Paramount+’s 1923 season two episode moves the chess pieces ever so slightly. Spencer and Alexandra are on American soil, but neither is having an easy time as they head to Montana. Winter’s still wreaking havoc on the Yellowstone, but at least James has returned home safely. Meanwhile, Teonna’s group remains a step ahead of the law in Texas.
And now on to our full spoiler-filled recap.
James Dutton (Harrison Ford), his men, and Zane’s family survive the blizzard but must use the wagon for firewood. The severely injured Zane (Brian Geraghty) is forced to ride back to the ranch on horseback along with everyone else.
At the Yellowstone, the bodies of the deceased wolf and nurse are removed from the big house. Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) huddles in the bathroom, refusing to acknowledge the obvious. The wolf was rabid and if she doesn’t allow the doctor to inject another dose of the vaccine, she’ll die.
Unfortunately, men are needed to hold her down since she’s fighting back. Cara (Helen Mirren) is done with all her dramatics and slaps her, reminding her of the poor woman who was just mauled to death by the same wolf. Elizabeth’s situation could be worse, and Cara tells her to act like a woman. Finally, Elizabeth allows Cara to inject her before falling, sobbing, back into bed.
Before Dr. Miller (Mark Daneri) leaves, he reminds Cara not to miss a single dose. As he’s about to leave, James and the cowboys ride up, and Cara realizes they arrived without the wagon. It’s a good thing Dr. Miller’s still around. Zane’s condition deteriorated on the ride home.
The cowboys gather by Zane’s bed until Dr. Miller boots them from the room so he can examine the patient. Zane explains he was hit multiple times in the head and is nauseous when he sits up. He can’t follow the doctor’s finger with his eyes, and his vision is occasionally blurred. Fluid has built up on Zane’s brain, and the doctor diagnoses him with a subdural hematoma. He needs to drain it, incredulous that the hospital didn’t already operate.
Dr. Miller speaks to Cara and James alone about what he needs to do. He has a drill but no anesthesia. James returns to Zane’s side and explains the procedure, including that Dr. Miller can’t knock him out to perform it.
Jack (Darren Mann) finds Elizabeth in the middle of packing to return home. She’s done with the winter, wild animals, Montana, and their marriage – if he won’t come with her. Elizabeth refuses to live in a frozen hell and is set on traveling back to Boston. Jack needs to join her in Boston if he wants to remain married. Montana is not her home.
Cara interrupts to give Elizabeth her daily injection, and Elizabeth wants Jack to stay and watch. She writhes in pain and says, “Eight more, and I’m done with this place.” Jack remains silent.
Alexandra Learns the Brutal Truth About Being Poor and an Immigrant
The ship docks in New York, and Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) is just one of hundreds of lower-class passengers ferried to Ellis Island. First and second-class passengers bypass the immigration process by having secured their travel documents before sailing.
Alex looks with longing at her upper-class peers, unprepared for what’s in store.
Once she arrives at Ellis Island, her arduous ordeal begins. She quickly learns witty remarks don’t amuse the immigration officers. Alex passes the first brief physical, which includes a punch in the stomach to make her cough. Next up, she’s asked her name and answers “Alexandra of Sussex.” The immigration officer informs her he doesn’t care where she’s from; he needs her last name. She pauses and then, with a small smile, says, “Dutton.”
She informs the officer that her husband lives in Bozeman, Montana and that he’s an American citizen. Fortunately, that’s enough information to move her to the next stop in the lengthy process. She joins hundreds of other women lined up waiting for a physical exam. Alex sits beside a pregnant woman who explains she expects to be denied entry. America doesn’t accept pregnant immigrants if they can’t convince the immigration officer they can work enough to provide for two people.
Alex’s first physical exam is traumatizing. The male doctor forces her to strip naked, explaining America does not need mongrels or invalids. It’s an incredibly demeaning and intrusive process. The doctor examines every inch of her body, but it’s not until the painful pelvic exam that tears flow down her face. (A female nurse is in attendance but remains stone-faced throughout.)
The doctor notes that she didn’t disclose she is pregnant. He draws a P on her stomach so the next examiner will know. Alex is devastated to learn three more doctors will examine her.
The second doctor has her admit she knew she was four months pregnant. She can barely stop crying long enough for him to listen to her heart and lungs.
Alex returns to the bench to wait, surrounded by pregnant women. The woman next to her asks for food and reveals that to pass the final examination she’ll need to buy her way in or offer the officer sex in exchange for entry.
Alex is finally called in after spending long enough on the bench to fall asleep. The immigration officer doesn’t believe she’s joining her husband on a cattle ranch in Montana, and Alex doesn’t have a marriage license to prove her story. He demands to know how she’ll earn a living, and when she mentions her husband again, he orders her to stop lying. After all, no husband would allow his wife to cross the ocean in a ship’s hull with vermin and beggars.
