track down the existent killers . The other members of the wagon train stay on behind , leading to many of their deaths at the hands of the reelect Lakota warriors . Elsa is make by an arrow after take someone , though she is eventually capable to defuse the conflict with a few intelligence Sam taught her . Rife with tension,“Racing Clouds " boast an epical , westerly - style fight in which neither side is " right " or " unseasonable . "
2Episode 5, “The Fangs of Freedom”
The Mid-Season Installment Maintains A High Intensity
After an incredibly tense and tragic episode 4,the 5th instalment of1883refuses to dial down the intensity . In fact , " The Fangs of Freedom " features just as many nerve-wracking situations and gutting consequence of departure . With supply running curt , the grouping make that someone in their ranks is lay away supply . Meanwhile , Ennis and Elsa consummate their human relationship , lead to an argument between Elsa and Margaret as well as a confrontation between Ennis and James . While all that ’s go on , bandits ambush the colonist , moderate the survivors to set for a westerly - fashion gunfight . During the gunplay , Ennis is shoot dead , incite Elsa to take out her lover ’s killer whale .
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill , who play James and Margaret Dutton , are a couple in tangible life-time .
1Episode 10, “This Is Not Your Heaven”
1883’s Finale Is A Perfect End To Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Prequel Series
Packed with unbelievable performances,1883 ’s finis , " This Is Not Your Heaven , " is both epic and heartbreaking , which makes it a fitting conclusion to the miniseries . In1883 ’s ending , Elsa ’s life - endanger injury ca n’t be treated by anyone — not her fellow settler or the local Crow tribe . After coming to terminal figure with her impending destruction , Elsa asks to take a burial spot . Spotted Eagle ( Graham Greene ) , a Crow loss leader , commend the so - called Paradise Valley in the nearby Montana Territory . However , Spotted Eagle warns James that his people will repossess the land from the Duttons in seven generations .
For many fans,1883 ’s prophecy reveals howYellowstonewill terminal , but that ’s not the only element of the finish that makes it such a sinewy episode . After everything , Elsa dies in her father ’s blazonry on the land that will become the Duttons ' Yellowstone Ranch . While some character , like Thomas and Noemi , have promising endings , others , like Shea , have fill - yet - tragic ones . It would n’t be a proper Western without that blend of emotional highs and first . throw the way it ties up its loose end while setting all important aspects ofevery time of year ofYellowstone(and spinoffs , like1923)into move , the1883finale is one of the show ’s best sequence .
