IR TV Review: 1923 - EPISODE 4 (“War And The Turqouise Tide”) [Paramount+]

After the bloodbath that was Episode 3 of "1923", the texture of resilience and trauma becomes the normalization of the path. Everything can be easy until it is not. The path of Spencer Dutton is of course important to this but the reality of what he is running from (even after the war) is still elusive in certain ways. We know who his mom and dad were (from 1883) and that they settled in Paradise Valley but the progression of his siblings and himself still are lost to time. The introduction of Alex(andra) in a previous episode speaks to a need and want for him to change but maybe he (and she) are not as understanding of it as they should be (not in love but in sense -- which can be also elusive). Spencer is running but has found a reason to stop but not everything can be wine and roses despite the exotic life they enjoy in the moment. There will be a reckoning...but that is life.

Meanwhile because of the repercussions of the episode before, Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) must take the reigns of Yellowstone. Mirren plays this woman with a delicate touch and a hard edge. Most of the best moments in the series are hers because of her range (although one quiet moment in Episode 3 was definitely Ford's). This episode shows her resolve and fragility in quiet removed moments that maybe some series (or films) would have cut out but they definitely make this one sing. There is also the continuation of the retraining school and the rage that encompasses that though it will be interesting to see how that interrelates into the bigger plot or if it is simply a thematic and important side narrative.

There is also a new player in the game which has always been the hallmark of a Sheridan piece. In this one though, we see the power of a certain actor who has made his mark of late in genre series. His pedigree, of course, is quite good and he maintains a gravitas throughout his work always. He has the possibility and the weight to take on the Duttons though the bloodshed might be too much. In Episode 4, "1923" balances all the stories to move the ideas forward despite a very focused Episode 3 still being the best of the series so far. But the great thing is that "1923" brushes in wide strokes...the details are important but the scope versus the intimacy of the story is what makes it. A-

By Tim Wassberg