The Killing Season

Taylor Sheridan presents a Darwinian view of the world in the second season opener of "1923", graphically depicting how difficult it is to survive. Though facing different challenges, all the characters seem to be up against this reality.

On the home front, Harrison Ford leaves for a trial being held in Boesman, and Helen Mirren must handle matters without him. Including dealing with a large mountain lion who's taken to squatting on their front porch.

The marshal accompanying the evil priest proves to be vicious and lethal to any Native Americans as they search for the fugitive girl Aminah, who has a budding romance in Texas on the run with Pete (played by a new actor following the death of the original Pete).

Spencer is working in the boiler room of a freighter on his trek back to America to help his family, and after he saves a young Italian man who's being sodomized by a burly crewmate, he becomes a prize fighter below decks, earning plenty of dough bare-knuckled with the boy acting as his manager.

The simulated sodomy scene won't be shown on CBS when the second season is eventually broadcast, nor will a scene of Dalton and his two prostitutes which besides nudity contains rather awful footage of the one girl treated as a sex slave.

It's an in-your-face approach that has considerable shock value and provides enough of the "forbidden fruit" content that continues to distinguish less regulated cable/streaming shows from the legacy networks' output.

Its been so long since the season 1 finale, the recap didnt feel like it gave me much recollection but it comes back to you once the episode unfolds.

Brutal scenes with the natives which turn your stomach, and it feels like ots going to take another season for the prodigal son to return, given their current plight.

There is one scene with a character looking for stray cattle, its like someone one a competition to guest as the acting is as bad as it gets when you've got such high quality across its wealth of cast members.

Harrison Ford seems to have plenty left in the tank with his volume of releases, which isnt a bad thing. I just hope hes in more scenes as its spread out across so many different stories, its probably why the recap didnt shed enough light.

Glad the show is back, but this is more of a recap than anything. The brief scenes with Ford and Mirren remind us why they are the protagonists. We are drawn to them immediately, just as we are repulsed by Dalton and Flynn.

There is a brief scene with Sheriff McDowell (Robert Patrick) and Father Renaud (Sebastian Roche) to remind us of the mindless cruelty used in dealing with Native Americans. And Spenser Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) is making his way home working on a cargo ship, while his pregnant wife is trying to leave England and travel to America.

If these episodes keep moving at the current glacial speed, we likely won't see the families reunited until the last episode. What we all want is the final showdown between Jacob Dutton and Donald Whitfield. If viewers don't see the possibility of that then there is chance viewership will drop off. Two years is a long time to wait between seasons, and I for one want to see action.

To be honest I did not remember everything that happened in season one, but after the wuick recap I recognized so many moments and characters, that I was indeed surprised.

Now this one hour premiere got me completely! I love it! All the Spencer and Alexandra scenes were perfect. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren deliver. Timothy Dalton is excellent again. And the scenes with the young indian man and woman was great too.

Taylor Sheridan already is the big showrunner of our time, but he expands his legacy on and on with such great shows. All of his shows feature the great landscapes of America, the core theme of the U. S. Taylor Sheridan represents the American way of life!

We have beed looking forward to the return of this excellent series, but the nudity, violence, and sexual depravity in this episode constitute overkill for shock value and spoil an otherwise very good episode. My wife could not stomach the opening scenes with Whitfield and his "playthings." Ford and Mirren are terrific, and Brandon Sklenar is very good.

Locations are well captured, with excellent production design. The mountain lion looks like it may be a CGI creation.

Overall good but too much of the really rough stuff mentioned above. I'm afraid this trend may continue in upcoming episodes.