The third episode of 1923 season 2 mostly centers around the horrors and humiliation Alexandra faces as soon as she reaches the land of opportunity. Mind you, not the land of dreams, no matter what lies the newspapers sell. The ground reality is quite terrifying, even today. The running theme in this episode, as Cara explains herself, is both the new girls in the Dutton family having to act like women and face their fears no matter what happens. The world is not a fair place, and they can’t let men humiliate them or treat them differently. They have to fight for their honor and their survival, and that’s what’s going to protect them in the wilderness of the men’s world. It’s quite a metaphor that while one woman is fighting against all odds to reach the Yellowstone ranch, the other is planning to pack her bags and leave as soon as possible. Maybe it speaks to the nature of the land itself, suggesting that only the strong will survive its wilderness, and Elizabeth doesn’t seem to fit the bill, at least for now. With that said, let’s take a look at everything that went down in 1923, episode 3.
Spoiler Alert
Alexandra Reaches America
The English vessel finally docked at New York harbor, where Alexandra shockingly found out that she had to go make the rounds of the U.S. Immigration offices on Ellis Island before finally getting entry into the Land of Liberty. Only those who had secured their travel documents in the U.S. embassy in London were allowed to leave the ship without any such procedure, and Alexandra, in a hurry to escape her country, had forgotten to secure any such papers. And even though Alexandra was a White woman, it seemed like the men in the immigration offices spared no one. They weren’t above punching a woman in the gut when they acted too oversmart. Maybe “Manners Maketh Man” did struggle to reach the new country along with the rest of the immigrants, which was why Alexandra’s entry to the country was so exhausting, for lack of a better word.
After going through hell, Alexandra apparently gave up all hope of ever meeting Spencer again. She didn’t want to sully her dignity anymore just to “seize” the opportunity and gain entry into America. She refused to sell her honor to please the immigration officer and therefore taught him the lesson he deserved. She read a passage from Walt Whitman’s book to convince the officer that she wasn’t a woman he could take advantage of. She could read and find a vocation in the new country. She even saved him from getting a divorce by pointing out the lipstick stain on his neck. The opportunistic yet embarrassed officer had no other option but to meekly utter, “Welcome to America.” Alexandra, along with the other immigrants, was taken to the city on a ferry, and as soon as she arrived, she quickly bought a map from the streets to plan out the rest of the journey to Bozeman, Montana.
Zane Davis Needs Surgery
Jake and company managed to survive the devastating blizzard and finally reached the Yellowstone ranch, where Dr. Miller took a good look at Zane’s head injury and diagnosed him with a subdural hematoma. The officers who raided his house in the first season had thrashed him brutally, and he took quite a few blows to the head. Because of the severe brain injury, blood pooled up against his skull and started pushing against the brain. Dr. Miller needed to drain the blood immediately, or else Zane could lose his life. He told Jake he couldn’t perform the surgery at home, but Zane wasn’t in any condition to travel back to the town. The only option they were left with was to drill his skull at the ranch; the only concern was that Dr. Miller didn’t have anesthesia with him, which meant Zane would have to suffer the pain of someone drilling into his head while he was conscious.
Luca Is Likely Dead
After leaving Galveston, Spencer and Luca embarked on a journey towards Fort Worth, where Spencer noticed a police roadblock. Now Luca’s cousin, Rosario, had given him the money to bribe the officers, but he had also handed him a gun in case things went south. However, Spencer didn’t want to take any chances. He didn’t want to be branded as a criminal in his own country, because that would only jeopardize his position to save his family. He told Luca that they needed to get rid of the illegal whiskey wagon, but Luca didn’t want to disappoint his cousins and therefore took the pistol from Spencer and decided to deliver the truck all by himself.
In 1923 episode 3’s ending, Spencer heard gunshots in the distance. The officers at the blockade had tried to stop Luca, but he didn’t. We don’t know what exactly happened, but it could be surmised that Luca might have tried to bribe the officers, and when they refused to take the money, he pulled the pistol and tried to run. It’s likely that he was shot down by one of the officers to stop him from escaping, and even if he survived those bullet wounds, he would be thrown in a cell for carrying illegal booze. Meanwhile, Spencer, who was already short on time, would quickly find his way to the train station so he could reach Montana. However, something tells me he won’t be traveling to Montana alone. No, he won’t meet Alexandra on his way but it’s likely he’ll travel home with Teonna Rainwater, who is in Texas right now too.
Alexandra May Get Robbed
After taking a cab to the New York train station, Alexandra bought a train ticket for Billings, Montana, from where she might need to hitch another ride to Bozeman, which is another 143-mile journey. The man at the ticket counter warned Alexandra to be cautious of pick-pocketers, and in episode 3’s ending, we saw one shady fella keeping an eye on Alexandra and following her to the women’s rooms, implying he doesn’t have the best intentions in mind. So, will this man rob Alexandra of her money and the ticket she just purchased, making her journey to Montana even harder? Well, we’ll find out in the next episode.
Marshal Kent Knows Where Teonna Is
In the previous episode, Teonna and Pete told Runs His Horse that the place they were camping at wasn’t a reservation anymore. The Quanah people had left the place a long time back, and the land was now owned by some cowboys who had turned it into a ranch. Runs His Horse was quite skeptical about the whole thing, which was why he decided to move away from the lands, but Teonna wanted to stay. She liked the place and therefore convinced her father that they could take their chance with the cowboys. Pete told him that they could help them with the strays in exchange for letting them stay. Well, Runs His Horse understood that Teonna and her lover didn’t want to leave the place, which was why he decided to find the rancher to make a deal.
In 1923 episode 3, he located the new landowner and finally took his permission to camp on his land in exchange for helping him find his stray cattle. But you see, that’s where he made a blunder. Marshal Kent and Father Renaud were already hunting them down, and Kent had a pretty good idea that the fugitives had gone east. Kent believed that they might be hiding somewhere in Texas trying to find employment with the cowboys who would hire anyone who could ride a horse. Renaud and Kent quickly rode towards Shamrock to catch Teonna and the party before they could earn enough money to escape to Mexico. My best guess is that Kent would eventually find Teonna but wouldn’t be able to arrest her. He might ambush them somewhere in the valley, killing Pete and Runs His Horse, but Marshal Mamie Fossett would eventually save Teonna from these evil men. Or maybe she would try to bring Teonna to safety, while Renaud and Kent would be attacked by the natives to seek justice for all the unfortunate ones they had lost by the hands of these two evil travelers. And at the end of the day, Mamie would ask Spencer to take Teonna back to the Crow reservation and reunite with her tribe so she could spend the rest of her days with her people.
