1923

To be honest, not quite as expected and hoped. I can certainly appreciate 1883. In 1923 I was very bothered by the level of love relationships. An averagely bad castle romance can learn a lesson from this. What a mess, especially that story in Africa. It must be just me. The battle in the US itself also does not score highly in the first two episodes. One side suffers a striking number of casualties, while the other side comes off relatively lightly. Fortunately, this is rectified and an interesting power struggle develops. The story surrounding Teonna Rainwater is by far the most interesting. The only question is what it has to do with the Duttons. We'll probably see that in season two. I'm going to start with season two and hope that the positive points will prevail ;)

Honestly? I didn't expect 1923 to grab me so much. Westerns are often a gamble, either utterly clichéd, or so slow-moving that you wonder if anything will happen at all. But this Yellowstone prequel really surprised me. It's just so well-crafted.

Harrison Ford works surprisingly well as the gruff rancher. He says little, but what he does say resonates. And Helen Mirren, in my opinion, steals the show. No fuss, just a woman of character you don't want to mess with.

What truly makes the series strong is that the drama feels substantial without being overblown. There's something at stake: family, honor, survival. The pace is sometimes a bit slow, but it builds to moments that actually have an impact. Unlike some other series, like Godless, which falter halfway through.

Visually, it's also excellent. Vast landscapes, gray tones, everything exudes atmosphere. You can almost smell the dust and leather. And the music is subtle, but perfectly chosen.

If you appreciate strong characters and a story that takes its time, then 1923 is definitely worth checking out. You don't necessarily need to have seen Yellowstone, but it does provide some context if you have.