1923 Recap: For Worse or For Worse

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Greetings in America; kindly depart now. A significant portion of “Clad in Awe” focuses on the arrival of Alexandra Dutton, formerly of Sussex, on the shores of a fresh start. I can’t fathom how her lovely ringlets endured a month in the swampy confines below deck, but I felt a sense of pride as the ship approached the dock. Emigrating is the first independent feat Alex has achieved, free from Spencer or her aristocratic background (for the most part). Upon hearing “Land in sight,” she hastens to collect her luggage, eager to behold New York City and its streets adorned with gold, though also filled with thieves and unsavory characters.

Alex won’t be disembarking in New York City as originally planned, since that would mean real advancement. Instead, she’s being redirected to Ellis Island. It seems our stubborn romantic hero didn’t consider that immigration would necessitate a visa. At times, it feels like this show is only about moving the characters from one place to another without any significant progress. I can almost picture Taylor Sheridan in his study, surrounded by taxidermied animals he’s hunted himself, with a single faded post-it note on his laptop, where he’s written the series’ mantra in capital letters: DELAY.

Without a doubt, Alex stands apart on Ellis Island, just as she did in steerage. Her attire is far from shabby, and her golden curls seem to radiate like a halo. Unfortunately, what follows is a series of degrading medical examinations that I’d prefer not to witness. They order her to stand on a stool, they demand she disrobe completely. A fellow passenger alerts her, fortuitously, that pregnant women are often sent back to their home countries. As a result, Alex cries silently through each examination, fearing that all this indignity and suffering might be in vain.

Despite doubts from her examiners about the presence of a potential husband who would support and care for her and her unborn child, she successfully passes the medical evaluations and advances to the interview round of this harsh beauty competition. A fellow traveler advises her, coincidentally, that single women can gain entry into America through means other than money or compromising situations, which she lacks. Instead, it is discovered that a valuable skillset, such as literacy, can also facilitate entry.

Alex serves as an unusual entry point for understanding the atmosphere of 1920s New York, as she initially experiences a form of confinement that’s limited only in exceptional terms. It would be unfortunate if she never reconnects with her beloved again, but it won’t offer insights into life in 1923 America. The immigration officer overseeing her case views his role as keeping people out of the U.S., and he makes Alex read from a Whitman primer on his desk to catch her lying. She arrogantly flips through the book to find a passage fitting for the situation, settling on one that eager high school graduates—and later cringe at their past—often quote in speeches. (Aha!) “Disregard any offense to your own spirit.” She also informs him that the woman he processed before her left lipstick on his collar. However, the officer still approves Alex’s visa application because America was once a genuine nation where determination could take you places.

Sheridan portrays New York, the world’s most urbanized hub in 1923, with the same flamboyant disdain towards city dwellers as he does towards Bozeman, Montana, which had a population of just 6,500. Fortunately, barely after Alex is freed from immigration detention, she encounters a wise old African-American newsvendor who guides her through our bustling metropolis. Conceal your cash in your footwear; stay vigilant; avoid walking any deserted streets. He shows her how to traverse New York like a parent allowing their teenager to independently navigate the New Jersey Transit system into Manhattan for the first time. Is it corny? Absolutely. Yet, New York continues to appear captivating on screen, and this remains true even when it’s quite apparent that it isn’t actually being shot there.

Alex arrives at Grand Central Station to purchase a train ticket to Bozeman. The ticket seller gives her a common piece of advice – hide your money, travel alone by car, and avoid empty train platforms. He warns her that New York City is full of pickpockets, potentially dangerous cab drivers, and unsafe tunnels. Sadly, the ticket agent fails to advise her about using public restrooms, and as the episode ends, we see Alex being followed into the bathrooms. It’s common knowledge in New York City to wait until Boston before using public restrooms.

1923’s episodes aren’t typically organized like a typical TV series. Instead of a clear main plot (A story), there are often several subplots vying for attention at any given moment. It’s challenging to determine what events are happening concurrently or if time flows consistently across different storylines. For instance, did Alex arrive in America on the same day Spencer left Galveston with a truckload of alcohol for the Italian mafia? Or was it around the same time that Spencer abandoned Luca, who was shot by federal agents instantly, or are we dealing with a non-linear timeline similar to Dunkirk?

As a dedicated viewer, I found a striking similarity in episode three that left me pondering. It was like watching two women, each in their unique circumstances, receive an emotional blow – a gut punch of sorts. For Alex, it was the Ellis Island medical examiner’s harsh hand. For Lizzie, it was Aunt Cara repeatedly plunging the cure for rabies into her abdomen. Remarkably, both women acted similarly, gathering their few belongings into suitcases, much like Alex and Lizzie, each longing to return to Boston – a city that would see Alex depart for Chicago on another train.

This parallel left me questioning the significance. If Lizzie hadn’t suffered a miscarriage, would she still be urging Jack to bid farewell to Montana and journey east with her? I can’t help but wonder if her words hold sincerity or are merely an escape route. Since Jack lost his parents, he has undergone a profound transformation. He was once the show’s beacon of warmth; now, he seems to have morphed into just another taciturn cowboy.

Despite the gravity of the other Montana storyline involving life-and-death situations, it’s challenging to find enthusiasm for their love story or Lizzie’s fear of long needles. In a remarkable turn of events, Alice and Zane miraculously endure the blizzard, but later discover that Zane will perish in another tragic manner. The Yellowstone foreman is diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, a condition that could have been treated at the hospital with their available drill and anesthesia. However, out on the range, they can only resort to “meatball surgery,” which offers Zane no relief from the pain as multiple burr holes are drilled into his skull without any anesthesia. So, Lizzie, do you still feel annoyed about those small needles now?

In Texas, Runs His Horse manages to locate the ranch workers who disrupted Pete and Teonna’s private moment. They reiterate that he’s welcome to continue residing on their property, even offering him compensation for capturing lost cattle. Now, hold on a moment, could it be that this is the Four Sixes, the vast Sheridan-owned ranch near Guthrie? The same Four Sixes rumored to supply beef directly to consumers and potentially serve as the backdrop for an upcoming spin-off of “Yellowstone”?

As a film enthusiast, I’m excited about the rancher’s offer potentially benefiting Teonna & Co., but there’s a catch – Marshal Kent and Father Renaud are preparing to breach the Texas border. When the missing teenager doesn’t surface among the Oklahoma Comanche, it’s clear to Kent that the crew is on the run towards Mexico. Intuitively, he believes they might pause in Texas to earn some cowboy wages before pushing further south. Could this be Runs His Horse’s strategy? While we can’t say for certain, Kent seems to have a point – in America, there’s hardly any room for an Indian evading the law.

In addition, it’s not an ideal location for a marshal hiding from Native Americans. The Comanches in Anadarko discover their fallen comrades and promise to track down the marshal and the priest responsible for their deaths, disregarding Mamie’s calls for truce. As Teonna’s story approaches a confrontation with Kent, I find myself intrigued by the part this fresh character will play in determining the young girl’s destiny. Marshal Fossett, unlike her counterpart from Montana, seems to have a more cooperative approach with the tribes under her authority. Although Teonna is indeed responsible for the crimes she has been charged with, it seems that Marshal Fossett might possess a deeper understanding of justice.

Maybe for each harsh enforcer standing guard at Ellis Island, symbolizing the Land of the Free’s entrance, there exists a traditional hero in the Wild West, ready to aid a distressed teenager in fleeing from America’s darker aspects. May the Four Sixes, or wherever she may be hidden, serve as the last refuge for Teonna Rainwater on her path towards genuine liberty.

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2025-03-09 18:54