1923 season 2 is already frustrating Spencer Dutton’s (Brandon Sklenar) story, but it makes sense considering what the character is up against. We first met Spencer in 1923 season 1 when the Great War veteran was off hunting lions in Nairobi as the rest of the family prepared for an impending range war. Spencer’s journey takes off when he meets Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer), the future Countess of Sussex. In season 1, the star-crossed lovers fall in love as Alexandra leaves her engagement and a life of British nobility, following Spencer to Tanganyika, where he is needed for another kill.
While touring Africa, Spencer and Alex swiftly enter an engagement. They eventually set a course for Montana when Spencer finally receives Cara Dutton’s (Helen Mirren) warning that the ranch is in danger after Alex encourages him to read a bundle of unopened letters. However, the couple is separated as they cross the vast Atlantic Ocean by a tugboat and British liner. Therefore, Spencer and Alex make separate journeys home to Bozeman in 1923 season 2. In episode 2, however, Spencer faces setbacks as he fights his way home, including a detour to bootleg booze for Galveston’s Italian mafia.
1923 Season 2 Is Taking Its Time To Get Spencer Dutton To Yellowstone, And It’s Frustrating
Spencer’s Journey Lags As 1923 Advances
A conversation from 1923 season 1, episode 3, “The War Has Come Home,” shows that Alex and Spencer know their time together is limited. Alex begins to feel small as Spencer and his future bride stand on a site outside Tanganyika, where a child’s footprints are baked into the lava rock. She tells Spencer about her sudden realization that life is a mere blink, and Dutton tells his lover that’s why he has decided not to waste a moment of their shared time. Therefore, watching 1923 season 2 waste precious moments of Alex and Spencer’s love story can be frustrating.
Like the couple, 1923 audiences know Alex and Spencer Dutton’s time is limited.
Like the couple, we know Alex and Spencer Dutton’s time is limited. 1923 season 2 is the final installment of the Yellowstone prequel with Alex and Spencer, so every episode in which the couple isn’t together is one less of their epic romance. Therefore, Spencer’s sidequest with Luca (Andy Dispensa) in 1923 season 2, episode 2, to deliver his cousin Salvatore “Sal” Maceo’s (Gilles Marini) bootlegged liquor amid Prohibition is as annoying as it is entertaining. Hopefully, Spencer will leave the mafia connection behind in Texas and soon be home with Alex in Montana to fight for his family.
Why Spencer’s Long Journey To Yellowstone In 1923 Makes Sense
Spencer Has A Long Road Ahead Of Him
As Spencer’s journey home expands, hopes that Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton’s nephew would return to Montana at the beginning of 1923 season 2 are dissipating. It was neat that Spencer’s journey was on a different path at the beginning of season 1, showing what else was happening in 1923 outside of life in Montana. Watching Spencer and Alex make a harrowing journey home was also fascinating. That said, Spencer and Alex continuing their perilous journey is beginning to feel repetitive. Still, the show must convey the trip properly.
Spencer is traveling from Africa to Montana, so a time jump in which Dutton suddenly lands in the mountains of Montana without a significant investment would feel cheap. While innovations in transportation allowed people to travel farther in 1923, commuting by ship or train was still a long and arduous trek. Even today, a trip from Africa to Montana would make for a substantial journey. Considering that Spencer travels without much money, the road home would be long and muddled with holdups and delays. Therefore, Spencer’s journey in 1923 season 2 is as realistic as it is frustrating.