Alex recites, “Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” and notes it’s all a lie. She reminds him Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet to raise money for the Statue of Liberty’s platform. “A statue which stares down on us as you strip us of our dignity and inspect us like cattle,” says Alex.
She believes right now is the least free she’s felt in her life. Alex requests that if he’s going to deny her entry, he can at least do it with dignity. The officer hands a book and asks her to read, to prove she has marketable skills. The book is Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and she finds just the right biting, relative passage to prove her literacy.
Alex points out the officer has lipstick on his neck. He stamps her paperwork and welcomes her to America. Alex leaves his office without responding.
She stands at the ferry’s bow and takes in the New York skyline. Once it docks, she walks through the streets, searching for the train station. She lucks into a very helpful newsstand clerk who helps her figure out that the route to Montana will take her through Chicago, Minneapolis, Fargo, Bismarck, and Billings. He also suggests the safest way to travel to Grand Central Station is by taxi. It will be expensive, but carrying a bag through the streets invites trouble. Also, she should keep her money in her shoe and watch out for nice people. You can’t trust them.
The ticket clerk at Grand Central Station is also incredibly helpful. He warns her she’s heading through freezing weather that she’s never experienced before and that she should spend the extra $30 for a solo sleeper car. Unfortunately, she can’t afford it and has to settle for a shared car. Once she makes it to Billings, she’ll need to book a ticket to Bozeman.
The clerk sees her take money from her shoe and tells her to return the remainder to a different hiding place. Every pickpocket just saw what she did. She also needs to hide her ticket, and she shouldn’t wait on the platform. Anywhere else isn’t safe for a woman traveling alone.
Alex looks around at the crowded station and heads upstairs to wait. She writes in a journal, speaking to Spencer and telling him she’s in America and on her way to Montana. After months apart, this last week has been the most unbearable.
“What calamity awaits to keep me from you?” she wonders. “What fresh hell has the devil devised?” She confesses to being afraid the world won’t let her have him. She may be correct. The last we see of Alex in episode three is when she’s being followed by a man into the women’s restroom.
Marshal Kent Leaves a Trail of Dead Bodies
Runs His Horse (Michael Spears) arrives at the cowboys’ camp and meets with the boss. He offers to help look for strays in exchange for camping, and that’s fine with the boss. They’ll start pushing the cattle through where he’s camped in the morning, and Runs His Horse is asked to hold the cattle in the valley until they push them across the river.
Meanwhile, Marshal Mamie Fossett (Jennifer Carpenter) learns about the killings committed by Father Renaud and Marshal Kent. The dead are still lying where they fell, with their families caring for the bodies. A witness says the dead men were seeking revenge on two lawmen and a priest who murdered tribe members after questioning them about Teonna. Marshal Fossett knows exactly who they are talking about.
The Comanche vow to kill the men if they find them before Marshal Fossett.
Elsewhere, Marshal Kent and Father continue their search for Teonna, heading into Texas. Kent believes cowboys don’t care about your skin color. Teonna’s gang is probably working at cattle camps on their way to Mexico.
Spencer’s Forced Into Bootlegging
Only eight minutes are left when we finally catch up with Luca (Andy Dispensa) and Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) on the road. Luca can’t believe the cows are so fat or that most Americans are fat. Spencer spots a roadblock ahead and pulls over to get a better look. (It’s in the middle of nowhere.) He sees men with guns stopping vehicles, quickly pulls a U-turn, and drives away. Luca’s cousin gave them money to pay off the cops and guns to handle those who don’t accept bribes. But Spencer decides it would be safer to find a different road.
Luca looks at the map and finds an alternate route. As they’re driving, Spencer announces he wants to get rid of the truck. He’s not willing to die just to transport some alcohol. Luca tries to hold Spencer at gunpoint and force him to continue, but Spencer easily disarms him. Luca thinks his cousins are going to share their wealth with him. Spencer knows they just set him up to get rid of him.
Spencer is going to walk to the train station with or without Luca. Luca refuses to leave the truck and takes off on his own, returning to the roadblock. Spencer warned him not to try and shoot his way through and as he’s walking, he hears gunshots. Luca tries to bust through the roadblock and is shot dead.
- Recap of 1923 Episode 1
- 1923 Season 1 Episode 2 “Nature’s Empty Throne” Recap
- 1923 Season 1 Episode 3 “The War Has Come Home” Recap
- 1923 Season 1 Episode 4 “War and the Turquoise Tide” Recap
- 1923 Season 1 Episode 5 “Ghost of Zebrina” Recap
- 1923 Season 1 Episode 6 “One Ocean Closer to Destiny” Recap
- 1923 Season 1 Episode 7 “The Rule of Five Hundred” Recap
- 1923 Season 1 Episode 8 “Nothing Left to Lose” Finale Recap
- 1923 Season 2 Episode 1 “The Killing Season” Recap
- 1923 Season 2 Episode 2 “The Rapist is Winter” Recap
The post ‘1923’ Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: “Wrap Thee in Terror” appeared first on ShowbizJunkies.
0 Comments