‘1923’ Episode 4 Recap & Ending Explained: Did Jacob Dutton Survived?
Welcome to the Recap and Ending Explained for Episode 4 of 1923, titled, “War and the Turquoise Tide.” The episode follows the happening of episode three, which was pretty eventful. In episode 3 Baner and his men, representing the shepherds that tried to trespass into Dutton’s land and use it as pasture for the sheep, attacked Jacob and his family. In the process, John Dutton Jr. was killed, leaving his wife all alone, and Jack Dutton, the youngest of the family, was wounded along with his fiancée. Let’s see what the Yellowstone Universe has in store this weekend.
Jacob Dutton was also wounded in episode 3, and it seemed like he wouldn’t make it because of his wounds. Because of that, Cara Dutton, the matriarch of the family, started to write a letter to Spencer Dutton, who finds himself in Africa. The letter is a request for him to go back home and help them in this war for the legacy of the ranch. Will the letter arrive in time? Did Jacob survive his wounds? All of those and many more questions get answered in Episode 4.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Episode 4 of 1923. Read at your own risk.
Did Jacob Dutton Survived?
The biggest question raised by episode 3 was the fate of Jacob Dutton. Not only because he is played by the legendary Harrison Ford, but also because he seems like the main pillar of a family that is about to get into some very rough times. Of course, this is all for the sake of raising the stakes and propelling the drama further into the season. Conflict generates drama, and taking Jacob out of the picture puts the characters in a very uncomfortable state, which is the place where you want them to be.
The episode starts with Cara cleaning all the blood from the table where Jacob was being attended to by the doctor in the previous episode. Zane, the ranch’s most loyal foreman, tries to help Cara, but she refuses. Instead, she gives him the letter he wrote to Spencer, he needs to send it. Zane explains that it would be faster if they send a wire, but Cara wants to keep Jacob’s status a secret. It is revealed that Jacob is not dead, but he is wounded and very weakened. He managed to survive the first night, at least.
Meanwhile, Baner is making his moves, and he gets into a meeting with a man named, Donald Whitfield. Donald has been looking to seize the ranch for some time, and Baner knows it. Baner says he will be the one running the ranch in six months, and that when that happens, he will give the mining rights to Donald. Donald and Baner enter an agreement, Baner will keep the land and Donald the mountains. They shake on it, and Donald assures Baner he will give him the money to take the Yellowstone ranch by force.
The livestock commission has its usual meeting, but instead of Jacob, it is Cara who appears, and she proposes that the commission must have the authority to make arrests, as livestock thieves and murderers are roaming the land. The proposal is approved even when many are angry that a woman is making decisions. Baner threatens Cara, saying he knows that Jacob is dead. Cara threatens back, saying she really wants for Baner to meet her nephew, referring to Spencer, not Jack.
Does Spencer Receive The Letter On Time?
The episode then focuses on two other storylines. We go back to see what is happening to Teonna at the Christian boarding school. She is put to work in the fields as the nuns supervise while humiliating the girls one after another. Teonna has enough when she sees a nun hitting one of the girls, and she hits back. Sister Mary hits Teonna with a shovel and captures her, torturing her until she proclaims that she wants to be saved. Mary cuts Teonna’s hair, and then they torture her some more while bathing her.
Teonna looks at the ceiling with murderous intent that night. She decides to escape the school, and go back home. One of her friends catches her but says nothing. Teonna grabs her pillowcase and puts many bibles inside of it. Then she goes to Sister Mary’s room and starts hitting her with the bibles. The attack is savage. She then puts a piece of cloth inside Mary’s mouth, and Teonna kills her by suffocating her. Teonna declares that she is the land, and that this is the land killing Mary.
Meanwhile, in Africa, Spencer and Alex continue to live in paradise. This time they are on the coast of Africa, a place that not many people talk about because they don’t know it exists. For most people, Africa is just a big desert. It is revealed that during the war, Alex lost a brother, while Spencer says he lost his soul. The two of them promise that for them, it will always be like this, an adventure.
Later, that night, Alex finds a bundle of letters written by Cara. Alex believes that she is Spencer’s wife, but discovers she is actually Spencer’s aunt. Spencer explains he never read the letters because they could give him hope, and in war, hope can distract you and kill you. Now, he feels bad for not reading them. Alex proposes to read them all over some drinks. They do, and going through the letters gives them tears and smiles in equal measure. In the morning, Alex begins to read the last letter, the one Cara sent this episode, and Spencer realizes he must go home now that his brother is dead.
It is revealed that the letter was written 3 months ago.