Warning! SPOILERS For 1923 Season 2, Episode 6, “The Mountain Teeth Of Monsters”
Despite her perseverance through all the horrible things that have happened to Elizabeth Strafford in 1923, we have yet to see her fight for her life and the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. This contrasts with Jack Dutton’s (Darren Mann) aunt, Elsa, who features in the 1883 prequel and fights her way through the story. Elsa probably would have fought for the ranch on the front lines, too, had she survived 1883. We see the same grit from other Yellowstone characters, but unfortunately, not Elizabeth, and it’s been a defining element of her 1923 season 2 story.
Elizabeth Strafford’s Frustration In 1923 Season 2, Episode 6 Is Understandable
Elizabeth Strafford Is Frustrated By The Hostile Circumstances On The Ranch
Elizabeth’s frustration in 1923 season 2, episode 6, is understandable. However, it highlights why she has struggled to live at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Elizabeth remarks that it’s the 20th century, and there are cars, airplanes, and movie theaters, yet people are battling for the land they occupy. While it’s understandable that Elizabeth is frustrated in “The Mountain Teeth of Monsters,” baffled by the need for such hostility, her remarks in the chapter paint how truly naive Strafford is about the survivalist nature of life on the ranch, which she has struggled to mesh with.
While she was raised partially on the Strafford Ranch adjacent to the Yellowstone, Elizabeth spent her winters in Boston, so she didn’t develop the same grit as the rest of the Dutton family tree. Michelle Randolph’s character isn’t meant to be like Elsa; she isn’t a gunslinger, and she isn’t in love with the American West, and that’s okay. Still, Elizabeth’s tendency to be deeply out of touch with how life-threatening her circumstances are continuously puts her in danger. Elizabeth’s comments, indicating her lack of perspective, reflect Paul’s (August Prew) and Hillary’s (Janet Montgomery) naivety, leading to their death.
Elizabeth In 1923 Highlights The Harsh Reality Of Elsa Dutton’s 1883 Death
Elizabeth Has Yet To Rise To The Dutton Family’s Enduring Challenge
Elsa comes to mind when I consider how unprepared Elizabeth is for the Dutton family’s war because she came from a similar set of circumstances and yet acted differently. James Dutton’s (Tim McGraw) daughter had never experienced the American West. She, too, had a romanticized idea of what life in the West would be like, as does Elizabeth, proving they have a fair amount in common. Elizabeth and Elsa are both from the East, and yet, Elsa rises to the challenge of surviving in the West in a way that Elizabeth has barely scratched the surface of.
After Elsa’s 1883 death, the harsh reality is that Elizabeth doesn’t step up and replace her legacy. However, other characters do.
1923 screenwriter Taylor Sheridan included an ominous soliloquy at the end of episode 6, decrying that humans can’t outsmart nature, and we’re all just battling for our survival. His characters who embrace this mentality in the Yellowstone franchise shine, and Elizabeth’s being out of touch makes her story less satisfying. After Elsa’s 1883 death, the harsh reality is that Elizabeth doesn’t step up and replace her legacy. However, other characters do. 1923 characters like Cara and Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) are some of the franchise’s most valiant, and Alexandra Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer) has proved she, too, is lionhearted.
