The Weep of Surrender – The show begins with the immigrants piecing together wagons from the tornado devastation. Josef (Marc Rissman) stares out at the working immigrants. Wade (James Landry Hebert) reminds Colton (Noah Le Gros) of his previous warning about teaching Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) to rope. Elsa narrates their journey. The plains do not have enough resources for home-building. They are more suitable for vagabonds, cowboys, and wanderers whose home is the saddle. She doesn’t dream of gold at the end of the rainbow, just the rainbow.

Elsa joins James Dutton (Tim McGraw), Sam (Martin Sensmeier), Two Feathers (David Midthunder), and Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) to round up some mustangs. Sam yells at Elsa to get on the other side of a stallion. He orders her to push in on it and whoop to encourage the horse to move. Sam ropes the horse as James watches from a short distance away. Captain Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) passes by to comment on Elsa’s riding like a Comanche. Charles Goodnight (Taylor Sheridan) assures James that Shea was paying Elsa a compliment.

They push the horses into a makeshift cage. Sam approaches Elsa to compliment her horse-stealing skill. She says it may come in handy one day. He says it will if she sticks with him. Elsa realizes the seam of her pants split. Two Feathers says her riding skills are too good for white man pants.

Elsa sews her pants when Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) enters the tent. Margaret suggests she wear one of her dresses. She refuses, saying I had rather wear a bean sack.

Shea tells Charles he heard a rumor that the area around Laramie is bad. He acknowledges the rumor is true, contributing the unrest to the Lakota and Arapaho have had enough of the government’s lies and thieves. He believes their b4iggest threat is winter. Shea is contemplating taking the immigrants to Denver. James reminds Shea that the immigrants have a right to say where they want to go. He questions if Shea has ever asked the immigrants what they want to do. Shea says want isn’t part of the equation because they won’t survive the winter. Margaret and Elsa listen to James tell Shea that he won’t be going to Denver. Elsa asks do you want to go to Denver. She has never thought about what she wants. Margaret trusts James to make the right decision. Margaret asks Elsa if she knows why James lets her run around wild. She thinks it is because he trusts her. She says because he knows your future is dresses, gardens, and babies.

An immigrant alerts others of approaching Indians. They grab their guns to prepare for an attack. Shea orders them to put their guns down. Charles intervenes when Josef refuses to obey Shea’s orders. He explains the Indians would have already killed them if they weren’t on friendly terms. Shea’s comment about the need for provisions, regardless of the direction they agree to take, gets Josef’s attention. He yells to Shea, asking if they are changing directions. Shea rides out toward the Indians.

Sam speaks with a clothes maker (Joanna DeLane) about Elsa’s pants. Elsa insists they have been repaired, but the woman doesn’t listen. The woman takes Elsa’s measurements while the immigrants trade with the Indians. James trades for some bullets for his firearm when he eyes a military helmet. The Comanche trader (Michael Spears) immediately tells him the helmet is not for sale. The trader says the helmet is Spanish as they tried to take their lands as well. James explains they are just passing through and have no interest in taking their lands. The trader refers to the white man as a wolf that kills everything until only wolves are left. Eventually, the wolves kill each other, leaving the land free again. James agrees with the man.

Shea and Charles discuss a group of bandits that are believed to come from the west. Charles warns Shea to get the immigrants out of there. He agrees to track the bandits. Shea thanks him. He asks Shea if they have encountered barbed wire on their travels. Shea hasn’t ever heard of it. Charles says cattle will not push through barb wire. He believes the government has the intention of dividing up the land, which will be fenced off with barb wire. Shea tells him this will be his last trail. He says audios before heading out after the bandits.

The clothes maker tightens Elsa’s new chaps, causing her some pain. A young Comanche woman explains how animal hide stretches if it isn’t tight. Elsa asks the young woman what the dressmaker is saying in her native language. She says they were talking about her dressing like a horseman. The clothes maker told the young woman that Elsa is a horseman. Elsa starts to remove a charm from her bracelet, but the woman refuses, saying Sam already paid. As she emerges from the teepee, Wade says she is officially a cowboy. She hops on her horse and rides toward Sam. Elsa’s narration explains how her home is everywhere.

