As the second episode of 1923 closed and Alexandra leapt into the back of Spencer’s car, fleeing her pre-arranged life as a society wife, it was easy to imagine these two impulsive soul mates making immediate tracks for Montana and the Paradise Valley. However, even a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost cannot cross the ocean, so Spencer and Alexandra land at a railroad camp in eastern Africa, where they quickly declare their love for one another. “Our time here is a flicker of an eye,” she continues; “one exhale and we’re gone.” This is precisely why Spencer does not waste time with her. Spencer proposes to Alexandra as they stand on a stone imprinted with the neolithic footprints of humanity’s forefathers, with wildebeest, giraffes, impala, and elephants as witnesses. It is a demand, not a question or a statement. He does not deny that “Alex” refers to Americans as brutes. He assures her that there are many aspects of him that she will dislike. And they are aware that Alex’s blue blood parents will surely dislike him. However, they see their children in one another’s eyes.
Even if Spencer and Alexandra had left Africa immediately after falling in love, they would have arrived in Montana too late to see the range war’s bloodiest salvos. Banner Creighton arrives home in 1923 Episode 3 as Jacob, John Dutton Sr., Jack Dutton, Zane, and the rest of the cowboys greet Cara, Emma, and Jack’s girlfriend Elizabeth at the ranch. He has neither a horse nor a flock of sheep, and blood flows from his sock like beet soup. Banner’s anger has only grown after surviving Jacob’s brand of cowboy justice, as he mutters through a bloodied visage, “The Duttons happened.” The seasoned rancher justifies his actions to Sheriff McDowell in Bozeman (Robert Patrick). Jacob says, “I hung my share of men with you standing right by me, Bill.” Harrison Ford delivers this phrase with John Wayne-like confidence turned up to eleven. However, the ramifications of his conflict with the sheepherders in the high hills will persist. Persistent disputes over grazing rights and sudden outbreaks of violence have erupted into a fierce battle.
In town, the contrast between the Dutton Ranch group and the relentless advancement of the 20th century is evident. John and Jack Dutton continue to wear sidearms, chaps, and cowboy clothing as they stroll with Cara and the other women along Bozeman’s paved main street, surrounded by eastern tourists in suits and gowns. Automobiles abound, and all kinds of consumer trifles are available. The electricity firm rents popcorn machines, five-cent hot dogs, and electric home equipment. The salesperson asserts that the washing machine, the refrigerator, and even electricity itself are all indicators of a future filled with more free time. But the concept of unstructured leisure time is an affront to ranch life and the cowboy culture, which does not recognize weekends or work that is not done individually and with purpose. Jack Dutton says to the salesman, “It’s not more relaxed.” “Because we must work more in order to pay for all of this,”
To be fair, Elizabeth and Cara did find the electric washer to be practical. However, the matriarch of the Dutton family also understands what drives consumer society. She adds to Jacob that it’s not as if women used razors to shave their legs a decade ago. Greed caused this. “They designed a razor for women when there was no need, and then they invented the need.” It will be the cause of our demise. “Greed will be the cause of our demise.” The conflict between those with and without grazing rights is at the center of the grazing rights debate, and drought conditions have only exacerbated this disparity. But the war between man and his enemy has been worsened, and as the Duttons prepare to return home from Bozeman, Banner’s men are keeping an eye on them.
Spencer and Alexandra have vowed to one another and are driving through the bush on a rocky road when an elephant bull chooses to charge their truck. The car is flipped and Spencer manages to fire a shot, but despite the big elephant crashing to the ground, the new couple is in a dire situation. Camp is too far away to reach before nightfall, and with Spencer’s recent destruction of a 14-ton dinner bell, they will soon have hungry guests. There is another makeout session in the shade of a nearby acacia tree before Spencer’s feared large cats arrive, and he begins to do just that to protect Alex. Spencer and Alex are saved when a camp truck comes just as the predators are licking their chops. She informs him, in reference to her lustful speech on the balcony in Nairobi, “I stared death in the face and I felt lifeless.” “I felt only terror. And I never wish to feel that way again.” And Spencer tells her that for a very long time, the split second between life and death was the only time he felt anything. “Until I met you.”
There were shots fired during the range conflict. Jacob and Clara, John and Emma, and Elizabeth and Jack are traveling to the ranch by horse and wagon when Banner and the sheepers ambush them. Elizabeth and Jake are both shot, causing the gang to run for cover as the treeline snipers begin fire. Zane and the other cowboys from the Dutton ranch are in the lead on the path, thus this battle is occurring right now. John informs the gang, “Here they come; preserve your ammunition.” However, as the sheepers and Duttons exchange fire, Banner himself arrives at the ambush location, accompanied by a mechanized harbinger of death. He parks his vehicle, removes a Thompson submachine gun from the trunk, and empties the weapon’s drum magazine into Jacob and John.
The sheepherders’ ambush transports us back to the beginning of 1923, with Cara pursuing a man in the aftermath of the attack. This is the most recent instance of violence that has plagued the Dutton family, again another indication of the evil that always lurks beneath the pines. After Elizabeth and Jacob are strewn throughout the makeshift triage area in the Duttons’ kitchen, the rancher states that calling the sheriff won’t help. The shepherds will come here for them. And now that John Dutton has been fatally shot in the eye, the family requires their wayward warrior. Cara writes to Spencer in Africa: “Your brother has been killed.” “By the time you receive this letter, I will assume that your uncle has also been murdered. Your nephew has sustained injuries. This ranch and your legacy are in imminent danger. This location and your family have been invaded by war. Whatever conflict you wage against yourself must wait. You must return home and engage in combat.”
Johnny Loftus is a free-lance writer and editor residing in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift have published his work. His Twitter handle is @glennganges.
»‘The War Has Come Home,’ Episode 3 Recap«