This Is Not Your Heaven – The show begins with Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) narrating her pain. Even with a fever, she can see the world clearer. She talks about death, which everyone shares. When stars die, no one knows it. She arrives at the fort, where she is greeted by a sentry (Seth Lee) who asks the purpose of her visit. She calls him a boy, asking who are you protecting. He says whoever needs protection. She suggests before making such a statement, he should spend time outside the fort walls. When he asks her business at the fort, she falls off her horse. He rushes to her but is shoved away by James Dutton (Tim McGraw). Another young sentry (Will Spencer) questions what is wrong with her, fearing she has smallpox. Captain Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) tells the soldier Elsa was shot. James carries her inside the fort.

James lays Elsa on the examining table. Shea suggests the Major call for assistance as they have a snake bite and head injury coming as well. Snarky, he says it is his decision to decide who and when to summon. He asks about her wound dressing. Shea explains it is a “battle dressing.” The Major refuses to call it a battle because it was a gunfight. He believes her liver is swollen, suggesting they transport her to Fort Laramie. Shea questions how they are running a fort without a staff. He says they have been abandoned, so there is no fort. James wants him to make Elsa strong enough for the trip to Fort Laramie. The Major assures him this is her last travel, she will be lucky to survive a trip to Fort Laramie. James takes Elsa back to the wagon. When the Major returns, with his medical bag, he asks where they went.

Shea informs James the landowner is the boss of the deputies they previously killed. James warns him that they will come after them once they discover the deputies’ bodies. Shea suggests Elsa needs a doctor. James questions what a doctor could do for her. He says it takes about three days for the liver to fail or heal. If it is the latter, she will survive about a week longer. Sniffling, he tells Shea he needs to speak with Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill). He suggests they move on because no doctor can help Elsa. She asks why. He warns her where Elsa dies is where they will remain. Margaret assures him she will visit Elsa every day until she dies.

Shea calls for the immigrants to gather around him. He informs him they will be heading north. They will spend the winter season in the Bozeman Valley and head west in the spring. Nikolai (Malcolm Stephenson) protests his plans. Klaus (Konstantin Melikhov) demands to go to Oregon now. Nikolai reminds him of his promise. Shea assures them he will take them to Oregon, just their plans have changed. Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) tells Shea the immigrants need a few days to rest. He says Josef (Marc Rissmann) needs to see a doctor. Shea informs him about the fort not having a doctor. He warns Thomas about the horse thieves they killed. Klaus interrupts to say they will continue to Oregon without him. Shea tells him to do whatever suits them.

As Shea heads out, Josef alerts Shea they want to go with him. Shea demands Josef to show him his leg. Josef pulls up his pant leg to expose a swollen leg. He tells Josef they are not able to drive their wagon when Noemi (Gratiela Brancusi) offers to do it. He warns her that Josef and Risa (Anna Fiamora) will die. She says it is their decision.  Shea meets with Wade (James Landry Hebert) who reminds him of the cattle in the prairie. He tells him to leave the cattle. Wade asks what he wants them to do. He asks him the same question. Colton (Noah Le Gros) joins the discussion as Margaret pushes her horses west.

The jolt of the wagon stirs Elsa awake. She asks where they are heading. James says, Montana. Smiling, she questions what Montana will be like. Wade approaches to express how much he enjoyed riding with Elsa. Colton reminds her she is the one who got away. She suggests he return to Texas, calling him a “pretty son-of-a-bit**.” They turn around and headed to Texas. Elsa questions what happened to Wade and Colton. She says they may have built houses out of sod in Wyoming or braved their way to Oregon. Being realistic, she knew their future was unmarked graves along the Oregon Trail.

Margaret wipes the sweat off Elsa’s forehead while singing her a song. Thomas inspects Josef’s infected leg. Josef yelps in pain when he gently squeezes it. Noemi tells Thomas Risa is not taking water. Thomas informs Josef his leg is dying. Giving him two options, he says we can amputate it, or you can keep it. Josef asks if he knows how to take his leg. Thomas acknowledges he knows how to amputate it. He tells him to remove it.

Shea tells James about a letter he received from his wife during the war. She informed him of her decision to take another lover. He sharpened his sword and headed home, where his wife met him with a hug. She told him about her dream, where he died on the battlefield. Shea says, “That dirty little liar saved my life.” They both laugh. Thomas approaches to tell them Josef’s leg must be amputated now. They assist Josef to the campfire. Shea gives him a bottle of whiskey. He asks if they will do it now. Shea suggests he drink the whiskey first. When he falls to the ground, Shea says it is now time. He resists as they move him closer to the fire. Shea encourages him to rest while he gathers his supplies.

Shea warns Margaret that Josef will kick her when he comes through. She shrugs off his concerns. Shea ties a belt around Josef’s thigh. Thomas suggests they cut down to the bone first, so it will heal better. He stabs a knife into Josef’s thigh to make room for the saw. He warns them to hold tight before sawing through the bone. Josef screams in agony until he passes out. Thomas continues to saw through the bone. He slings it off to the side while Shea wraps a cloth around the stub. Elsa emerges from the wagon to ask if they are in Montana. Margaret suggests she lay back down, but she wants to sit by the fire. She asks for some food. Margaret asks about her pain. She admits it is not as bad as earlier.

Elsa talks to James about Oregon as they head west. Her greatest fear of dying is being forgotten. He assures her she isn’t dying. She says that’s not how you look at me. He says no one will ever forget you. She asks if he believes the immigrants will make it to Oregon. He doesn’t think they will leave Wyoming. In narration, Elsa says they never talked about death, the pioneers, or dreams again.

