How Did We Miss This Sentimental Easter Egg in ‘1923’ Season 2?

The saga of the Dutton family has been told as it grew out of the American frontier in 1883 through the early twentieth century in 1923 and into modernity with Yellowstone. Taylor Sheridan introduced the world to the Duttons with Yellowstone in 2018 and took viewers back to the origins of the family in Montana in 1883. The ongoing challenges the Duttons faced were revisited in 1923 and will continue in future spin-offs like 1944.

There are necessary connections through every show in the Yellowstone universe. References to events and people from the past accompany narration from 1883’s Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) in 1923. Symbolic acts and small details also appear, many of which go unseen by the keenest observers. One of the most meaningful and difficult to spot Easter eggs involves Elsa’s knife. From 1883 to 1923 to (perhaps) Yellowstone, Elsa’s knife has been a sentimental and essential part of the overall Dutton story.

Elsa Dutton Received a Knife From Her Husband in ‘1883’

The complicated Dutton family tree begins with Margaret and James Dutton (Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, respectively), settlers in the American West. In 1883, they traverse the plains with their children, Elsa and John Jr (Audie Rick). Elsa, a head-strong 17-year-old, and her brother, the five-year-old John Jr., are the older siblings of Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) who, in 1883, had not yet been born.

Spencer Dutton’s Knife in ‘1923’ Belonged to the Sister He Never Met

Spencer Dutton didn’t meet Elsa, as he was born after she died. In 1923, it’s revealed that Spencer and John Jr. were raised by their aunt and uncle, Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara (Helen Mirren). Jacob is James Dutton’s brother.

By the time 1923 began, Spencer Dutton had fought in World War I and had become a game tracker in Africa. He carries with him a knife in a leather sheath, one that actor Brandon Sklenar revealed had special significance in the Dutton family. According to Sklenar, he and the producers of 1923 discussed how to connect him to his past: I felt like Spencer needed to have something from Elsa, and we kind of came up with the idea of having the knife.

Granted, Spencer never met Elsa but her influence upon him and presence in his life was undeniable. Sklenar also explained that the knife raised the possibility that Spencer “first learned to track animals and to hunt with the Natives.” On the whole, Spencer’s reserved nature and Stoic presentation of himself makes the knife such a huge, emotional Easter egg for fans of 1883 and 1923.

Elsa’s Knife May Have Served a Brutal Purpose in ‘Yellowstone’

As Yellowstone closed out its fifth and final season, the animosity between Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) finally reached its apex. In Episode 14, “Life Is a Promise,” the family prepares to bury patriarch John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) and say goodbye to the Yellowstone ranch.

It could be Elsa’s knife seeing that Spencer used it to kill a predator in 1923. Beth uses the knife to kill the predator (Jamie).

It’s not clear if this is the case, but it would be another meaningful connection within the Yellowstone universe.