1923 does not cease to amaze me with each passing episode. Last week’s episode was one of my favorites so far in the season and one I felt was better than episode 4. That is not to say that I didn’t like the show’s new hour, quite the opposite. It was just that 1923 season 2, episode 3, was truly remarkable. The Yellowstone spinoff series got to shine the spotlight on one of my favorite characters, Alexandra, and it was hard to watch her go through so many unsavory moments as she tried to get into America.

Thankfully, it was all resolved in the best possible way. However, I feared for her life and well-being, as she was last seen with a strange man following her. Well, that storyline was brought back here, and it was more or less as dark as I feared. That was reflected by other moments with different characters, as Spencer, Teonna, and more also dealt with their own issues. However, one of my favorite aspects of episode 4 is that it balanced the darkness with quite a lot of hope, which Taylor Sheridan explained beautifully with the seasons.

The Duttons Finally Receive A Wave Of Good News
The Seasons Matter In The Yellowstone Spinoff

1923 has always had a somewhat slow pacing, which is fine, as it lets moments breathe and makes for great character development. With the arrival of winter, that combination led to the show painting quite a bleak scenario for the Duttons. Things just did not seem to go their way no matter how hard they tried, and the first few episodes of the season at times pulled me down alongside the characters. They were great stories, and of the most emotionally charged ones. The Duttons needed good news.

That means spring is here, as Elsa Dutton’s voiceover explains at the start of the episode, and though hardships continue, beauty comes out.

Well, that was baked into the plot. Sheridan is a writer who wants us to have patience. There is a natural flow to things, and the stakes will be slowly built up before the inevitable crescendo comes. As the episode sets up a major war to take place in the future, with Whitfield furthering his plans for the winter resort and Banner getting an army to take the Duttons out of their land, winter has gone. That means spring is here, as Elsa Dutton’s voiceover explains at the start of the episode, and though hardships continue, beauty comes out.

I loved how we finally got some positive developments for the Duttons, as the Montana crew needed a boost to rise up to defend their land. I was afraid Zane would never walk again, and the joy of seeing him walk once more after the doctor’s risky procedure was impossible to contain. After threatening to leave, Elizabeth discovers she is pregnant again, and so she and Jack make up, not leaving their love story behind. I was touched by that, especially given Harrison Ford’s nuanced performance when Jacob talked to her about staying just before.

Spencer & Alexandra Continue To Face Unforeseen Dangers Trying To Get To Montana
There Are Plenty Of Twists In Episode 4

While most of the updates back in Montana were positive, both Spencer and Alexandra did not happen to have the same good luck. Sure, they are now closer to their destination. However, each character had to deal with their own problems to get there, and one certainly fared worse. That would have to be Alex. Julia Schlaepfer’s character was the star of 1923 season 2, episode 3. This time around, she did not appear nearly as much as she did last week, but Alexandra’s story was potent, and I was furious.

I was afraid the worst would happen, and while it did not, it was still hard to watch Alexandra get robbed and beaten up by that man.

Episode 3 ended with a man following Alex as she went to the bathroom. I was afraid the worst would happen, and while it did not, it was still hard to watch Alexandra get robbed and beaten up by that man. He took all of her money, the valuable bracelet she could sell, and punched her in the face multiple times. Still, Alex is not someone who’d want others to feel sorry for her. I appreciated how she was able to wake up in time to run after the train and jump aboard. Without money, her trip became way harder.

As for Spencer, I thought business with the mob would be in the past. When the police officer then said he would need to deliver their whiskey, I did not expect that he would go back on his word and try to lock Spencer up. That said, the most surprising part of his journey was on the train. We can never feel like he is safe, which always keeps us guessing. Thankfully, Spencer could overpower the “tax collector” and the other man and girl aboard. Spencer is piling up bodies, and nothing will stop him from coming home.