Every 1883 Episode, Ranked Worst To Best
With just 10 chapters, 1883 is the rare series that tells a succinct story, and that makes ranking every 1883 episode from worst to best a tall order.
- A Yellowstone prequel series, 1883 functions like a 10-hour movie.
- While the miniseries features some great character-driven episodes, those are often the chapters that disrupt the show’s action-packed pacing.
- Later episodes of the series, including the finale, are some of 1883 ‘s best installments.
With just 10 installments to its name, 1883 is a succinct miniseries that serves as a fitting Yellowstone prequel — though some episodes are better than others. Created by Taylor Sheridan, 1883 is the first of several prequel series in the Yellowstone universe, chronicling why the Dutton family settled in Montana. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill play James and Margaret Dutton, while Isabel May plays their daughter, Elsa Dutton. McGraw’s James is a former Confederate States Army captain who was held in a prisoner-of-war camp for several years. In the pilot, James’ family travels from Tennessee to Fort Worth, Texas, eager to start a new life.
While in Texas, James Dutton meets Pinkerton agent Shea Brennan (Sam Elliot), a former Union Army captain, and Brennan’s fellow agent Thomas (LaMonica Garrett), a skilled frontiersman who served as a sergeant in the Union’s Buffalo Soldier regiment. The two Pinkerton agents have been tasked with leading an expedition to the West Coast; eager to start a fresh life, the Dutton family decides to join the Oregon-bound wagon train. Overall, watching the Yellowstone spinoff is like tuning into a 10-hour movie. That said, while each episode is essential to the story of 1883, some are a cut above the rest.
10, Episode 8, “The Weep of Surrender”
Elsa Dutton Is At Her Most Frustrating
“The Weep of Surrender” has the unfortunate luck of coming just ahead of two of 1883‘s all-time best episodes, but that’s not the only reason its often cited as one of the series’ weaker installments. Given the show’s intense pacing, this episode stalls a bit. Not only does James question Shea’s leadership, but Elsa makes some seemingly rash decisions that affect all the Duttons and their allies. After falling very quickly for Sam (Martin Sensmeier), a Comanche warrior, Elsa decides to marry her new love and leave her family behind. Elsa’s defiance might be a key part of 1883, but her choices feel very rushed in episode 8.
9, Episode 6, “Boring the Devil”
A Showcase For Sam Elliot’s Talents
“Boring the Devil” definitely has some memorable moments. In the wake of Ennis’ (Eric Nelsen) death, Sam Elliot’s Shea consoles Elsa, who’d been in an intense, first-love relationship with the late cowboy. Elsewhere, Thomas buys a mirror for Noemi (Gratiela Brancusi), cementing their love for one another, and Faith Hill’s Margaret has a drunken adventure at Doan’s Crossing. From Shea and Elsa’s heartfelt conversation to 1883‘s James and Margaret Dutton arguing about how Elsa’s been changed by the journey, 1883‘s episode 6 is incredibly slow and character-driven to a fault. It’s by no means a bad episode, but it definitely disrupts 1883‘s usual pacing.
8, Episode 4, “The Crossing”
The Duttons Face Adversity While Crossing The River
In “The Crossing,” Elsa, who serves as 1883‘s narrator, adopts the cowboy lifestyle she’s been circling. Much to Margaret’s dismay, Elsa hones her survivalist skills, all while growing closer to Ennis. However, as the episode’s title implies, the core focus of this chapter is the Duttons’ ill-fated river crossing. In a tense, edge-of-one’s-seat scene, James and the other Dutton family members attempt to ford the river at night. However, things take a tragic turn when the family tries to help a group of immigrants across the water. A solid episode packed with emotional moments, episode 4 just doesn’t have the same highs as other 1883 installments.
7, Episode 3, “River”
A Slower 1883 Episode That Builds Tension
Before the Dutton family and the rest of the wagon train attempts to ford the fast-moving water in “The Crossing,” they reach the Brazos River in episode 3. As they approach, James and Shea continue to butt heads over the best approach, with the former advocating for speed against caution. This is also the chapter that introduces the immigrant group, including Noemi, and sees Ennis seeking James’ permission to court Elsa. A bit slower than other episodes, “River” is still gripping television. While the 1883 episode sets several plots into motion, it also deploys great inter-character conflict.
