With only three episodes left in the second season, 1923 Season 2 Episode 5 just brought Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) and Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) closer to reuniting than they’ve ever been before. It was a grueling journey on the train from New York to the midwest for Alex, who suffered another terrifying physical ordeal as she worked for food on the cross-country locomotive following her Episode 4 robbery. Spencer, meanwhile, was brought in for questioning by Marshal Mamie Fossett (Jennifer Carpenter), marking the first time a Dutton has crossed paths with one of the Texas/Oklahoma characters in this series. The episode also revealed the origins of the infamous “train station” seen throughout Yellowstone.
Alex was sexually assaulted by an American passenger who had been harassing her the night prior in Episode 5. In the early morning when it was only him, Alex, and two English passengers (Augie Prew and Janet Montgomery as Paul and Hillary) in the train’s dining car, the assailant reached his hand up Alex’s skirt and assaulted her as she was pouring him coffee. Alex defended herself by pouring the scalding-hot liquid on his lap and beating him with the metal carafe. With no train employees to witness what prompted Alex’s retaliation, she was arrested by a conductor and detained until they reached Chicago. Alex told those in charge of the rape, but they left matters to the Chicago police. Paul and Hillary, who had connected with Alex just moments before the assault, vouched for her innocence and that she was acting in self-defense. Alex was freed, and her attacker was arrested.
The tired, hungry, and traumatized Alex got more bad news at the Chicago train station when she was informed her train to Fargo, North Dakota, was canceled due to a snow drift. Paul and Hillary offered her safe harbor with them in Winnetka, Illinois, where she could rest and recuperate and plan her next steps. Finally, she’s caught a lucky break. But the snow drift may result in few trains to Fargo, adding even more time to Alex’s journey further west. It may be springtime, but the snow stays in this area until June, according to the ticket salesman. Alex may have to sit and wait in Winnetka until the world thaws.
Alex is now less than a day’s train ride away from Fargo, and from there it’s another day’s train ride to Bozeman, Montana. Spencer wound up in Texas after his train adventure in Episode 4 that forced him to fight off three train squatters in self-defense. He was found by Mamie and two other Marshals while napping under a Texas tree. His Montana destination raised suspicions for Mamie, who recently crossed paths with Montana Marshal Kent (Jamie McShane) and Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) and is now involved in the search for Teonna (Aminah Nieves), who’s wanted for murder.
This led to the Duttons receiving their first word of news from Spencer in ages through a phone call to Sheriff William McDowell (Robert Patrick) to verify Spencer’s identity. William warned Spencer not to return home, as the war against Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) was brewing and vengeance would only worsen matters. But there’s no stopping Spencer from returning home to avenge his brother (James Badge Dale‘s John Dutton I, who died in Season 1) and reunite with his wife.
The sheriff ran off to alert the Duttons of Spencer’s call and impending return. And as an apology for bringing the innocent Spencer in for questioning, Mamie bought his train ticket home. He’s now just a two-day train ride away from Bozeman, plus the travel time to Paradise Valley.
Elsewhere in the episode, Whitfield instructed Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) to dispose of the body of the prostitute he tortured until she died. He pointed out a “no man’s land” area on a map of Wyoming, the rural area with no population and therefore no law enforcement seen in Yellowstone.
Rather than a Dutton ancestor becoming the first person to establish the “train station” where dead bodies are tossed in secret and never found, 1923 made a Dutton enemy the creator of this death valley. How the Duttons will learn of this place and start to use it may be revealed in future episodes, or perhaps the reportedly still in-development 1944 spinoff.
The episode ended with Kent and Renaud catching up with Pete Plenty Clouds (Jeremy Gauna) on the open plains. He was searching for water when the Marshal saw him, leading to a high-speed horse chase that ended on a major cliffhanger. Pete’s horse fell while sprinting away, hurtling Pete off of its back and forcing him to grab his rifle to defend himself against Kent. The episode ended with Pete letting out a war cry and gunshots flying between the two men.
