‘1923’ Cliffhanger Ending Leaves Fans Hanging About 2 Characters’ Fates

1923 is keeping us on the edge of our seats once again this week as Sunday’s episode ends with yet another cliffhanger that has two characters’ fates hanging in the balance.

And with just three episodes left in the season, I’m worried Alex and Spencer are never going to get to Montana, because they truly cannot catch a break. Spoiler-filled recap ahead for 1923 Season 2, Episode 5 “Only Gunshots to Guide Us.”

Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) may have made her train to Montana at the end of her harrowing immigration journey, but her troubles aren’t over yet! Striking a deal with the train porter to work in the dining car in exchange for food, the recently-robbed Duchess is then sexually assaulted by one of her fellow train passengers while on the job.

I did get immense joy watching her empty the steaming pot of coffee on his lap as she beat the hell out of him with the carafe, but it’s the ’20s, so Alex of course gets detained for defending herself.

When the train arrives in Chicago, Alex is arrested. It looks like her grand adventure is about to end in jail, that is, until British couple Paul and Hillary (Augie Prew and Janet Montgomery) step in to vouch for her story of self-defense with the police. Finally, in a brief moment of justice on this show, Alex is set free by the cops and her attacker is ultimately arrested instead.

But Alex’s fortunes take yet another bad turn when she learns that her train to Fargo has been delayed indefinitely due to snow. Seeing her sobbing in the train station, Paul and Hillary step in once again and invite Alex to stay with them in Winnetka, Illinois until the snow thaws. They seem just like the guardian angels Alex needs right now, but waiting for the snow to thaw is going to be yet another delay on her trip to Bozeman.

Meanwhile, Teonna (Aminah Nieves), her father (Michael Spears), and Pete (Jeremy Gauna) are hastily making their way north after learning Marshall Kent (Jamie McShane) and Father Renaude (Sebastian Roche) are hot on their tail in Texas.

And they’re not the only ones searching. Marshall Mamie Fosset (Jennifer Carpenter) is also on the hunt — for Kent or Teonna — but instead, she finds Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar), fresh off a train hop.

Spencer just being out in the middle of nowhere is pretty suspicious, so the marshall insists he go back to Amarillo with her, but that’s not exactly a bad thing for our wayward Dutton, who finds out he’s 30 miles from the closest water source.

Also, Marshall Fossett’s call back to Bozeman to confirm Spencer’s identity is the first proof his family has had that he’s still alive in quite some time. Upon receiving the call from Texas, Sheriff McDowell (Robert Patrick) tells Spencer to stay away from Montana to avoid stirring up more trouble with his family, but we all knew that wasn’t gonna work. Instead, Spencer tells him to pass on a message to Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) that he’s en route to Montana to help his ailing family.

The episode then ends on an intense note as Kent and Renaud catch up with Pete while he’s out searching for water, and a chase ensues. Pete’s horse takes a tumble and we end the episode with him scrambling for his gun as a firefight breaks out between him and Kent as the screen cuts to black. But who will walk away the victor?

This article was adapted from the latest episode of PopCulture Social Call, streaming weekdays on PopCulture.com’s YouTube channel. You can now watch this episode, which is embedded in the above article.