Taylor Sheridan’s 1923 prequel series keeps delivering intense drama, and Season 2, Episode 2, “The Rapist is Winter,” brings more danger than ever before. The cold winter season threatens the characters, making survival difficult. Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) and his wife Cara (Helen Mirren) fight hard to keep their family and legacy alive. However, it is uncertain who will make it through.
Also Read: 1923 Honors Cole Brings Plenty with an Emotional Season 2 Tribute
Conflict Between Power and Survival
The episode begins with Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) speaking to Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) about why he has not moved to town. Banner values staying close to his family and away from the Duttons. He explains that his sheep had flukes, so he had to kill them.
Whitfield mocks him, saying that something as small as a worm destroyed everything he worked for. However, he tells Banner that wealth cannot be harmed like livestock.
Later, Whitfield sees skiers on a mountain and decides to speak with them. He asks the Norwegian men how skiing works, and they explain that even children can do it. Whitfield quickly realizes that skiing could become a profitable business. Banner disagrees and believes skiing is a waste of time, but Whitfield sees an opportunity. He believes people will pay to experience the thrill of danger.
A Desperate Rescue Effort in Bozeman
In Bozeman, Jacob and Sheriff William McDowell (Robert Patrick) visit Judge Roy Garrett (Patrick Burch) to talk about Zane Davis (Brian Geraghty) and his family. Zane’s wife, Alice (Joy Osmanski), and their children, Matthew (Henry Emde) and Madelyne (Remy Holt), need a safe place.
Jacob offers to let them stay at the Dutton ranch. The judge agrees, but only if they give up the priest who married Zane and Alice. Jacob refuses to back down and threatens to reveal Garrett’s secret alcohol connections during Prohibition. The judge finally gives in.
Jacob and Jack (Darren Mann) go to pick up Zane and his family, but Zane is weak and barely able to walk. He was beaten while in custody and received no medical care. Jacob blames Whitfield for turning the town against Zane’s family and promises to take action.
They leave town, but a violent snowstorm forces them to stop for the night. The Duttons flip a wagon to create shelter and send the Davis family inside for warmth. They release their horses so they do not freeze to death and hope to survive the night.
Danger Strikes the Dutton Ranch
The next morning, Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) goes to the chicken coop and finds that a wolf has killed all the chickens. Before she can escape, the wolf bites her leg. Just as the animal is about to attack again, Spade (Cooper Taylor), a ranch hand, arrives and saves her.
They rush back to the house, where Cara tells Spade to get the doctor. She treats Elizabeth’s wound and comments that bad luck always seems to follow her.
That night, while the snowstorm rages on, Dr. Steven Miller (Mark Daneri) examines Elizabeth’s injury. He decides to give her a rabies vaccine as a precaution. However, Elizabeth refuses because the needle goes into her stomach, which reminds her of the pain from her miscarriage in Season 1.
The doctor insists, and with the help of his nurse (Lara Hammond) and Spade, he administers the vaccine. Upset, Elizabeth storms off. When Cara checks on her, Elizabeth admits she cannot take any more hardship. She loves Jack, but once the storm passes, she plans to leave.
Later, Banner confesses to his friend Clyde (Brian Konowal) that he knows he is a sinner who will never enter Heaven. He says that Whitfield understands human greed and is the only man who has ever truly scared him. As real wolves hunt the Duttons, Whitfield prepares to do the same, aiming to leave them with nothing.
Spencer and Alex Face Challenges While Traveling
Meanwhile, across the world, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) arrives in Italy with Luca (Andy Dispensa). Luca introduces him to his relative, Sal Maceo (Gilles Marini), who offers him food and shelter. Spencer is grateful but is eager to return to Montana.
While dining, Spencer tries pizza for the first time and enjoys it. However, when he attempts to leave, one of Maceo’s men, Angelo (Derek Russo), stops him. Spencer fights back and defeats him, but more men capture him and bring him to Maceo.
Maceo is offended by Spencer’s actions but listens when Spencer explains that his family is in danger and his wife is missing. Maceo understands his struggle and offers to help—on one condition. Spencer must transport whiskey for him. Spencer agrees, and Maceo provides money for bribing the police and a gun for defense. Spencer and Luca then set off on their journey.
Meanwhile, Alex Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer) is on a ship headed to America. She is pregnant and shares a small, crowded space with others. A storm hits the Atlantic, and water leaks into the hull. She writes a letter to Spencer, expressing her wish that they were together. However, she still has a long way to go.
Other Stories Develop in ‘1923’
The episode also follows Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) and Pete Plenty Clouds (Jeremy Gauna) in Texas. After hearing about a rancher nearby, Runs His Horse (Michael Spears) considers moving the camp. However, Teonna and Pete convince him to stay, so he decides to find the rancher and negotiate.
In Anadarko, Oklahoma, Marshall Kent (Jamie McShane), Marshal Thomas (Ross Crain), and Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) arrive at Marshal Mamie Fossett’s (Jennifer Carpenter) office. They want to find Teonna and post wanted posters for her.
Later, while sitting around a campfire, the priest expresses his desire to convert all Native people. Suddenly, arrows fly through the air, hitting Thomas. Renaud and Kent fight back and kill their attackers. However, Renaud realizes that many of the fallen were just children and is horrified.
The episode ends at the Dutton ranch, where Cara wakes up in the middle of the night. She hears a noise downstairs and grabs her gun. Snow has blown into the house, and the room is darker than before.
As she moves through the house, she finds the same wolf from earlier. The animal has killed and eaten the nurse who was sleeping downstairs. The wolf lunges at her, and Cara fires a shot into the cold night.
New episodes of 1923 Season 2 are available every Sunday on Paramount+.
