Timothy Dalton’s Donald Whitfield discovered the sport of skiing in 1923 season 2, and it serves as a funny joke for fans of the James Bond franchise. In 1923 season 2, episode 2, Donald Whitfield saw a group of his Norwegian workers skiing down a mountain and was awe-struck by them. That moment actually turned out to be quite important, as it gave Whitfield an idea to market skiing as a leisure activity. It also showed Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) why he should be scared of Whitfield, which could have a major impact on the rest of 1923 season 2.
While Whitfield’s discovery of skiing was an important part of 1923, it also had a secret joke for fans of the James Bond franchise. There isn’t much overlap between Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone spinoff show and Ian Fleming’s famous secret agent, except for Timothy Dalton himself. 1923 found a way to not only give Whitfield the tools for the rest of his evil plan, it also found a way to include a clever in-joke for anyone who likes 007.
Why Timothy Dalton Discovering Skiing In 1923 Season 2 Is A Funny James Bond In-Joke
Dalton Played James Bond For Two Films & 007 Is A Famously Good Skier
Long before Timothy Dalton started playing Donald Whitfield in 1923, he was (and still is) best known for playing James Bond in two films: Licence to Kill and The Living Daylights. Anyone familiar with the James Bond franchise likely knows that 007 is an exceptionally skilled skier, however, which makes the fact that Dalton’s 1923 character had never heard of skiing before a funny reference. Dalton went from portraying one of the most famous skiers in film history to playing a man who had never even heard of the sport before.
Timothy Dalton is also the perfect Bond actor for 1923’s skiing joke, considering one of his most famous scenes as 007 heavily involved skiing. In The Living Daylights, Dalton’s Bond had to escape down a mountainside by skiing (technically sledding) inside a cello case. Plenty of other Bond actors had skiing moments – there are six different James Bond ski chases in the franchise – but Dalton’s is among the most memorable. 1923 found the perfect way to reference Dalton’s time as 007 and provide a treat for fans of both franchises.
Will Skiing Be How Donald Whitfield Dies In 1923 Season 2?
Whitfield Almost Certainly Won’t Die While Skiing In 1923 Season 2
Skiing and monetizing the sport seem to be a big part of Donald Whitfield’s plans to take over the Yellowstone ranch in 1923 season 2. While there is a chance Taylor Sheridan could write a poetic end to Dalton’s character by having him die in a skiing accident, the very reason he’s going after the Yellowstone at all, there’s virtually no way that would actually happen. Whitfield himself said that he didn’t have time to “spend two days on my ass,” and there doesn’t seem to be a scenario where he would ever go skiing in the first place.
On top of the simple fact that Whitfield probably won’t be in a position to die while skiing, it would be a terribly anticlimactic ending to the main villain of 1923. If Whitfield died skiing, Spencer’s (Brandon Sklenar) entire odyssey home and all the Duttons’ struggles would have been deflated by a random stroke of luck. It seems much more likely that Spencer has some plan to take Whitfield down and either have him arrested for his many crimes or put him in an early grave. Regardless, Timothy Dalton’s skiing moment in 1923 is still a fun reference for James Bond fans.