Spencer and Alexandra face new roadblocks on their separate roads to Montana, while Teonna, Runs His Horse and Pete Plenty Clouds remain on the run.
Here are some random thoughts prompted by “Only Gunshots to Guide Us,” Episode 5 for Season 2 of 1923. Please keep in mind: There will be scads of spoilers here, so consider yourself warned.
-
- Yes, it looks like we really can trace the Yellowstone “train station” system of dumping inconvenient corpses all the way back to the rapacious Donald Whitfield, who came up with the idea, and his flunky Banner Creighton, who oversaw the initial disposal.
-
- After Creighton and two co-conspirators handled the body of Christy, the unfortunate prostitute accidentally killed by Lindy, another of Whitfield’s “playthings,” Lindy was sent to town to fetch another hooker for the household. She may have convinced a possible candidate to accompany her back to Whitfield Manor. (Whitfield, Lindy explained, “likes a little theater in the bedroom.”) But we strongly suspect no good will come from this.
-
- Meanwhile, Spencer was continuing to travel on foot through the wilderness during his long journey back to Montana when he was rudely awakened from his nap under a sheltering tree by Marshal Mamie Fossett and her two deputies. Not surprisingly, they viewed him as more than a little suspicious, especially since he was traveling with a 416 Rigby Rifle. (“Not much it can’t send backwards,” Spencer conceded.) So they hustled him back to Amarillo, where Spencer promised he could prove his identity by calling Sheriff William McDowell back in Bozeman.
-
- Sure enough, McDowell confirmed Spencer’s story — but warned the itinerant Dutton that he should remain in Texas, far away from the coming war between Whitfield’s army and Jacob’s crew. Fat chance of that, huh? Fossett made good on her promise of providing Spencer with a train ticket if he actually turned out to be who he said he was. And although Spencer met brief resistance from a conductor concerned about allowing a man with a 416 Rigby Rifle on board, he was able to resume his travels.
-
- Gosh, do you think McDowell or (more likely) someone in his office might warn Whitfield and/or Creighton that Spencer is on his way home? And hey, did Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren take the week off?
-
- Father Renaud and Marshal Kent tracked Teonna all the way to where she, her father Runs His Horse, and the recently orphaned Pete Plenty Clouds had been helping rancher Anders and his men herd cattle. At first, Anders denied knowing anything about Teonna. And his men backed his story. But when Renaud and Thomas informed them that the “evil” girl had already killed five people, Anders pointed the pursuers in the right direction. Too bad Anders didn’t know that — well, those five particular people had it coming.
-
- And speaking of people who got what they deserved, how about that smug dandy who attempted to make Alexandra’s life even more miserable than it already was? Poor Alex, lacking the means to purchase food, had been forced to earn her keep as a waitress in the dining car by an unsympathetic supervisor. (“It’s not my place to be charitable with the Union Pacific’s goods!”) The dandy took advantage of her situation by forcing her to wipe spilled coffee from his crotch. Dude should have quit while he was ahead. The next day, he groped Alex as she stood by his seat — and she angrily responded by dousing his face with hot java, then pounding his head with a coffee pot. You go, girl!
-
Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra
-
- When the train arrived in Chicago, police boarded to carry Alex off to the pokey on assault charges. But that’s when Alex’s luck changed: Paul (Augie Prew) and Hillary (Janet Montgomery), two well-to-do passengers who witnessed the fracas, convinced the cops that Alex was a victim, not a victimizer, and should be set free.
-
- But wait, there’s more: When Alex learned disruptive blizzards in Montana would cause her to be indefinitely stranded in Chicago, Paul and Hillary extended their hospitality. “A little respite from your adventures might be needed,” Paul said while inviting her to their home. Alex accepted the offer, but only after some hesitation. By this point, she’s started scrutinizing the mouth of every gift horse.
-
- And speaking of horses: Desperate to find water for themselves and their mounts as they rode through an unforgiving prairie, Teeona and Runs His Horse reluctantly agreed to stay put while Pete Plenty Clouds rode ahead to scout the area. His logic: The guys chasing them were looking for three Indians, not one.
-
- Trouble is, Pete’s logic was flawed: As soon as Father Renaud and Marshal Kent spotted him, they gave chase. Kent, as we’ve seen before, is the type of lawman who prefers to shoot first, then last, and never bother to ask questions later. But when Pete’s dehydrated horse collapsed, he defiantly shoot back. And that, ladies and gentlemen, cued the cliffhanger that will doubtless have us coming back for the next exciting episode.
