Racing Clouds – The show begins with Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) narrating her perception of the land. Snow covers the mountaintops, waiting for its opportunity to kill them because it hates. A rattlesnake strikes a horse, sending Risa (Anna Fiamora) falling to the ground. Josef (Marc Rissman) immediately jumps off his wagon to assist, stepping on the rattlesnake. An immigrant is about to shoot the rattlesnake when Colton (Noah Le Gros) stops him. He throws his coat over the snake and stomps it to death. Joseph rushes to Risa who is unconscious. Colton asks, Josef how bad is your snake bite when Wade (James Landry Hebert) approaches to see what is going on.

A tribe of Lakota children and female Indians is lying dead on the ground. The tents are burnt when Thomas (LaMonica Garrett), James Dutton (Tim McGraw), and Captain Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) approach. Thomas questions if the army did it. Shea says it was done for sport. A female lies on the ground, with the lower half of her body exposed. Shea believes she was a victim of sexual assault. James looks around, finding barefoot tracks. Shea says when the Lakota warriors will eventually come looking for them. He screams at James to stop then goes on a tirade about getting old and sloppy. Thomas admits he didn’t give it much thought either. James, confused by their reaction, asks what they are talking about. Shea explains their horse tracks are everywhere, so the murders could be tracked to them.

James rushes to stop Elsa and the wagon train from coming closer. She asks what is going on. He says it was horse thieves. She informs him about Risa and Josef’s snake bite.

Colton treats Josef’s snake bite. He slices the bite open and sucks out the venom. Risa is awake but unable to keep water down. Shea suggests Risa and Josef need a doctor. Thomas asks what he is going to do about the horse thieves. Shea shrugs off his concerns, suggesting they head to Fort Caspar. Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) approaches to check on Josef and Risa. When she offers to assist, he says to keep them comfortable. Thomas recommends they alert the soldiers in Fort Caspar, so they can deal with the horse thieves. Shea is concerned the raid will negatively impact all passersby wagon trains for the next six months. He names off the tribal groups that own the lands they are going to pass through. He recommends they stay put until they kill the horse thieves. Disagreeing, Thomas believes the Indians will not blame the raid on the wagon trains.

They need Colton and Wade to stay with the herd. James knows the horse thieves travel at night. He thinks they should get the horse thieves first before heading to the fort. James meets with Colton and Wade to discuss the rattlesnake. Colton removes his coat, exposing the dead snake. James informs them about the horse thieves, which they need to get before the Indians come after them. Colton questions why the Indians would blame the murders on them. He tells them about their horse tracks. Wade is concerned about the Indians showing up while they are out tracking the horse thieves. James suggests he try to tell them their plan. He admits to not knowing the Lakota language. Colton offers the bury the Indians, but James refuses.

James tells Margaret he wishes they had another option. She wants him to come back alive. Elsa prepares to jump on your horse when James orders her to stay with the wagon. Sniffling Margaret checks her rifle to ensure it is loaded. She orders John Dutton Sr. (Audie Rick) to hide in the clothes box if they have any trouble. Cookie (James Jordan) approaches to question why the wagon train stopped. Alina (Amanda Jaros) approaches to inform him about Josef and Risa. Frantic, Cookie yells for Shea, saying they need to leave now. Elsa tells them about Shea’s plan to hunt down the horse thieves. She says they don’t have hired guns. He drops his head and says we got to get out of here.

Margaret informs him they are not leaving. Raising his voice, Cookie asks who said. She says the orders came from Shea and James. He reminds her they are gone, and the Lakota are hunting. When he asks the others if they want to join him on a 4-hour ride to Fort Casper, they file behind him. Margaret tries to convince her to stay, but she refuses. Everyone leaves except for Elsa and Margaret. Elsa suggests they stay or try to catch up with James. Margaret asks, how can a wagon catch up with James. She decides their best option is to go with Cookie.  Elsa believes they are making the wrong decision. Margaret says all we have is luck. She orders Elsa to put on a dress because being half-naked in Indian garb will get every man’s attention. Elsa says I will stay outside the fort. Irate, Margaret finally convinces her to put on a dress.

Wade approaches to see what is going on. When she asks his opinion, he says we should leave the cattle and go to the fort. He tells her about fighting the Indians in the past, it isn’t something he is willing to do again.  She agrees with him. Elsa puts on her dress while Margaret plays with John. Colton jokes around about her being a girl as they prepare to head to the fort.

James, Shea, and Thomas track the horse thieves to a remote area. James suggests they attack them head-on. Shea says you are just asking to be killed. Disagreeing, he just wants to get back to his family. When the men approach, they claim to be Wyoming Stock Growers Association deputies. James asks who is responsible for appointing you all deputies. After having their cattle and horses stolen, they appointed themselves deputies. They warn them to mind their own business, saying they shoot, not hang. Shea tells them, their philosophy is the same. The men admit to killing the Lakota children and women. A man describes the Lakota Indians as “prairie magots.”

When Shea, Thomas, and James kill the men, it draws the attention of the other thieves. They all ride toward them, shooting all the men except for one. Thomas points his gun at the man, reminding him he is not a judge or executioner before shooting him dead.

The Lakota Indians arrive at the camp, where their people lay dead.

Elsa narrates how uncomfortable she is in her dress. She refuses to live in a world, where a dress protects her from greedy men and jealous women. The world she will live in eats the weak.

