‘1883’ Ending Explained: A Bittersweet Finale for the Duttons
How does Taylor Sheridan's Old West prequel end? The answer will surprise you.
In the wake of the Western Renaissance we’ve found ourselves in, shows like 1883 are impressive feats to be celebrated. Though the limited series was a one-and-done deal, Taylor Sheridan‘s Yellowstone universe has sparked a wave of Western content that continues to delight. Whether you enjoy neo-Westerns or good, old fashion tales of the Old West, there’s something in the revived genre for everybody. But, despite its success, for some the story of 1883 seemed too standalone, and, given the harsh ending, a bit confusing as to how it all turns out.
Of course, with the way that Sheridan ended his Western epic, there’s no hope for a direct sequel. The story of this band of Duttons has been told, and though we’d love to see them again, there’s really no way to continue on. Thankfully, other Yellowstone prequels such as 1923 continue the journey, even if they highlight other characters in this brutal and beautiful world. But, without further ado, let’s get on to explaining the 1883 finale, and how it relates to the larger Yellowstone story.
‘1883’ Follows an Ill-Fated Journey
What starts as a not-so-simple migration from Fort Worth, Texas to Oregon to make a new life for themselves soon becomes a hellish journey that anyone is lucky to make it out of alive. As the Duttons assist a wagon train of immigrants northwestward, they soon discover that everyone is ill-equipped for a voyage like this. Battling everything from robbers, Indians, and traitors to ravenous beasts and the elements themselves (there’s an incredible tornado sequence in the seventh episode, “Lightning Yellow Hair”), the group, led by former Union Army captain Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) and former Buffalo Soldier Thomas (LaMonica Garrett), loses nearly half of its members within the first few episodes.
The big theme of 1883 is the idea that nobody makes it out alive, so you may as well live as if today’s your last because maybe it is. While it’s next explicitly addressed this way, it rings true with the deaths of so many major and minor characters, emphasizing how brutal and impossible the Oregon Trail truly was. Yes, we all joke about the video game and dying of dysentery, but in 1883, Taylor Sheridan shows us just how real and terrible these realities were for people not even two centuries ago. And this is only the beginning.
‘1883’ Features a Bittersweet Finale
1883 ends not unlike it begins, with Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) getting shot by a band of Lakota warriors while defending the wagon train. Unfortunately, Elsa’s wounds are fatal, and though she’s been the consistent narrator of this series, we soon realize that she may actually be narrating from the great beyond. It isn’t long before James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret (Faith Hill) recognize that their daughter is going to die, and since they won’t be able to make it to Oregon with the rest of the group, they decide to branch off and settle in what would later be known as Paradise Valley, Montana, not far from where President Teddy Roosevelt would one day establish America’s First National Park.
Unwilling to watch his wife suffer as her only daughter dies, James takes Elsa into the woods, and they eventually rest under a tree. There, James and Margaret decide that the place where Elsa dies is to be the place where their family begins their life anew. It’s here that the Dutton homestead, which will eventually become the Dutton Ranch of Yellowstone, is first established. Distraught by their experience, James, Margaret, and their son John (Audie Rick) leave the wagon train behind and begin again anew.
Doom and Gloom Follows This (Wagon) Train in ‘1883’
While the Duttons are the main feature of 1883, they’re not the only characters we follow. Along with James, Margaret, and Elsa, Sam Elliott’s Shea Brennan leads the charge and faithfully completes his mission to get what’s left of the wagon train to Oregon within the next year. Only, after reaching the Pacific Ocean, he refuses to go any further. Still reeling from the loss of his family, and the horrors of the journey, Shea shoots himself in the head and dies on the beach. It’s certainly not a hopeful or noble end for the old-timer, but since he didn’t die on the journey itself, it’s the only ending that Shea would accept, hoping to be reunited with his wife in the end.
Sadly, Shea isn’t the only one to die. Josef (Marc Rissmann), who faithfully led his people throughout the entire campaign, watched as his wife died also before making it to Oregon all alone. Everything that Josef fought for was ultimately for nothing, and he nearly lost his leg in the process as well. Though we don’t know what ever became of Josef, we can only hope that he was able to make a good life for himself after settling down and that he found some sort of peace after all the hardship he endured.
Not All Hope Is Lost in ‘1883’
Thankfully, there is at least one couple who makes it to Oregon without any serious complications. After leading the expedition alongside Shea, Thomas finally gives in and settles down with the Romani widow Noemi (Gratiela Brancusi), and although she initially was interested in him for the sake of her own protection (and for her sons), the pair seem to have actually fallen in love by the end. Settling with Noemi’s two boys, Thomas vows to make the land their own and start a new life for them there in Oregon.
