The 1923 Season 2 finale left fans reeling—and not necessarily in a good way. While the conclusion tried to offer a sense of closure, many viewers felt it missed the mark, rushing past emotional depth and leaving major storylines frustratingly unresolved. At the heart of this disappointment is Spencer Dutton’s long-awaited return to Montana. After a season of perilous travel, war, and soul-crushing loss, his homecoming should have been triumphant. Instead, it felt hollow.

Spencer, a hardened survivor and the series’ emotional anchor, arrived only to quickly dispatch Donald Whitfield with a single bullet—an anticlimactic resolution that felt far too simple for such a formidable antagonist. After years of buildup, fans expected a strategic takedown or emotional showdown. What they got instead was a hasty action scene that failed to reflect the weight of Spencer’s journey. The emotional resonance that should’ve accompanied his return was conspicuously absent.

Alexandra’s fate only deepened the unease. Her offscreen death—after everything she endured—was reduced to a mere footnote in Spencer’s future. Instead of granting them the peace they’d earned, the show doubled down on its cycle of heartbreak. Spencer apparently lived until 1969, fathered a child with another woman he never married, and died beside Alexandra’s grave. It’s a jarring, unsatisfying end to what was a deeply emotional character arc.

Many fans are voicing their disappointment, feeling cheated out of the closure they were promised. While the story clearly sets up the next phase in the Dutton saga—presumably 1944—the way 1923 wrapped up its characters left a bitter taste. One can only hope Season 3 will bring the payoff this story still desperately needs.