Cowboy westerns are in right now and it’s no wonder why. Yellowstone is the biggest show on TV and with huge successes like these come huge expectations and hopes for spin-offs. Unlike most, spin-offs however, the Yellowstone prequel 1883 was loved by critics and fans alike, with many loving the setting and world-building. So imagine everyone’s hype knowing that another prequel series is incoming, looking to explore the interesting and mysterious background of the Dutton family.
1923 is the next instalment of the Yellowstone origin story, introducing us to Jacob and Cara Dutton played by Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. This series is set to explore the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home.
While we’re only two episodes in, the trailer set up a tonne of info that fans have been combing over to guess how the series will play out and what it means for the main Yellowstone series. Here are some of the questions we’re hoping are answered by the show.
Did the Duttons profit from prohibition?
Taylor Sheridan has been saying in interviews that the struggles of the early 20th century will greatly impact the Duttons and how their influence grows. Originally the series was meant to be called 1932, however, due to the state of Montana ending prohibition in 1926, Sheridan opted to change it to 1923 to make it more historically accurate. Does this mean that the Duttons were originally some form of Peaky Blinder’s gang and grow their substantial wealth during this period?
How will the Duttons political influence grow?
In the series, John notes how the first generations of the Duttons only knew violence to assert their claim to their land. We first see this in 1883, when brutal gunfights were incredibly common.
Now that Jacob is much older than when we last saw him in 1883, and we’re entering the second and third generation in 1923, we’re starting to look at how the family establishes their position in politics to grow their influence in Montana.
Having a significant amount of land would make you incredibly influential and powerful already, but as we’ve seen in the trailer, Timothy Dalton is looking to take all their land away from them. How Jacob and Cara plan on fighting back against his character to preserve their ranch will be the biggest plot line in the story moving forward.
Where did the Irish go in Yellowstone?
In the trailer for 1923, we can see a portion of the cast and ranch drama coming from an Irish community. From Timothy Dalton‘s character being set up as a huge antagonist to Helen Mirren‘s Cara Dutton having a thick Irish accent stands out amongst the gravelly Southern accents the other characters have.
Given that the show is covering the prohibition, it’ll be interesting to see how the series looks at the Scottish and Irish mass immigration to America in the 1920s and how that builds up the series’ worldbuilding on the Great Depression and World War 1.
Who built the house that the Duttons live in during Yellowstone?
The Dutton mansion is one of those iconic Yellowstone monuments throughout the series. But a big question is, who built this house? Were renovations done? Why is there only a handful of properties on the ranch despite them owning an entire small nation’s worth of land?
In the trailer, we can see the mansion bearing the same resemblance to the main house, does this mean the Duttons may have never rebuilt it over the generations or even renovated it? Does the house itself bear some symbolic meaning? Does having a film degree make you insufferable to talk to? All things will hopefully be answered in 1923.
Why tf is there a lion??
Unless Taylor Sheridan is a secret fan of the 1923 Lincoln Lions college football team or is implying the Dutton’s ranch was originally some kind of Joe Diamond-like reservation but also with horses, I don’t think this one is an easy guess.
Insider noted in their trailer breakdown there were shots in the trailer of a ship and a safari camp that may hint at the Duttons spending time in Africa like they’re a rich white family in Mean Girls. How this leads to an encounter with a lion is anyone’s guess, but I’m holding out for a musical number.
What is Teonna Rainwater’s role in the finale of Yellowstone?
A huge plot point set up in 1883 was James Dutton agreeing to return the ranch in seven generations. Sheridan has hinted that the prequel seasons are establishing the finale of Yellowstone, so one has to imagine with the introduction of Teonna Rainwater, that this will somehow play into it. Teonna is the first mention of Thomas Rainwater’s ancestors, and in the Yellowstone series, Thomas is also vying to reclaim the land that the Duttons own and return it back to its traditional owners.
The Dutton’s long conflict with the Broken Rock Indian Reservation is apparent from the first episode of Yellowstone, so getting more backstory on their feud is something Yellowstone fans have been keen on for a long while now. We also get to see Teonna absolutely pummeling the absolute shit out of someone as well, and do I hear girl boss MVP of the series already?
1923 is now streaming exclusively on Paramount+, so if you’re keen to see Harrison Ford and Hellen Mirren chew up some of that cowboy scenery click here to start watching!
