The Duttons deal with death in Africa and Montana in ‘1923’ Episode 3

Everything we thought we knew about 1923 changed in Episode 3 as every major character had a brush with death.

The flashforward we saw in Episode 1 featuring a vengeful Cara (Helen Mirren) appears in “The War Has Come Home,” while Spencer and Alexandra cement their relationship in East Africa.

Much of the action from Episode 3 is split between Montana and Africa, giving Teonna and the students at the School for American Indians the week off.

Here’s what happened in an eventful Episode 3 of 1923. “The War Has Come Home” is the most action-packed yet, so a spoiler warning is in effect from this point on.

The Last Happy Day on the Ranch

The Dutton women were thrilled to see the returning cowboys in the opening moments of the episode. Jack’s fiancée Elizabeth is the happiest to see them return. Their enthusiasm is infectious as everyone starts to race back to the ranch.

Bruised and bloody, Banner returns to his home after his brush with death and sets his revenge plot into action.

The next day, everyone heads into town as Jacob intends to tell the sheriff what happened with the sheepherders. During a frank discussion with the sheriff, they discuss why he hanged a group of men for trespassing on his land. Jacob continues to show no remorse.

We see more of the emerging world around them as they see electrical appliances like washing machines and refrigerators being sold, much to the delight of the Duttons. The men are unimpressed, thinking it’s a scam and are resistant to the change.

Later that night, Jack, Elizabeth and others head to a secret speakeasy after giving the password “umbrellas.” Elizabeth seems amazed by the representation of the roaring ’20s. It’s been alluded to in previous episodes, but finally in this episode, Jack and Elizabeth become intimate, seemingly for the first time, not long before their marriage.

An Engagement in Tanganyika

We meet Spencer, now traveling with his new acquaintance Alexandra, as they arrive in East Africa to the British territory known as Tanganyika, which is the modern day is Tanzania. Spencer has been called there to catch another man-eater, this time a hyena, which is interrupting the process of a railroad being built.

The landscape and wildlife on display is incredible. The terrain is marginally greener than what we saw in Kenya, but Alexandra’s mind is blown by the array of animals surrounding them as they travel to see the footprints of a child in lava rock.

In another flirtatious exchange between the two, they jump several steps and agree to get engaged in that moment.

“I didn’t hear a question,” Alex says.

“Marry me,” Spencer responds.

“That’s a statement.”

“It’s a demand.”

“You Americans are brutes,” the Brit says before they kiss.

On their way back to their camp in their car, they pull over, talking about their families and what their children may be like, when all of a sudden an elephant starts charging down their vehicle. They don’t get away and the animal topples them over. Spencer fires a shot which wounds and kills the elephant.

Their car is broken and they can’t walk back so they are forced to climb a tree and stay there for safety. Inevitably, during the night a pride of lions arrive to feast on the dead elephant, as the newly engaged couple try to stay quiet in their tree.

Spencer is forced to shoot a lion attempting to climb up to them. The others scarper at first, but more come back as Spencer continues to unload bullets into the oncoming man-eaters.

Eventually Spencer’s contact and some guides arrive in the nick of time to save them. On the way back, Alex and Spencer decide he needs a new job as neither of them wants the other to have another near-death experience again.

The Next Day

In the morning, Spencer and Cara have a conversation about the new fad of women using a razor to shave their leg and armpit hair. The whole exchange is an interesting analogy for capitalism in America. “Greed will be the thing that kills us all,” Cara deduces after discussing razor companies.

The whole group who enjoyed town head back to the ranch, with Cara, Elizabeth, Emma and Jack riding the wagon, while Jacob rides his horse next to them. Eagle-eyed viewers will know what’s coming from looking at Cara’s outfit.

A shot is fired in their direction. Suddenly multiple people are shot, including Elizabeth and Jack. The horses of the wagon bolt, with Elizabeth stuck on top, Jack gives chase and catches up to save her.

Jacob, Cara, John Sr. and Emma are stuck behind a tree in a shootout. They take out a few of the horsemen, but Banner arrives in a car and pulls out a tommy gun. Cara and Emma run, but Jacob and John Sr. are both shot down.

After escaping, Cara runs back to check on her family. John Sr. is dead after taking a bullet to the eye, and Jacob looks set to follow him into death.

Cara sees a sheepherder trying to escape and follows him into the woods with nothing but revenge on her mind. This is the scene that opened the first episode of 1923. After she kills him, she lets out the bloodcurdling scream we’ve heard before.

We then cut to Jacob being carried back to the ranch, and the cowboys attempt to save him and Elizabeth who’ve both suffered serious wounds. Whilst on the kitchen table, Jacob tells Zane not to worry the sheriff as it’ll put the ranch in danger.

“Spencer must come home now. Get him home,” Jacob tells Cara, with what are likely his last words.

The doctor arrives to try and save who he can, but it’s not looking good. Outside Cara begins writing her letter to Spencer, asking him to come home to help fight their war.

The death of John Dutton Sr. is significant to the lore of Yellowstone, as it suggests the lineage will now continue with Spencer, meaning he is likely to actually be John Dutton III’s grandfather. The death also means that every Dutton character we saw in 1883: John, James, Margaret and Elsa, are now all dead.