SD enterprise: ‘1923’ Puts the Duttons Through Hell

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The Duttons Could Use Some Help in 1923

Howdy, folks. It's been a truly hectic week here at the Esquire ranch. We just finished work on our next print issue. I wrote a story that I'm really excited for you to read next month. It's also been quite the busy week in the world of TV. Severance just capped off a truly stellar season 2, so we talked to series creator Dan Erickson and actor Zach Cherry about how they pulled off the exhilarating finale.

I powered through the week—as I often do—by drinking Cole Hauser's Free Rein coffee. The Yellowstone actor (who plays ranch manager Rip Wheeler) created the brew during season 5's lengthy midseason hiatus, and it's been my go-to source for coffee beans ever since.

When I talked to the Yellowstone actor at the New York City launch of Free Rein two winters ago, he told me I would "grin up to my eyebrows" if I drank more than two cups. Well, the same effect applies to all ten of my never-not-typing fingers—and that's just the kind of jolt that my writing needed this week.

I remember my conversation with Hauser damn near every morning when I brew myself a cup of joe. Not just because he's a funny guy—when I asked him why he named the espresso blend "American Dirt," he responded, "I am American Dirt"—but because the Yellowstone actor hooked me up with over a year's supply of beans. I'm not joking. That interview took place during the writers' strike of 2023, and I'm just now finishing all the coffee that Free Rein sent me following a night of tomahawk steaks and cowboy stories.

One of the sweetest moments from that evening? I was about three cups of coffee in, which is probably why I remember it so well. I was grinning up to my eyebrows (just as Hauser said I would), wearing a bespoke felt cowboy hat with the Free Rein logo branded onto it. I later learned that it cost around a grand.

Hauser turned to me and started talking about his childhood pony, Cinnamon. He grew up on a 150-acre ranch in Oregon, where he would ride every day after school. "I rode a horse before I could walk," Hauser declared. "I used to ride him around until my mom came out and rang the bell. That son of a bitch would drop his head, and I'd slide right down his back."

As I grind the last of my last Free Rein coffee beans this morning, it feels like the end of an era. The days of Dutton ranch barbecues are over after Yellowstone's season 5 finale. Hopefully, the good vibes didn't ride into the sunset along with it. 1923 continues to plunge the Duttons even deeper into the depths of hell as the series goes on. We might need that Rip Wheeler charm back sooner than we imagined.

Cole Hauser (right) and me (left), at the Black Barn in New York City in October 2023.

I wanted to begin this week's Cliff-Hanger on a positive note, because 1923 episode 5 is a tough watch.

A good chunk of the episode follows Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) as she heads to Montana and experiences a traumatizing sexual assault on the train. I talked to Schlaepfer right here in The Cliff-Hanger two episodes ago, where she spoke about her character's harrowing journey through Ellis Island.

"It feels very important to me," the 30-year-old actress told me. "When I think about 1923, it tells so much of the history of our world and what people did to endure. It's brutal and it's hard to see, but it's the truth, and I really wanted to make sure that we told the truth."

In episode 4, Alex is brutally attacked and robbed in a bathroom at Grand Central Station. Then, this week, she's sexually assaulted by an unruly passenger while she's forced to work as a member of the dining staff in exchange for her meals.

Elsewhere in the episode, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) crosses paths with Marshal Mamie Fossett (Jennifer Carpenter). The episode also features another cliff-hanger: The episode cuts to black once Pete Plenty Clouds (Jeremy Gauna) and Marshal Kent (Jamie McShane) draw their weapons and fire at each other. You can read all about it in my full episode recap here.

I've been reading your emails, by the way. Thank you so much for writing. Quite a few of you expressed concerns with Alex's story in 1923 so far, and I must say that I agree with you. Following three episodes in a row of Alex experiencing some form of assault, it's verging on gratuitous. I can't say what lies in store for her character in the remaining two episodes, but I hope 1923 delivers audiences a story that will have us grinning up to our eyebrows next week.

In more exciting news, Sheridan announced on Monday that he's hosting a concert at his ranch in Texas. According to Billboard, the inaugural Bosque Ranch Live concert is set to take place on September 13, 2025, from noon to 11:00 P.M. at Sheridan's Bosque Ranch in Weatherford, Texas. Headliners include country artists Drayton Farley, Kaitlin Butts and Jackson Dean—who have all had their music featured on Yellowstone and Landman. If you're looking to yee-haw along with Sheridan, the Bosque Ranch owner is selling five hundred tickets at $500 apiece. You can bet that I'm working on becoming one of those five hundred attendees, and I hope to see you there as well.

Have thoughts or theories you need to share before next week's episode of 1923? Send me an email at josh.rosenberg@hearst.com.

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READ THE RECAP

The Cliff-Hanger's Winners and Losers of the Week

Winner: Modern Plumbing

Alex enters her train car in episode 5 to find that the toilet is placed an inch away from where she's supposed to rest her head for the night. Thank heavens we eventually learned to put the restroom somewhere else.

Loser: Pete Plenty Clouds and His Plan to Split Up

Splitting up is never a good idea. If it wasn't 1923, Pete would have seen a horror movie or two and learned this lesson by now. Instead, he leaves the group on his own in search of water. Given this episode's cliff-hanger, I can't imagine him surviving next week.

Loser: The Priest

Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) travels insane distances in pursuit of Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) throughout 1923. Honestly, I'm damn near certain that he and Kent murder more people than she's accused of killing at this point.

Winner: Spencer Dutton

Sheridan writes the Dutton hero all the best lines. When Sheriff McDowell tells Spencer over the phone that winter stopped the violence between his family and Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton), Spencer replies, "Winter's over."

Loser: Sheriff McDowell

Whose side are you on? Let them fight!