Sunday’s new episode of Paramount Plus’ 1923 – a prequel to the Paramount Network hit Yellowstone – ended in quite the shocking cliffhanger.
The Dutton family was largely separated, with Jacob (Harrison Ford) and his son Jack (Darren Mann) heading into town to help his ranch foreman Zane (Brian Geraghty), whose Asian wife Alice (Joy Omanski) arrested on miscegenation, since in Montana at that time it was illegal for people of mixed races to legally marry.
Jacob went to try and sort this matter all out, though he wouldn’t quite make it home thanks to a nasty storm.
That left Jacob’s wife Cara (Helen Mirren) and Jack’s fiancee Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph) home on the ranch, where they ran into some trouble of their own.
This second episode also serves as the quarter mark for the eight-episode season, with some fans complaining Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) and Alexandra’s (Julia Schlaepfer) story isn’t progressing fast enough.
Fans were not shy about going on social media to express their opinions about both aspects of Sunday’s new episode.
Early in the episode, Elizabeth heads to the chicken coop to gather more eggs, though she’s shocked to find several bloodied and dead chickens.
She quickly finds the source of this – a bloodthirsty wolf, snarling at her and ultimately lunging at her as she quickly tries to escape.
While she manages to escape, the wolf also escapes as well through a dug-up hole in the coop, chasing down Elizabeth and sinking its claws into her ankle.
Thankfully a ranch hand is nearby and scares the wolf away with a shot from his pistol, but while he scurries away, he’s seen staring down Elizabeth from a distance as the ranch hand fetches the buggy.
While the ranch hand tried to shoot at the wolf, he missed, which would prove important since at the end of the episode, the wolf returned, making it’s way inside the Dutton home, killing a nurse who was staying the night.
The episode ends with the wolf snarling at the rifle-toting Cara, lunging at her as she fires the rifle, though fans weren’t sure if Cara managed to survive or not.
It was also revealed that Spencer had arrived in Galveston, Texas, while his bride Alexandra was on a boat bound for America as well.
After watching them fall in love in the first season, fans are none too pleased that the couple may be split up all season long, and that it may take Spencer at least a few more episodes before he arrives home in Montana.
X user @abike said, ‘Yikes!! That wolf was scary #1923 #1923TV,’ while @chicksopinion thought a wolf couldn’t kill Cara.
‘Surely a wolf isn’t strong enough to take Cara Dutton! She deserves a much more dignified death! #1923tv’ the social media user said.
Ladybuglizzie (@sagevalentine) admitted, ‘They should have killed that wolf,’ adding in another tweet, ‘That wolf was rabid. #1923TV.’
The wolf cliffhanger was apparently enough to turn one viewer off for good, admits @Patriclus47, who said, ‘Spoiler alert. I’m done with 1923. It is one unrealistic contrived thing after the next followed by a wolf breaking into a home and eating someone. Terrible accented narration. Lazy, horrible, writing.’
Another fan dubbed @Sexy_goddess01 said, ‘That ending is kinda insane,’ though others were more annoyed that Spencer and Alex are still so far apart.
Kyle (@SadBadgerFan) said, ‘I stg if it takes Spencer the entire season to make it to Montana, I’m gonna be so annoyed.’
Melljxo (@abike) added, ‘Hopefully Spencer gets home this season,’ a notion echoed by many others.
Another fan named Crystal (@crystaaaaaal_) added, ‘Season two is 8 episodes long. Spencer and Alex need to be in Montana by episode four and five. No need to drag this out for a full season because it’s possible season three may not happen.’
It is believed that Season 2 will be the final season of the series, though there has been no official word if the show will continue in any other fashion.
1923 continues its second season with the third episode on Sunday, March 9 only on Paramount Plus.
