9 Most Emotional Moments from the ‘1923’ Season Finale
1923 came and went with a bang and ended on a highly emotional note. There were things we didn’t want to see, others we anticipated, and some were just icing on an already sweet cake. Taylor Sheridan is known for not giving all of his characters happy endings – because they’re not as realistic – but as long as it’s fiction, some people would’ve enjoyed an unreal turn of events either way.
From Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) returning to Montana to some folks leaving it for good, the 1923 finale was an eventful two hours. The most emotional moments from the 1923 finale prove the show had us all, and still has us wondering what’s next for the Duttons and the Yellowstone universe Sheridan so carefully crafted.
9
Spencer Comes for Donald Whitfield
Emotional In a Good Way
When Spencer finishes his one-man show of destroying Banner Creighton’s (Jerome Flynn) army on Yellowstone lands, he asks Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara (Helen Mirren), who was in charge of all the destruction. They point him to Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton), the wealthy tycoon who chose no means to an end. As Spencer barges in and interrupts Whitfield’s lunch, he shoots him with a massive gun, without pomp or fluff. Whitfield lived as a cruel man and died a cruel death, very fittingly.
This moment was emotional because it felt right. There was no need for Whitfield to have a final word; as an antagonist, his intentions didn’t come from a higher motivation, as is the case with a Marvel villain. Well, his main motives were money and power, which we could see in some heavy scenes, but his redemption was impossible. Spencer arrives as the long-awaited carrier of justice and wields it in Whitfield’s home without a blink of an eye, in a cathartic scene.
8
Elizabeth Leaves After Jack’s Death
Expected, But Still Emotional
A big part of 1923 season 2 was devoted to Elizabeth Dutton’s (Michelle Randolph) depression and forced growing up at Yellowstone. The bleak winter, plus a wolf’s bite and painful rabies shots, was the breaking point for Elizabeth, who married Jack (Darren Mann) out of love but quickly realized love is sometimes not enough for a marriage to last. Though Jack dies, and that pushes Elizabeth over the edge, she was already hanging off of it, waiting to see if love saves her or eventually kills her.
In the final moments of the show, Elizabeth says goodbye to Cara, who seemingly doesn’t bat an eye. Elizabeth promises she’ll love and remember Jack, but Cara says, “not really,” making her goodbye with the young woman a bit cruel. Elizabeth had some interesting moments on the ranch, but her tenure wasn’t all that positive. Many would consider her a negative character, though the worst thing she did out there was fall in love. Cara is proof that marrying into the rancher’s life is just as challenging as being one, which is something Elizabeth wasn’t ready for.
7
Banner Creighton Gets Shot
An Emotional Ending for a Character Who Reached Redemption
Banner Creighton is another Montana rancher, having moved his family from Ireland to the US to find a better life. Still, Montana is a cold and treacherous state to achieve that, and Creighton soon learned that cruelty is often a part of such a life. He joined forces with Whitfield, so his family could be provided for, but Creighton’s redemption arc followed in season 2, where we, and he, realize he’s just a tool for Whitfield and not an actual ally.
In the 1923 finale, Creighton packs his family for Portland, but they arrive at the same time as while his army, Sheriff McDowell (Robert Patrick), and Jacob are waiting for Spencer’s train to arrive. Jacob mistakes Creighton’s presence for retaliation, and a gunfight ensues on the train platform. Creighton steps in and saves Jacob from getting killed, but Sheriff McDowell shoots him, as he believes he’s still the bad guy. Creighton and Jacob make peace with each other, and his family leaves for Portland. It feels like this redemption was a little too late, but it still happened, and Creighton died with some goodness in his heart.
6
Teonna’s Case Is Dropped In Court
She Deserved A Lot Better, But This Is the Emotional Reality
Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) went through hell in 1923. Sadly, this is the reality many Native Americans went through after the colonization of the Americas, and many of them didn’t stay alive like Teonna to tell the tale. Sheridan often includes Native American characters in his stories; he wrote Wind River to raise awareness of the crimes Native women endure daily, showing them as invisible to law and justice. In 1923, Teonna is first shown as an Indian School student, where the Catholic “caretakers” abuse her and other Native girls. In the 1923 season finale, Teonna is put on trial for killing all of her abusers, but since there were no witnesses left on the opposite side, Teonna was released.
The cool and just US Marshal Mamie Fossett (Jennifer Carpenter) takes Teonna to court, though she seems to empathize with her after Teonna tells her what she endured. Still, the Marshal abides by the law; after Teonna is released, reservation officer Two Spears (Dougie Hall), who works with Fossett, gives Teonna a horse and a gun and directs her to California. Teonna’s story is a tragedy, but at least she stayed alive, fought against her oppressors, and then got the clean slate she needed. Her story was emotional, frustrating, and a life lesson.
5
Old Spencer Dies at Alexandra’s Grave
Will We See Him In Another Prequel?
Spencer Dutton became the archetype of a hero we want to see in a Western. He’s plagued by war memories and chased by death but stays good and just to the core. His similar but opposite would be Peaky Blinders‘ Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), also haunted by war and PTSD, who simply can’t handle it all and tips over to the side of… Well, not good. Spencer’s resolve comes from, seemingly, his family. Being a Dutton to him signifies dignity, survival, and pride; though he’s as romantic as he is brutish, Spencer is the ideal man in many women’s eyes precisely because of that. He can kiss and he can kill for you. Sklenar was also the perfect choice for Spencer, as he really managed to embody the heroic stature of such a character.