Shea asks Josef to translate for him. He tells them there are eight wagons for their belongings. Only old people and children can ride aboard the wagons. He gives them the option of walking or riding a horse, but there is no time to learn how to ride. If everything goes as planned, they will get to For Laramie by October, which means they will travel across the South Pass in the snow. He gives them the option of traveling to Denver, which would be a good place to call home. Margaret questions when the decision was made. He doesn’t support the decision. Josef gets a negative response from the other immigrants.

He stops to ask Shea if the Denver land is free. Shea informs him that they must pay for the land. He says the land where they came from wasn’t free either. Shea suggests if they want to go to Oregon, they can go next spring. James tells everything his family will be heading north. If they want to go with them, they will be required to work. He refuses to cross the South Pass or stay in the fort in the winter. Shea gives him a warning that he is about to get the immigrants killed. James reminds him that people die in Denver as well. Shea walks away while James tries to talk to him. He turns to the immigrants to ask what they want to do. They all agree to go with James who tells them to be ready by morning.

Elsa tells Sam she doesn’t want to go to Oregon, she wants to stay. He suggests seeing the mountains, which she has no interest in. She asks if he wants her to go. He offers to take her to see the mountains. She agrees to go with him. As he prepares to go meet James, so he can offer him something for Elsa, he suddenly squats, motioning for her to do the same. She joins him on a knoll to watch buffalo. He teaches her how to shoot a buffalo behind the ear. She succeeds on the first shot. Sam approaches the dead buffalo to remove its heart. He hands the heart to her, telling her to take a bite. The buffalo’s strength is her strength. As he takes a bite of the heart, he says, “Lightning with the yellow hair, horse thief and hunter.”

As they arrive at the camp, Sam alerts his people that they got a buffalo. They hop on their horses and ride out to the buffalo. Margaret approaches Elsa, asking what she has done. Elated, she tells her about killing the buffalo. Margaret doesn’t respond.

Thomas approaches Shea who asks if he is ready to go. Thomas informs him about his promise to Noemi (Gratiela Brancusi). He promised to take her to Oregon. Shea says it is a free country. Thomas reminds him that he has never asked him for anything. He pleads with Shea to stay with them. Elsa approaches, asking Shea where he is headed. He asks what happened to you. She holds her head up high before telling him about the buffalo. She repeats her question. This time, he says I am going to Oregon with you. She tells them about her decision to not go to Oregon.

Margaret and James discuss Elsa. She tells him about Elsa running off with Sam and killing a buffalo. When she returned to camp, her face was covered in blood from the buffalo’s heart. He laughs as she stares at him like he is insane. Sam approaches to speak with James who asks what the horse for. Elsa gathers her belongings to trade with the Indians. She tells John Dutton Sr. (Audie Rick) to stay put.

James asks if she knows what Same is asking. She acknowledges it, suggesting he take the horse. Margaret refuses to permit her to do this, but Elsa reminds her that she is 18 years old. Margaret says you think being 18 makes you a woman. She says the law says I am a woman. Margaret orders James to shoot Sam as he walks away. Elsa and Sam walk hand-in-hand out into the dark. James takes a seat while Margaret angrily enters her tent.

Elsa says she understands why Margaret is concerned about her welfare in narration. Prejudice rules in Margaret’s world. She believes there will be prejudice in this world as well. They make love in the moonlight.

Shea approaches James to give him some alcohol after hearing Elsa say she wasn’t going to Oregon. James believes Elsa will continue falling in love with different men until one finally sticks. He pops the cork and takes a swig of alcohol. Shea says four nights without her family, she will start running north. James doubts he knows Elsa. He tells James that immigrants don’t have any trust in him anymore. He doesn’t trust them to make the right decision. James admits he trusts their desire to reach Oregon. Shea trusts James to lead the people. He suggests James trust Elsa too.

Margaret approaches Elsa as she washes. She admits to barely recognizing her. She barely recognizes herself. Margaret warns her she will get hurt. Elsa asks Margaret how many dead lovers she has laid against. She admits to being plenty hurt. When she was 17 years old and pregnant with Elsa, she worked on a farm while James was a prisoner of war. She agrees to ride with the wagon train to Oregon. Margaret asks if they would have a wedding ceremony, so they can say their vows in front of God. Elsa reminds her and James’s life. She doesn’t need permission from God to love Sam.

