Two “miracles” occur at the Dutton Ranch, but the road there remains fraught with peril for both Spencer and Alexandra.
Here are some random thoughts prompted by “Journey the Rivers of Iron,” Episode 4 for Season 2 of 1923. Please keep in mind: There will be scads of spoilers here, so consider yourself warned.
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- Well, it’s about doggone time for the folks at Dutton Ranch to enjoy some really good news. And as if to compensate for the rough sledding they’ve been through during the cruel winter months, they enjoyed a double dose in “Journey the Rivers of Iron.”.
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- First off, Zane was successfully treated for the head injuries he suffered while in police custody when Dr. Shilling — conveniently on hand after tending to Elizabeth’s bite from a rabid wolf — attempted the risky maneuver of literally drilling a hole in the man’s head and draining the blood causing potentially fatal swelling. Jack Dutton was suitably amazed: “I got to tell you, doc — I didn’t have a lot of faith in that working.” Dr. Shilling replied: “Neither did I.” To which Jack could only respond: “I ain’t ever playing poker with you.”
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- But wait, there’s more: Liz continued to insist she would be fleeing from the demanding life at Dutton Ranch and returning home to Boston after she completed her regimen of rabies shots. And while she did appear to slightly soften her resolve after Jacob eloquently reminded Liz just how much Jack, her fiancé, loved her — “Sun don’t rise in the east with him, it rises with you!” — what sealed the deal was Dr. Shilling’s diagnosis that Liz, who suffered a miscarriage not so long ago, was pregnant: “It appears the Good Lord has two miracles for this family today.” Cue a shot of Liz and Jack warmly and joyfully embracing in the snow outside.
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- Meanwhile, Alexandra, another pregnant member of the extended Dutton family, wasn’t quite so lucky. After undergoing harassment and humiliation during her processing at Ellis Island, she was beaten and robbed in the ladies room at Grand Central Station before she could board a train to begin her journey to Bozeman. But we’ve already seen what a remarkably resilient woman Alex is, so it was something short of completely surprising when she recovered consciousness in time to chase after the departing train and get on board (with a little help from a conductor). Mind you, her accommodations there seem almost as shabby as they were during her transatlantic voyage in steerage. But never mind: She is making progress in her trek toward reconciliation with her husband Spencer.
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- Off in Texas: Teonna, Runs His Horse and Pete Plenty Clouds experienced their own reversal of fortune, in reverse. For a while, it appeared that they had lucked into steady work rounding up strays for a cattle rancher — hey, look, it’s Ride star C. Thomas Howell again! — who invited them to sit, eat, and stay awhile at his massive spread. While there, Teonna got her first lesson in what rodeoing is all about, and appeared eager to hear more. But then she noticed wanted posters emblazoned with a drawing of her face plastered all over the place. Looks like she, Runs His Horse and Peter Plenty Clouds soon will be on the road again.
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- Elsewhere in Texas, Spencer also was schooled in the dangers of life as a fugitive. He tried to extricate himself from a bad situation after his buddy Luca was gunned down while driving a truck filled with illegal whiskey past a police roadblock. But as faithful viewers learned a long time ago, hardly anyone in a Taylor Sheridan-produced show ever gets to make a clean getaway. Sure enough, as he walked down a country backroad, trying to remain inconspicuous as possible as a man can be with a encased rifle slung over his shoulder, he was detained by the local sheriff and forced to drive Luca’s booze-laden truck to Fort Worth, so lawmen could get the drop on the bootleggers there awaiting shipment.
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- The good news: Once the shooting started — a lot of shooting, actually — Spencer fled the scene and skedaddled over to a nearby trainyard, stopping along the way only to free a naked prostitute who had been tarred and feathered by a mob of Temperance ladies. (See what we meant when we proposed Brandon Sklenar would make a nifty James Bond? Can’t you just see 007 taking time for such chivalry while chased by adversaries?) The sheriff tried to catch up with him, but not before Spencer escaped by jumping into a boxcar of a conveniently passing train.
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Timothy Dalton as Donald Whitfield and Jerome Flynn as Banner Creighton
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- The bad news: Spencer found the boxcar already occupied by some extremely grungy folks — including a snaggle-toothed little girl who appeared almost as menacing as the group’s leader. Naturally, the leader demanded payment of some sort for admission into their assemblage. Just as naturally, Spencer refused to pay. One thing led to another, more shots were fired — fortunately, Spencer collected his rifle before bolting from the lawmen — and Spencer quickly resumed traveling on foot.
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- Meanwhile, back in Montana: Donald Whitfield greatly impressed a group of well-heeled investors with his plans to transform the Dutton Ranch area into a ski resort for Americans (and foreign visitors) “awash with wealth.” That he doesn’t actually own the Dutton Ranch — yet — is but a minor detail for Whitfield, who’s counting on Banner Creighton, the sheepherder turned co-conspirator, to raise an army and, ahem, remove any obstacles in his way. And if there’s a need to dispose of any bodies, Whitfield directs Banner to a secluded area of Wyoming where inconvenient corpses — like the prostitute accidentally murdered in Whitfield’s upstairs bedroom by another “plaything” — could be buried.
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- Hey, maybe this where the Dutton clan first got the idea to use Wyoming as their own private “train station” dumping ground years later in Yellowstone?
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- Banner later confided to his wife Ellie (Sarah Randall Hunt) that he may soon be doing some very bad things in order to ensure a comfortable life for them and their son. Mind you, he doesn’t go into any details about what doing these bad things might entail — like, dumping dead prostitutes in Wyoming — but judging from Ellie’s Lady Macbeth-like reaction, she just might share her husband’s by-any-means-necessary philosophy. Stay tuned for further developments.