Not to say Spencer’s perfect, but in the flashforward narrated by Isabel May, it’s said that Spencer never loved anyone after Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer), which kind of seems fair considering the lengths she went to for him. To paraphrase, he fathered two sons with a widow he didn’t love years later but stayed in love with Alexandra the entire time. In the final moments of the episode, set in 1969, old Spencer goes to Alexandra’s grave, lies beside it, and dies. To see that he knew his time was up and that he wanted to be next to her in his final moments was as emotional as it was heartbreaking. They reunite at a party and dance, with Alexandra cleverly retorting, “Took you long enough.”
4
Cara Spots Spencer On the Ranch
The Long-Awaited Moment Was Emotional and Cathartic
Cara, Zane (Brian Geraghty), and the Yellowstone ranchers held down the fort in a gunfight as well as they could. When Creighton’s men arrive, heavily armed, and start charging on the ranch, Cara sits in the attic window with a sniper, taking them down one by one. A true force of nature, Cara shows off her fighting skills and courage, though all of season two is gearing up for one moment alone – Spencer’s return to Yellowstone ranch. The gunfight lasts a while, well into the night, and when Spencer finally arrives, Cara spots him through her scope and exclaims with relief and happiness, “Spencer’s here.”
Hearing Helen Mirren deliver this line felt cathartic and emotional, as the event that’s been the most anticipated throughout the entire series, really, finally happened. It’s as if we knew things were about to go down, Yellowstone would be safe again, and evil would leave its doorstep. It’s kind of surprising that one man manages to kill all the soldiers invading the ranch, but armed with an elephant gun and moving with rage, Spencer, sure enough, went through the people like a hurricane. We can’t forget the real heroes of that gunfight, which are Cara, Zane, their men, and even Elizabeth, who saved Zane by shooting two men.
3
Jacob and Cara Nurse Baby John
The Tiniest of Babies In the Arms of Loving Grandparents
Alexandra, just before dying, gives birth to a six-month-old baby she names John. The baby is CGI and tiny but seems to thrive and survive. The infant doctors considered good as dead hung on to dear life, fighting for it as well as its mother did, already displaying he’s much like her with intense strength. When Alexandra dies, Spencer tells Cara he doesn’t know what to do; Cara takes baby John and feeds and nurtures him, seemingly finally getting a child to raise of her own, though it’s inevitable she raised Jack, too.
As Cara sits on the porch, feeds John, and talks to him, Jacob comes to them and declares that he’s retiring. After a long life and struggles to maintain Yellowstone, Spencer’s arrival helps him take a breath of relief and finally live comfortably. This moment was highly emotional, as Jacob and Cara finally got the chance to be together and enjoy each other’s company. Sure, they’ll be raising a child, but after having raised the ranch, Jack, and everyone else on it, little John surely won’t be a big challenge for them. This happy ending was deserved and expected, and Sheridan made sure Jacob and Cara had it.
2
Alexandra and Spencer Reunite In the Bleak Winter
A Fortunate and Fated Reunion That Had Us In Tears
Throughout season 2, Alexandra resolves to leave the comfort of her aristocratic home and go to America to find Spencer. However, she doesn’t have papers that confirm her marriage to Spencer, nor the funds to travel in luxury like she has thus far. Alexandra is put through hell: first in the immigration process, then by getting robbed at the train station, then by getting sexually assaulted, and finally by getting stuck in the bleak, dreary winter in a car that can’t run anymore. Waiting for death, Alexandra still manages to enter survival mode, light a fire, and signal a train passing by for one more shot at life.
In an incredible turn of events, Spencer is on the train, and he spots her waving at it. He runs to the back of the train and hurls himself off it, runs to Alexandra, and they hug. This moment was what everyone was waiting for, and it was as romantic, hasty, and fateful as their entire love story. They were finally together and viewers could breathe a sigh of relief now that they were reunited and in each other’s arms. It’s obvious that distance didn’t dim down their love; it seemingly strengthened it. No one could prepare us for what was about to come in this part of the episode, though, and plenty of us long for the people we were when they first hugged in the snow.
1
Alexandra’s Death
A Tragedy of Epic Proportions
After their reunion, Spencer leaves to settle the scores at Yellowstone and with Whitfield, while Alexandra gives birth at the hospital. That’s where they meet again, with Alexandra’s frostbite having moved up her legs and arms rapidly. The doctors wanted to save her, but the solution was to deliver little John and amputate her gangrenous limbs. Alexandra didn’t want to live without her limbs, nor was there a guarantee that she would’ve stayed alive after the amputation procedure, so she left Spencer with their son and chose to die.
This moment made a lot of viewers angry because of Alexandra’s already terrible and messy ordeal throughout the season. However, her sacrifice was for love, and it was major, while her death was pretty much logical. It made sense, though it hurt. Surely someone like Alexandra would decide to do it all over again if it meant seeing the love of her life once more. Love requires sacrifices, pain, and hurt, but the arms of a loved one will always take the bad feelings away. The epic story of Alexandra and Spencer will be remembered as the best in Yellowstone lore, no doubt about it.