While the coming winter still looms over them, they have very few options other than to power through, and to work together in the process. With Noemi’s boys now speaking to her again, and Thomas by their side, it seems likely that this unlikely family will find a way to make it through, and hopefully thrive in the end. While we don’t know what becomes of this family in the future (neither 1923
What Will Happen to the Land?
Before Elsa’s death, the Duttons befriend a tribe of Crow Indians who help treat her wounds. Since Elsa insists that her family settle in the spot where she dies, the chief (played by Graham Greene) tells the clan that they should build their homestead in the valley called “Paradise,” which should sound familiar to any big fan of the flagship Yellowstone series. Additionally, the chief warns James that his people will come to reclaim the land in seven generations, a deal to which James agrees. A shocking prophecy, and one yet left unfulfilled on Yellowstone, it makes one wonder what will become of the Dutton Ranch.
While many have wondered how Yellowstone might end, fans won’t have to wait too long. With Kevin Costner‘s upcoming exit ending the flagship series (and a sequel show soon taking its place), it won’t be long before we find out if this prophecy will come true. Given that the Dutton ranch is larger than Rhode Island, it’s entirely possible that the 21st-century Duttons could co-exist with the (fictional) Broken Rock Indian Reservation, led by Gil Birmingham‘s Thomas Rainwater, but only time will tell. Nevertheless, the 1883 prophecy is telling.
‘1883’ Reaches a Strangely Happy Ending
Although Elsa dies in Montana, the very end of 1883 reveals that she eventually reunites with her Comanche husband Sam (Martin Sensmeier). Though the two didn’t spend much time together while Elsa was alive (he wasn’t even the first man she loved), Elsa and Sam are seen riding in the fields on horseback, just as they vowed to before leaving one another. Elsa, who had decided to see her family in Oregon before returning to be with Sam, may be dead, but just as her spirit narrates the series (and the following 1923 series), so it’s implied that her spirit reunites with Sam’s in the afterlife.
Whether this means that Sam too is dead is unknown, but it’s not unlikely. As a Comanche, Sam has faced plenty of battles. According to Sheridan’s feature film Hell or High Water, the Comanche are known as the “enemies of everybody,” and if that theme has carried over to 1883, it’s entirely plausible that Sam is meeting his bride in the afterlife, only for them to be united together for eternity. There’s a strange happiness to the way that 1883 closes out, and amidst all the death and destruction, it’s a beautiful way to end such a harsh story.
What About the Future of the Dutton Family?
Though 1883 ends with the Dutton family establishing their new home in Montana, that isn’t the end of their story. In flashbacks seen in Yellowstone‘s fourth season, it’s revealed that by 1893, James is a deputized ranger in Park County and now has two sons, John (now played by Jack Michael Doke) and Spencer (Charlie Stover). Working the ranch with his family, James is relatively friendly with the local Crow tribe, allowing them to bury their own on their ancestral land, but that isn’t enough to keep him alive. In the harsh winter, James is shot and killed, with Margaret dying a year later.
At that time, she sends word to James’ brother Jacob (Harrison Ford) and his wife Clara (Helen Mirren), who then raise and take care of their sons. By 1923, John (now played by James Badge Dale) works the ranch alongside his own son and uncle, and Spencer (now played by Brandon Sklenar), who had served in World War I, is in Africa working as a hunter. While we won’t spoil the events of 1923 here, let’s just say that if you thought that the Dutton family had suffered more than enough tragedy, then you were wrong. Interestingly, Isabel May’s Elsa continues to narrate 1923 as well, reminding us that her spirit lives on with the land no matter how much time has passed.
The Future of the Yellowstone Franchise
After five seasons, Yellowstone is ending in its current form. Costner’s exit will be the catalyst in concluding the series, though the story will continue in an upcoming sequel series. Additionally, 1923 has been renewed for a second season on Paramount+ and will continue the story of James and Margaret’s son Spencer, John’s son, and James’ brother and sister-in-law, Jacob and Clara. Though endings are inevitable, the Yellowstone universe continues on, and even though 1883 won’t be getting a traditional sequel, the upcoming Lawman: Bass Reeves is set around the same timeframe as the series and may allow for some crossover in the future.
However Taylor Sheridan manages to finish the Yellowstone story, there’s no doubt that 1883 was one of the most memorable entries in his Montana-based universe. Dark, brutal, and heartbreaking, the miniseries was also beautiful, strong, and compelling. No doubt, the Old West was a harsh place to live, and an even harsher one to travel through, but for those who succeeded, we can only hope that it was worth it for them in the end. It seems to have been for the Dutton family, but, after all, they’re one of a kind.