Wade is concerned about Cookie taking the wrong direction. Elsa volunteers to tell him. The Indians burn Cookie’s wagon while Elsa watches in horror. When cookie jumps off the wagon, a warrior hits him in the back. He is shot multiple times while he lays on the ground. The Indians head in Elsa’s direction as she races back to the wagons. Wade yells for the wagons to be circled. Margaret sees the Indians chasing Elsa. She gets John out of the wagon and grabs her gun. Elsa suddenly takes a detour away from the wagons. Some of the Indians follow her while the others continue toward the wagons. Wade yells for them to fire. When an Indian catches up with Elsa, he raises his tomahawk and someone yells.

James, Thomas, and Shea arrive back to where they left the wagons. James asks, where are the wagons. They know the Lakota Indians have been there because their tracks are everywhere. They head out to find the wagons.

Elsa breaks down sobbing as she tries to get off the ground. When she makes it to her feet, an Indian warrior chases Alina down and scalps her. She flees the scene, toward a dead body. An arrow hits the dead body as she tries to retrieve the man’s gun. The Indian orders her to stop. She asks if he will free her. He says no, I will sell you. She comments on his English. She screams, “How can you do this.” They shoot each other simultaneously. With an arrow in her stomach, she fires her gun at another Indian, killing him.

When there are no more bullets, she picks up a tomahawk. She screams in Comanche. An Indian asks how she knows how to speak like that. She tells him her husband taught her. He tells her she fights like the Comanche. She hurdles the tomahawk at him. She holds her head up as he prepares to swing his weapon. He hands her the weapon. She informs him about finding his family. He stares at her. She promises him that James will find those responsible for killing his family. He asks her name. She says her name in Comanche. Laughing, he says, “Good name.” When they leave, she breaks down crying.

Elsa narrates her experience, denying pain. She contemplated pushing the arrow through her body. She remembers what James told her about waiting to deal with problems because they will still be there.

Wade, Margaret, and Colton approach, finding Elsa with the arrow in her stomach. Margaret suggests they get her to the fort, but Wade disagrees because the arrow will fuse to her body if they don’t remove it. Colton checks out the devastation when he finds Alina running around with an arrow in her body. He assures her the fight is over. Screaming, she charges him. He prays for her before shooting her dead. He utilizes a metal plate to dig a grave for her.

Wade prepares Elsa by telling her it will be painful. She denies having pain. Margaret encourages Elsa to squeeze her hand, but she refuses. He breaks the arrow. She assures him it isn’t painful. Noemi (Gratela Brancusi) heats up a branding iron. She hands it to Wade after he pulls the arrow out of her body. Elsa screams in pain until she passes out.

The Lakota Indians approach Shea, Thomas, and James. Shea suggests they run toward the mountains, but Shea refuses because his family is out there. James rides out toward the Indians. Thomas asks Shea what they should do. He doesn’t think suicide is a good idea. Thomas reminds him about the times he has talked him out of committing suicide. He promises to take the survivors all the way to Oregon. James meets up with the Indians. The Indian asks if his daughter is yellow hair. James tells them they killed his family’s killers. They can find their bodies in the sagebrush and horses by the river. He assures them, they never touched their family because of religious reasons. The Indian contributes Elsa stopping the war. He suggests Elsa to be taken to the fort.

James is by Elsa’s side when she wakes up. She tells them about the arrow, which she wants to keep. He warns her about infection, suggesting they get her to the fort, where there are doctors and medicine. She assures him there is no pain. He says it takes time to heal you inside.

Shea joins Colton who is still digging Alina’s grave. Sobbing, he says I need a shovel. He explains how the Indians scalped Alina and caused her to go mad. He asks, what was I supposed to do. Shea assures him that he made the right decision. He doesn’t like the way it feels. Shea demands he stand by his decision, regardless of if it was right or wrong. He agrees to stand by it. Shea goes to retrieve a shovel.

Wade tells James, the arrow probably hit the liver. He assures him Elsa is strong. James asks Margaret to walk with him. He reminds her of when she nursed the soldiers in the war. He asks how many men with liver shots survived. She shows him the arrow. He is concerned about the arrow being contaminated with filth. She refuses to believe it. When he says Elsa will die, she slaps him across the face. She refuses to lose her child. He doesn’t want to take her to the fort because she would die there. He wants her to enjoy every sunrise while they lie about her condition. Margaret says Elsa will be another trail cross they won’t visit. He says they will stay wherever she dies. She refuses to live there. He promises to find them a place to build a home.

The wagon train prepares to continue west. Shea asks Thomas how is your lady is doing. He questions who says Noemi is his lady. Shea repeats his question. Thomas says by the time they reach Oregon her skin will be so thick a knife won’t cut it.

Margaret asks Elsa how she feels. She thinks she has a fever. Margaret touches her head and says she feels fine. Elsa sets up and admits her wound is more painful today. Margaret suggests she ride upfront with her, but she refuses. She wants to ride her horse. James hands her the reins of her horse. She slowly climbs on her horse.

Elsa narrates how she perceives her father’s face like he is mourning her death. After looking deep into his eyes, she knew she would die.

1883 Review

Why the writer decided to send James, Shea, and Thomas on a fool’s errand to locate the horse thieves is questionable. This bad decision resulted in Elsa sustaining a life-threatening injury and the death of several others.

In the scene where the warrior stopped the attack because Elsa spoke Comanche is uncompelling. The attack would have continued until every Indian or pioneer died, whichever came first.

The decision to not seek medical treatment for Elsa at Fort Caspar would be difficult for any parent. If we were tasked with the same decision at a time when medical knowledge was limited, we may have made the same decision. Penicillin wasn’t available until 1928.

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