The Dutton Family’s Fortunes Go From Bad to Worse With Shocking ‘1923’ Cliffhanger

Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse for the Duttons on 1923, the Yellowstone spinoff of course proved us wrong. The blizzard Jacob and Cara Dutton feared was coming is here, and by the end of this episode, there are several characters who are in what is beyond a tough spot. Spoiler-filled recap ahead for 1923 Season 2, Episode 2 “The Rapist is Winter”.

We kick off the episode with our villainous Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn), the latter of whom gets some bad news that his whole flock of sheep — you know, the whole reason he’s in this war with the Duttons — have died of an illness.

The only person having a good time, as per usual, is Whitfield, who sees dollar signs when he learns about skiing from Norwegian miners. “The one thing you cannot buy in a store is the euphoria of peril, the exhilaration of danger,” he tells Creighton. “I can sell that for a fortune.”

Meanwhile, Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) is attempting to intercede on Zane and Alice’s miscegenation case, begging the judge to let them be remitted to his custody to live on the ranch. The judge is less than sympathetic to his cause though — I mean he calls Zane and Alice’s kids “mongrels” — so Jacob has to play a little hardball.

Digging up the judge’s secret stash of booze that he’s been hiding in his morning coffee, Jacob gets a Prohibition-era checkmate, and the judge hands over the family to Jacob’s care. I’d say Zane (Brian Geraghty) is getting a happy ending here, but he’s sustained some serious injuries defending his family. Things aren’t looking good for him before a blizzard hits the carriage, and after they flip the wagon and let the horses flee, it just looks hopeless. 

Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) is also tiring of her Montana life as she gets bitten by a wolf while she’s collecting eggs! She probably doesn’t have rabies, thanks to Dr. Miller, but what she does have after the wolf and the mountain lion and the blizzard, is a serious case of “get me out of here!”

“It’s too much. I love him, but this isn’t living. This is surviving, barely at that,” Elizabeth tells Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren), who attempts to convince her to hang in there. But she insists, “When the storm passes, I’m going home.”

Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) is having a similar feeling as her ship hits a major storm on her way to America. But she’s determined to find her husband Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) before this baby comes, so she keeps going! Too bad Spencer’s in a new spot of trouble after he and Luca (Andy Dispensa) land in Texas and connect with Luca’s cousin Sal Maceo (Gilles Marini), who wants to thank Spencer for saving Luca’s life by getting him involved with the mob!

Spencer tries to leave, but that’s not really how the mob works, so he gets beaten up and returned back to Maceo. Now a bootlegger, Spencer is tasked with smuggling Maceo’s whiskey to Fort Worth in exchange for a car, which will help him get home much faster.

Speaking of Texas, Teonna (Aminah Nieves) and Pete (Jeremy Gauna) return to camp next morning after their little excursion to tell her father they saw a cowboy, and that they’re no longer on reservation land. Runs His Horse (Michael Spears) is taken aback, and he takes off to try and find the rancher who owns the land, telling Teonna and Pete to stay hidden while he does.

Honestly, they should be doing that anyway because Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) and his marshals are still looking for Teonna, and he’s bringing in the local U.S. Marshal Mamie Fossett (Jennifer Carpenter) to help search. She agrees to keep an eye out, but she also warns the crew to tread lightly in Comanche lands. They initially scoff at the advice until they get attacked that night and Father Renaud has to kill someone. I’d say that’s gotta go against some commandment, but that’s never stopped him before!

We end this episode on an intense note back on the ranch, when Cara hears a scream in the middle of the night and finds a wolf eating Dr. Miller’s nurse. And we close with a shot and a scream as Cara’s fate hangs in the balance.

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.