1923 had us hooked like cowboys on black coffee and bad decisions. But when Taylor Sheridan decided Alexandra’s fate in Season 2, he may’ve saddled up the wrong horse entirely. We’re talking about a move so baffling, it makes you wonder if someone spiked the script notes.
Alexandra, one of the freshest sparks in the Dutton drama, got sidelined in a twist that felt more like a facepalm than a plot point. And here’s the real kicker: it wasn’t just bad for fans; it was a straight-up money blunder.
Taylor Sheridan killed the fan-favorite Alex, and the franchise’s momentum
Taylor Sheridan really fumbled the bag with this one. Killing off Alexandra in 1923 Season 2 was flat-out dumb. As in, Titanic-door-room-for-two level dumb. She never even made it to the ranch. And for what? To die in a hospital bed after reuniting with Spencer for all of five minutes?
Alex and Spencer were the hook for a whole new fanbase. Girls who didn’t give two boots about Yellowstone were tuning in weekly for them. Their chemistry was chemistrying. Their journey was epic. But instead of cashing in, Sheridan wrote her off.
TS had two years. Two whole years to see how fans were obsessed. Instead of rewriting to keep her alive (even just for a while), he stuck to a grim arc that was part 1883 déjà vu, part wasted opportunity. Julia Schlaepfer, who played Alex, said reading the ending made her “sob for a long time.”
Frankly speaking? Same, girl.
Sheridan’s decision wasn’t just sad, it was a strategic faceplant. Keeping Alex alive on the ranch would’ve set 1944 up with endless throwbacks, tearjerkers, and emotional glue. But nope. We got frostbite, a tragic birth, and a premature funeral.
Sure, Spencer lives another 45 years and raises their son. But without Alex, the spark’s gone. And with 1923 officially over, 1944 now has to fight for relevance without one of its most beloved characters.
So yeah, Taylor Sheridan might be a creative genius. But when it comes to Alex’s arc, he played himself. And the franchise’s bank account.
Why Taylor Sheridan ghosted the 1923 season 2 set
Taylor Sheridan skipped the 1923 Season 2 set, and no, it wasn’t a drama. It was trust. While most showrunners hover on set, Sheridan handed the reins to longtime creative partner Ben Richardson. In an interview with Town and Country Magazine, Jerome Flynn confirmed,
He’s so close to Ben (Richardson) the director – who directed every episode that they work together as a team, and he trusts him implicitly…Taylor’s so busy working on the plethora of other stuff that’s coming through him. No, we never saw him on set.
With Landman, Lioness, and more in the pipeline, Sheridan stayed behind the scenes writing, mapping storylines, and keeping the Yellowstone universe tight.
Even without him physically there, his fingerprints were all over Season 2. The Dutton drama ran deep this time, with heartbreak, high stakes, and a Great Depression backdrop that hit hard.