1923 - Season 1
Good and entertaining western series are entrusted to Taylor Sheridan. After Yellowstone (2018) and 1883, it is the turn of 1923 this time. This second prequel series to Yellowstone (2018) follows yet another generation of the Dutton family. This time they are now in Montana and it takes place in the early twentieth century. The family must contend with pandemics, historic droughts, the end of Prohibition and the beginning of Montana's Great Depression.
The series contains three storylines that are switched between during the episodes. First, follow Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford, Shrinking) and Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren, Catherine the Great). This generation of the family now lives on the beautiful land called Yellowstone. Due to the historic drought, the population has difficulty keeping livestock alive. There are food shortages and little space for livestock to graze. The Dutton family drives the cattle high into the mountains where there is still some to graze. However, there are more candidates who want to benefit from this. One of these insurgents is Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn, Game of Thrones). There are heated discussions and confrontations with all the consequences that entails.
Someone Jacob and Cara can really use in these confrontations is their relative Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar, Westworld). However, he is on the other side of the world. Spencer lived through the First World War and then traveled to Africa. Here he is hired to hunt predators. He is extremely skilled at this and gets a kick out of the thrill and excitement of the danger it entails. During his adventures, he meets Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer, The Politician). Something beautiful blossoms between the two and they experience more adventures. Spencer is unaware of the problems his family is experiencing until he reads the piles of letters Cara has been writing to him for years.
Finally, in the series you follow Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves). She is a rebellious young Indian woman who has been taken away from her family. She was placed in an Indian boarding school for girls run by the Catholic Church. At this boarding school, the girls are trained in a harsh way how to be the ideal woman. The faith the Indians stand for is seen as a disease. Any form of relapse is suppressed through torture, corporal punishment, isolation and assault. It all happens to Teonna, but as rebellious as she is, she does not succumb to injustice. She manages to escape the boarding school and flees. A cat-and-mouse game ensues that brings with it the necessary tension.
The point of criticism I have is the failure to bring storylines together. Taylor Sheridan has so far chosen not to use too high a pace in his series. This is not bad at all, because it allows for character development. However, the storylines described above remain separate from each other throughout the season. As far as I'm concerned, that leaves you a bit stuck on the same point. You do get the feeling that the moment of coming together is approaching. This will probably happen in the already-announced second season.
If you are a fan of westerns or Yellowstone (2018) then I definitely recommend this series. You can once again enjoy beautiful locations, moving events, excitement and sensation. Unlike 1883, 1923 will have a second season.
The series contains three storylines that are switched between during the episodes. First, follow Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford, Shrinking) and Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren, Catherine the Great). This generation of the family now lives on the beautiful land called Yellowstone. Due to the historic drought, the population has difficulty keeping livestock alive. There are food shortages and little space for livestock to graze. The Dutton family drives the cattle high into the mountains where there is still some to graze. However, there are more candidates who want to benefit from this. One of these insurgents is Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn, Game of Thrones). There are heated discussions and confrontations with all the consequences that entails.
© Paramount+
Someone Jacob and Cara can really use in these confrontations is their relative Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar, Westworld). However, he is on the other side of the world. Spencer lived through the First World War and then traveled to Africa. Here he is hired to hunt predators. He is extremely skilled at this and gets a kick out of the thrill and excitement of the danger it entails. During his adventures, he meets Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer, The Politician). Something beautiful blossoms between the two and they experience more adventures. Spencer is unaware of the problems his family is experiencing until he reads the piles of letters Cara has been writing to him for years.
Finally, in the series you follow Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves). She is a rebellious young Indian woman who has been taken away from her family. She was placed in an Indian boarding school for girls run by the Catholic Church. At this boarding school, the girls are trained in a harsh way how to be the ideal woman. The faith the Indians stand for is seen as a disease. Any form of relapse is suppressed through torture, corporal punishment, isolation and assault. It all happens to Teonna, but as rebellious as she is, she does not succumb to injustice. She manages to escape the boarding school and flees. A cat-and-mouse game ensues that brings with it the necessary tension.
I have become a big fan of Taylor Sheridan. I truly enjoy the Yellowstone series that he has created. After Yellowstone (2018) and 1883, 1923 can also be called a gem. Once again, as a viewer you are taken into exciting storylines. All this takes place on fantastic landscapes that are really beautifully portrayed. Taylor also, once again, manages to collect a star cast who deliver excellent acting performances. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren beautifully shape their characters with their experience. Also, Jerome Flynn can shine like no other in the capacity of a villain.I truly enjoy the Yellowstone series that Taylor Sheridan has created. After Yellowstone and 1883, 1923 can also be called a gem.
The point of criticism I have is the failure to bring storylines together. Taylor Sheridan has so far chosen not to use too high a pace in his series. This is not bad at all, because it allows for character development. However, the storylines described above remain separate from each other throughout the season. As far as I'm concerned, that leaves you a bit stuck on the same point. You do get the feeling that the moment of coming together is approaching. This will probably happen in the already-announced second season.
If you are a fan of westerns or Yellowstone (2018) then I definitely recommend this series. You can once again enjoy beautiful locations, moving events, excitement and sensation. Unlike 1883, 1923 will have a second season.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
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