Journey the Rivers of Iron

Spencer escaped from an murderous sheriff, jumped on a freight train boxcar and finds himself with some murderous vagrants. So far so good, the rest of the episode is top notch and why I gave 8 stars. However, when Spencer is threatened by the vagrants, instead of simply throwing them off, he waits and predictably falls asleep. The vagrants attempt to rob him, he shoots two and knocks out the third.

Now the badly written part...instead of throwing them off the train, he decides to risk hurting himself, jumps off and finds himself in the middle of nowhere. He then proceeds to walk, in the same general direction that the train is going. Why would anyone as clever as Spencer do that?

Last week I rated that episode a 4, this week an improved 6, for several reasons: Elizabeth Stratford (Michelle Randolph) finally stopped whining about her rabies shots; Alexandra (Julie Schlaepfer) finally quit acting like entitled Royalty; and most importantly, more time was spent focusing on Montana and the Dutton Ranch, and the two people I consider the heart and soul of this series: Harrison Ford (Jacob Dutton) and Helen Mirren (Cara Dutton).

However, the interminable and completely uninteresting journeys of Alexandra and Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) continue, hence my Rick Steves reference.

And then, it revisits a storyline I care absolutely nothing about, the Native American on the run, Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) which completely detracts from what should be the central focus: The Dutton Ranch!

Painting his story on a wide canvas, Sheridan gives a revisionist view of the gritty history of not merely the Duttons and even the villains who oppose them in the fight for land, but the background of what American expansionism was based upon. One might quibble with the CliffsNotes approach and simplification, but it's impressive how his narrative skills can turn a Penny Dreadful series of graphic incidents into the semblance of an epic.

On the human side, we get to see the wry humor of our central protagonists played by Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford as well as the emotional travails experienced by their extended family. Both Spencer and Alexandra, still apart, demonstrate their amazing survival skills and tenacity in well-staged violent outbursts.

For me, the cogency of Taylor's writing as he has Timothy Dalton explain the tourism theory of conquering the Duttons' land to prospective investors is a highlight here, definitely a thinking man's Western, balanced by the red meat exploitation movie elements of his depiction of Dalton's sadism and even a rather provocative, against the grain showing of the prohibition-crusading women mistreating a prostitute with the old tar & feather treatment. I suspect that the cult classic "Lash of the Penitentes" movie from 1936 is one of the writer-director's inspirations..

These "1923" episodes fly by. I swear, it felt like one second I was watching the opening credits and looking forward to an hour's worth of drama...and the next, the end credits are rolling.

"Journey the Rivers of Iron" was brilliant. Just like every episode prior.

Honestly...what a treat it is to see Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren together. Their chemistry is perfect, their relationship quite believable. I look forward to their scenes together. If only there were more of them.

Every storyline takes a step forward in "Journey the Rivers of Iron". Nothing comes easily, but that's part of the charm of "1923".

There are some fairly violent sequences and one medical procedure that curled my toes. "1923" doesn't ever shy away from depicting things as they were.

And...did we just hear a first mention outside of the OG "Yellowstone" of an iconic spot? I think we did.

I can't wait for next week's episode, already.

This is a great episode, although we still know Spencer and Alexandria are on their journey to find each other the twists & turns have you literally on the edge of your seat.

1920's America was very cruel. We might look to this part of history with Rose tinted glasses thanks to the likes of Downton Abbey however 1923 retains all of the splendour & grandeur of this time period but delivers the stark reality. Its unforgiving, cruel & genuine bigotry is alive and well. How society treats its fellow man & woman is harrowing in this story but it's a stark reality of a bygone time

1923 delivers a classic episode here. Its a fantastic series.