From the C&I Studio: Gratiela Brancusi of 1883

Noemi, the resilient Romani immigrant played by Gratiela Brancusi in 1883, is nothing but practical. When her husband was killed during their wagon train journey westward, she figured she needed someone to provide for herself and her two children — so she approached Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott), the weathered Pinkerton agent leading the pioneers, with an enticing offer to make him happy if he would take her, ahem, under his wing.

Trouble is, as we learned fairly early in 1883, Shea doesn’t do happy.

Undeterred, Noemi set her sights on Shea’s partner, Thomas (LaMonica Garrett), a former Buffalo Solider who wasn’t quite so immune to her charms — despite his pointed remarks about their conspicuous age and racial differences. Ultimately, Noemi turned out to be much like the Borg of the Star Trek mythos: Resistance was futile. And, really, who could resists such a wily woman? “Men have no idea what women want,” Noemi told Thomas. “You know why? Because the men never ask.”

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Even Noemi seemed surprised, however, by the warm feelings Thomas gradually (albeit reluctantly) revealed to her. As we observed in our Episode 106 Recap: “Thomas tried to make it clear to widowed mother Noemi… that they were just good friends, and love had nothing to do with it. But that was before he insisted that she hold on to her shotgun for protection when she asked him to sell her husband’s effects in Doan’s Crossing. ‘I can teach you how to use it,’ he said. ‘You’re going to need it.’

“And before Thomas purchased an expensive looking glass for her from a trader in the settlement. Not for the first time, Noemi saw right through him. ‘You want me to be happy,’ she said. ‘You want me to be safe. That’s love.’ Thomas didn’t argue the point.”

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Can these two survive long enough during the final three Season One episodes of the Paramount+ series for happily-ever-aftering? We tried to pry an answer to that burning question from Gratiela Brancusi when we spoke with her a few days ago. But like most people who ride for the Taylor Sheridan brand, the Romanian-born actress declined to spill too many beans — and even indicated that she might not know much more than we do about how things may play out in the 1883 universe.