6, Episode 7, “Lightning Yellow Hair”
Sam & Elsa’s Abrupt Romance Takes Center Stage
Viewers of 1883 are often split over the merits of episode 7, “Lightning Yellow Hair.” While the episode definitely has its faults — faults that hold it back from being a truly great episode of television — it’s also packed with thrilling moments. Fans of the series are divided over the sudden romance plot: Elsa meets Sam and, soon enough, the two race horses and take shelter together during the episode’s storm sequence. Given that Elsa was just completely crushed by Ennis’ death, her newfound romance does feel a bit abrupt
5, Episode 1, “1883”
1883’s Pilot Immediately Hooks Viewers
The prequel series, which kicks off Yellowstone‘s timeline, opens with a gripping flashforward: pioneers and people Indigenous to the Great Plains area fight each other while Elsa Dutton watches on. After Elsa kills someone, she’s surrounded — and then the episode cuts away to the start of the Duttons’ journey. Like any good pilot, much of the episode is spent introducting the characters to the audience, but what sets 1883 apart is that it does so through moments of thrilling action. Eventually, Sam Elliot’s Shea convinces James Dutton to join his wagon train, suggesting an alliance would be advantageous to both parties. An incredibly strong start, “1883” immediately hooks viewers.
4, Episode 2, “Behind Us, a Cliff”
An Ode To The Great Westerns Of The Past
Instead of opening with a scene from a future episode, “Behind Us, a Cliff” opens with a flashback to James’ time in the Confederate Army. After losing at the incredibly bloody Battle of Antietam, James learns some valuable insight from a general. Back in the show’s present timeline, the group prepares for their journey west — and things are already fraught, especially given Shea’s approach to leadership. Later, a band of ill-intentioned riders confronts the wagon train, leading to a shootout between the two groups. Full of all the things that make Westerns so great, 1883 episode 2 is both an ode and something fresh.
3, Episode 9, “Racing Clouds”
1883’s Epic Western-Style Battle
The penultimate episode of 1883 is also one of its best. When Shea, Thomas, and James realize their group will be blamed for the nearby murder of several Lakota women and children, the trio try their best to track down the actual killers. The other members of the wagon train stay behind, leading to many of their deaths at the hands of the returning Lakota warriors. Elsa is hit by an arrow after shooting someone, though she is eventually able to defuse the conflict with a few words Sam taught her. Rife with tension, “Racing Clouds” features an epic, Western-style battle in which neither side is “right” or “wrong.”
2, Episode 5, “The Fangs of Freedom”
The Mid-Season Installment Maintains A High Intensity
After an incredibly tense and tragic episode 4, the fifth installment of1883 refuses to dial down the intensity. In fact, “The Fangs of Freedom” features just as many stressful situations and gutting moments of loss. With supplies running short, the group realizes that someone in their ranks is hoarding supplies. Meanwhile, Ennis and Elsa consummate their relationship, leading to an argument between Elsa and Margaret as well as a confrontation between Ennis and James. While all that’s going on, bandits ambush the settlers, leading the survivors to prepare for a Western-style shootout. During the gunfight, Ennis is shot dead, prompting Elsa to take out her lover’s killer.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who play James and Margaret Dutton, are a couple in real life.
1, Episode 10, “This Is Not Your Heaven”
1883’s Finale Is A Perfect End To Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Prequel Series
Packed with incredible performances, 1883‘s finale, “This Is Not Your Heaven,” is both epic and heartbreaking, which makes it a fitting conclusion to the miniseries. In 1883‘s ending, Elsa’s life-threatening injury can’t be treated by anyone — not her fellow settlers or the local Crow tribe. After coming to terms with her impending death, Elsa asks to choose a burial spot. Spotted Eagle (Graham Greene), a Crow leader, recommends the so-called Paradise Valley in the nearby Montana Territory. However, Spotted Eagle warns James that his people will reclaim the land from the Duttons in seven generations.
For many fans, 1883‘s prophecy reveals how Yellowstone will end, but that’s not the only element of the finale that makes it such a powerful episode. After everything, Elsa dies in her father’s arms on the land that will become the Duttons’ Yellowstone Ranch. While some characters, like Thomas and Noemi, have promising endings, others, like Shea, have fulfilling-yet-tragic ones. It wouldn’t be a proper Western without that blend of emotional highs and lows. Given the way it ties up its loose ends while setting crucial aspects of every season of Yellowstone (and spinoffs, like 1923) into motion, the 1883 finale is one of the show’s best episodes.
