The way the story ends for Alex Dutton’s (Julia Schlaepfer) friends in 1923 is awful, and their fates call back to Spencer Dutton’s (Brandon Sklenar) tragic origin story. Spencer’s wife experiences a harrowing journey in 1923 season 2, fueled by her determination to reunite with her child’s father. After Paul (Augustus Prew) and Hillary (Janet Montgomery) rescue Alex in the Chicago train station, it looks like Alex has experienced a twist of fate, returning with the couple to their home in Winnetka for a bit of respite. Shockingly, the Chicagoans even offer to personally drive Alex to Emigrant, Montana.
While the development warmed my heart momentarily, I worried about the Brits’ journey, since the worst things happen to Alex Dutton in 1923. Paul and Hillary joining forces with the character made their stories just as ill-fated, adding to the list of tragedies 1923’s characters have encountered in the face of winter. It’s been a cruel and unforgiving wintertime for Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton’s (Helen Mirren) family, with Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph) losing her husband Jack (Darren Mann) in episode 6. Therefore, Alex’s friends’ 1923 story joined the list of tragedies the family has endured.
Paul & Hillary Froze To Death In 1923 Season 2, Episode 6
Alex’s Friends Met An Awful Fate In “The Mountain Teeth Of Monsters”
When Paul and Hillary appeared on Alex’s West-bound Union Pacific train heading for Chicago, the Brits were a bit brazen. Hillary made vulgar assumptions about Alex’s bruises and the men in America, not knowing Spencer’s wife was beaten in the Grand Central Terminal in 1923 season 2, episode 4. However, when Alex serves them later in the dining car, she reveals her wit, making an insightful remark about the declining value of France’s franc. Alex’s comment causes the couple to take a liking to their server, motivating Paul and Hillary to step in and save Alex on two occasions.
Paul and Hillary take Alex to Winnetka after speaking to the Chicago police on her behalf. As they host her over tea and cigarettes, the couple hear Alex and Spencer’s incredible 1923 story, with Paul remarking it’s the most fantastic thing he’s heard. The epic tale causes Paul to step up and offer to drive Alex to Montana. While the whimsical gesture was kind-hearted, it was ultimately a fatal excursion. The temperature plummets as Paul and Hillary drive Alex through the American North, with snow beginning to coat the road as the group approaches Buffalo, Wyoming.
When she wakes up on the roadside, Alex remarks to Hillary, only to find her friend frozen to death in the passenger seat.
Despite a woman at the gas station telling Paul and Hillary that Alex should take the train to Montana, remarking that the roads will be more treacherous as their journey continues, the group fails to heed the local wisdom. An ominous tone sets in as Paul and Hillary begin to shiver, with Paul giving his wife his gloves and Alex getting on the floor to stay warm. When she wakes up on the roadside, Alex remarks to Hillary, only to find her friend frozen to death in the passenger seat. Despite foreshadowing, the development made for a shocking Yellowstone death.
Alex Friends’ Death In 1923 Calls Back To Margaret Dutton’s Fate After 1883
Spencer Dutton’s Mother, Margaret, Also Froze To Death
Unfortunately, Paul and Hillary’s freezing to death is a painful reminder of a shocking death within the Dutton family. While 1923 follows some of the earliest family members, the show was preceded by 1883, the earliest-set Yellowstone prequel about the Dutton family featuring James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill). While he does not appear in 1883 and didn’t witness his family’s journey along the Oregon Trail to Montana, Spencer is Margaret’s youngest child, born after the family settled in Paradise Valley. Spencer was born after his sister, Elsa (Isabel May), died, marking the end of his family’s journey.
Despite Elsa’s 1883 death due to the perilous nature of the journey, James and Margaret Dutton survive the trip, living to settle in the Paradise Valley with their son John (Audie Rick). However, when 1923 season 1 premiered as the spiritual sequel to 1883, Elsa Dutton’s narration revealed an ominous development about her mother, explaining why Jacob and Cara now run the ranch. Elsa reveals that after her father’s death, Margaret Dutton froze to death, with Jacob finding her in a snow drift. The mother’s death left her two boys, John and Spencer, to fend for themselves in the cold.
What Alex’s Friends’ Deaths Mean For 1923 Season 2’s Finale
The Dutton Family Will Empathize With Alex’s Story Completely
Unfortunately, the fate of Alex’s friends in 1923 season 2, episode 6, resembles what happened to Spencer’s mother, Margaret. That could come back in the finale. It was devastating to watch Alex discover that Paul and Hillary were dead. The experience added another trauma to Alex’s list. Moreover, Paul and Hillary became Alex’s friends along the journey. If she makes it to the ranch now, Spencer’s wife will not only be worse for wear, but she will be mourning the loss of two friends. The awful Yellowstone deaths could have a silver lining, though, bringing Alex and Spencer even closer.
If Alex makes it to the ranch now, she will have an epic story to tell, with Paul and Hillary’s deaths being one of the most recent and impactful elements. Upon hearing the saga, Spencer will be able to empathize with Alex’s situation completely, having lost his mother to the brutal cold. Spencer will surely understand Alex’s hardship, and she will understand his. Elsa Dutton tells us in 1923’s premiere that Jacob was the one to find Margaret’s frozen corpse, so Spencer’s uncle, too, will be able to empathize with Alex like he did with Elizabeth, probably even more so.