1883 Episode 8 Review: The Weep of Surrender
It’s one of the better character moments for James, who in typical Dutton fashion, is more than often laconic. He chooses his words very carefully, and in this moment of passion, we see what drives him and families like him throughout American history to make this push across an unforgiving country. In short, we see the Dutton in him, and those moments are too few and far between compared to what we get from his ancestor John in Yellowstone.
In fact, the episode is loaded with amazingly well-written character moments. Margaret tells Elsa that she will never stand in the way of James when she sees this fire in him. That he has a journey, or as she calls it a “map in his head” that no one can prevent him from completing. It’s one of the better links between this generation of Dutton and the Yellowstone generation, as we see the seeds of why all Duttons are creatures of destiny and drive.
The best aspect of this episode is we saw a major shift in leadership, possibly even changing the dynamic of the show for the remaining two episodes. James, while opinionated, so far has remained quiet, but with Shae shortchanging the immigrants in James’ eyes, he had enough, and steps up to take charge and lead the immigrants to perhaps glory (or perhaps more suffering). As always Sam Elliott’s acting is superb, as was the writing in the scene where he graciously accepts that James is the man to lead them. Shae acknowledges everyone trusts James, and that might just be enough to lead them to the promised land. This is a much needed moment in the show to give James Dutton a chance to be the leader of men we know him to be.
In one of the more enjoyable fireside chats between James and Margaret, they also joke about how quickly Elsa is in love again. When James mocks his daughter’s fickle heart saying “She’s going to fall in love with every man she meets until one of them sticks”, he’s also saying what the audience is thinking. While there have been moments of 1883 that have seemed rushed, (and perhaps this romance with Sam is yet another one of those moments), what I admire about Sheridan’s writing in this episode, is that he acknowledges that pace in a very tongue-and-cheek manner.
Yet the circumstances of the last two episodes have hit the audience like the aforementioned tornado. Charlie Goodnight comes in and leaves as quickly as the twister. Sam and Elsa fall for each other in the blink of an eye, and with the romance reaching yet another peak in this week’s episode with their betrothal and exclamation of their undying love, I was left wondering how that story can possibly conclude this season. It would be great to see Isabel May as Elsa given more time to develop the character at a more believable pace, because she is the voice of the show (quite literally when she narrates). Yet with Elsa following her family, leaving her beloved Sam behind, it seems like another moment to let a beautiful storyline drift away with no real closure. Sheridan has been guilty of that in the past, with several plot holes remaining unanswered in Yellowstone’s four seasons thus far.
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue8yoraKdXa%2B8r7GOam9xa12avaq%2Fzp2cZnBdp7K3tcSwZK2glWLEprHPZqafZaOqv7OxzZ2cq2c%3D