The wagon train heads west. Thomas asks Noemi how she is doing with her horse. She says he doesn’t obey her. He suggests she look up, not down at the horse’s head. She heeds his advice and sees improvement in the horse’s behavior. He says that’s better. She asks what if I want to look at you. He responds you can now look anywhere. He suggests she find a seat, with a tap on the rump, sending the horse galloping.

Josef speaks in German to Risa (Anna Fiamora) who reminds him he is an American, so speak English. She enjoys riding the horse, suggesting they trade places. He refuses her offer. A woman who has lost control of her horse gets James and Shea’s attention. Shea warns her about touching the horse’s flank because it feels like a tickle. Sam approaches to alert them of water on the trail ahead. He recommends James to break in the stallion there. James questions what water has to do with it. Margaret watches as Elsa and Sam ride away.

The wagon train settles down for the evening. Cookie (James Jordan) skins a deer as several immigrant children watch. He warns the children that they are what they eat. The kids claim to have pigs where they came from, not deer. The young girl (gill Sage Gould) asks what deer taste like. He says like the water, grass, and dirt. A boy questions if he eats dirt. An immigrant woman overhears Cookie telling the children they will be dirt someday. She rushes them away.

Sam shows James how to break in the stallion in the water. He waits until the horse calms down to climb on its back. He leads the horse to James, saying he is tame now. James doesn’t believe him. Sam hands him the reins. He hops on the horse and rides toward the camp. Margaret is preparing food when she says that is where she gets it from. John asks what she gets. She says her spirit. He asks, what is a spirit. She explains that it is what drives you. James rides the horseback to Sam. He says the horse is fast and strong. Sam says it would make a good warhorse. James asks where Elsa will live. Sam says he owns Quanah Parker, where he will build Elsa a house if she wants it. He doesn’t think Elsa will want a home, but chase bandits with him. With tears in his eyes, James asks what he will do if Elsa changes her mind. He promises to bring her back to them but will never leave their lands.

James thinks she can make Elsa go with them. Margaret asks how to tie her to the wagon. She tells him Elsa has agreed to ride to Oregon with them and return to Sam in the spring. They laugh when James says we can hope she falls in love before they get to Nebraska. He says Elsa is not the only one falling in love out there. The immigrant children may be doing the same thing. He worries about how strong she loves, which he believes she gets after Margaret.

Elsa asks how to say I love you and her name. She wants him to teach her how to speak his people’s language. When she wakes up, she finds an Indian outfit from Sam.

The wagon train heads west. They reach a trail, which Shea sees as a positive thing. They have a couple of weeks to reach Fort Caspar. Elsa says goodbye to Sam who says he will see her when the flowers bloom in June. She screams I love you in Comanche. He reminds her she is the wife of a warrior.

In narration, Elsa says she feels the others are judging and pitying her, which means nothing to her. She refuses to wipe her tears away. She recognizes her status, the wife of a warrior. She approaches James to say we are wasting time before riding away as the episode comes to an end.

 

1883 Review

Two episodes till the finale, we’re given virtually nothing. The entire episode focused on Elsa and Sam’s relationship. When 1883 was announced, I was hoping for a Western series like “Lonesome Dove,” starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. Unfortunately, 1883 fell far short of my expectations.

Elsa and Sam’s relationship has overshadowed the dangers of the Oregon Trail. Initially, the show repeatedly touched on the dangers, the people would face during their travels. Diseases, Indian raids, bandit attacks, rattlesnake bites, drownings, starvation, and hypothermia are being overshadowed by the once sweet naive 17-year-old girl who has transitioned into a selfish, uncaring woman.

They do not always show Elsa in a positive light. One minute we see a strong, determined young woman, the next minute, we see a disrespectful, reckless woman-child. Here is everyone getting ready to hit the trail while Elsa sits in the grass, with nothing more than a blanket covering her body. The Indian vest showed too much flesh for a 19^th century woman.

Isabel May is perfect for the role of Elsa. However, I feel they should have chosen a different narrator. Sam Elliot would’ve been the better option.

I don’t understand why they opted for Elsa to travel to Oregon with the wagon train and return to be with Sam later on. It would have made more sense to leave her behind because the return trip would be just as hellish, or worse if she decides to travel alone. It would take at least a year to complete the round-trip. Some episodes have been better than others. Hopefully, the next two will deliver on the promise of a blowout season.

The episode deserves a 6. Get more 1883 recaps here. Support ReelMockery by clicking here.