Several bandits raid and kill a pioneer family. A woman is hit in the back of the head as she tries to flee. The bandit rapes her. She tries to flee again, but they shoot her in the back.

James comes upon a herd of elk. Elsa experiences severe pain while riding her horse. She takes off in the opposite direction when Indians are spotted up ahead. Shea orders Margaret to get ready. She orders John Dutton Sr. (Audie Rick) to get in the footlocker as the Indians approach. Elsa falls off her horse. Spotted Eagle (Graham Greene) alerts Shea of Elsa’s condition. Shea tells him she was hit by a Lakota arrow. Spotted Eagle asks about the doctor. Shea says there was no doctor. He calls a Crow medicine man (Shawn Real Bird) over who says to put her in the creek. Shea disagrees, saying it is too cold. He says the cold will stop the bleeding. Shea denies being her father but says he can contact him. James is tying the meat to his horse when three shots ring out.

On top of a knoll, he looks over to see Indians busy below. Shea sees him approaching. Two Crow women (Leanne Bruised Head and Tana Stewart) lead Elsa to the creek. They help her lay down in the water. They remove her dressing to let the water cleanse the wound. They escort her back to the camp, where she is taken inside a sweat tent. The Indians chant outside.

James approaches Spotted Eagle who asks what he knows about war. He says more than I care to know. Spotted Eagle informs him of how Lakota contaminates their arrows with manure. James assures him they are aware of her fate. He tells him their plans to stay wherever Elsa dies. Spotted Eagle gives him directions to a place they can call home. He tells the place is called Paradise. He warns him their tribe will reclaim the land in seven generations. James asks how long it takes to reach Paradise.  Spotted Eagle is afraid Elsa will not make the trip.

James joins Elsa on a tree stump. He asks how she feels. She accuses him of lying. He apologizes as she breaks down and sobs. She makes him promise to let her choose her gravesite.

Noemi checks in on Josef and Risa. She joins Thomas by the fire. He assures her the boys are fine. She tells him they haven’t spoken since their father died. He says they don’t ever shut up. She questions if they talk to him. He admits they talk to him all the time. They ask about signs, Oregon, and animals. She thinks they blame her for their father’s death. He says they don’t know what to say because they fear she will break. They don’t care if he breaks, so they talk to him. He admits to not caring if he breaks either. He suggests they find a piece of land to make their own.

Shea tells James not to blame himself for Elsa’s death. He did it when his daughter died. He assures him Elsa has outlived him at 75. James tells him about his promise to Elsa, but she may not make the trip. He pleads with Shea to tell Margaret she can’t go with her daughter when she dies. Shea promises to do it.

When Shea approaches Margaret, she asks what’s James too afraid to ask her. He informs her of James’ promise to Elsa about her burial site. He says it will take a week to reach their destination, but Elsa doesn’t have a week. She says I still don’t know the question. He asks if she would be willing to say goodbye to Elsa here. Irate, she calls James a “fu**ing coward.” As she approaches James, she sees he is sobbing. Shea assures her James is not a coward. She asks when they would leave. He says in the morning. James apologizes.

Josef wakes to find Risa cold.

Margaret helps Elsa onto the back of James’ truck. She tells them goodbye. Shea tells her to prove them all wrong. Elsa chooses her gravesite. He helps her off the horse. He cradles her while leaning on a tree. She says let’s just rest a bit. He talks about his dad and his apprentice banged horseshoes. His father put his hands over his eyes and said peekaboo, I see you. This is the first memory he has father’s apprentice. He does it again, but this time he can’t see him because he is hiding behind his hand. James thought he was a fool. Her first memory is a flock of birds behind the house. The birds pecked in the ground and pulled out worms. She thought the birds were intelligent.

James breaks down when she stops breathing. He wraps his arms around her body.

The show skips forward by one year. Josef removes his wedding ring. He utilizes crutches to walk.

Willamette Valley, Oregon – Thomas, Noemi, and her sons (Daniel Lada Jr.) find the land for their home. Her boys give her a big hug.

At the ocean, Shea tells Helen to look at the ocean. He describes it as beautiful. A hummingbird approaches, bringing a smile to his face. A gunshot can be heard from a distance. Shea’s body appears to slump over.

Elsa’s narration speaks of heaven while she rides to meet Sam (Martin Sensmeier). He sits proudly on his horse. When he sees her, a smile comes to his face. He wants to race. It is always sun shines in her world. He knows death, she has seen it.

 

1883 Review

Many fans would agree, the show’s main character is Elsa. It was obvious early on, the show would probably get a second season, even though it wasn’t announced until earlier this week. There is no question as to why Sam Elliott was written out of the show, but Elsa? To pull off a second season, they will most likely need to add new characters.

The finale alluded to Josef landing who knows where while Thomas and Noemi successfully reached Oregon. James and Margaret stayed in what seemed like Montana. Where does it go from here?

The finale was not a barn burner. Like the rest of the episodes, it was excruciatingly slow, with not a lot of action. The focal point of the show was Elsa’s love life. Focusing more on the pioneers’ hardships would have been a better option. Is it possible to find another character to fill Elsa’s shoes and pull off another season?

The historical inaccuracies are too notable to ignore. The acting is good, but the dialogue not so much. The slow pace allows the season to be dragged out for another 10 episodes. The downside to this is a slow-burner with little action, which some viewers may find boring.

Bringing in new characters, so late in the game was not a good move. This led to some great actors, such as James Landry Hebert, with little to no finale airtime.

It seemed a bit crucial to keep Margaret and Elsa apart when they needed each other during the most difficult times. Their relationship has been strained throughout the season. This would’ve been the perfect time to bring them closer.

I would love for someone to explain how you give this show a 10-star rating.

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