Wild Gilded Age
Amazon’s violent Yellowstone prequel, 1883, presents an even wilder west, finds
James Croot
‘Nothing had prepared me. No books, no teachers, not even my parents. I had heard 1000 stories, but none could describe this place. Some call it the American Desert, others the Great Plains. To know it, you must walk it, bleed into its dirt, drown in its rivers. It is hell – and there are demons everywhere.’’
Coupled with haunting, harrowing imagery, Elsa Dutton’s (Isabel May) opening monologue sets the scene for Taylor Sheridan’s 10-part prequel to his mega-popular modern western Yellowstone.
As the title suggests, 1883’s (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video) setting is America’s Gilded Age, albeit one far removed from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, as depicted by Julian Fellowes earlier this year. Instead, our journey begins in ‘‘Hell’s half-acre’’, Fort Worth, Texas.
Having already narrowly escaped an attempt on his life while on the road, James Dutton (Tim McGraw, playing the great-great-grandfather of Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton), hits town to await the arrival of the rest of his family on the train from Tennessee. As he passes the elixirs and scalps for sale, and sidesteps an altercation, he asks a local, ‘‘what’s the rule on firearms in this town?’’
‘‘This place will pick you apart if you haven’t got one.’’
Within seconds, someone has made off with Dutton’s wallet, a situation resolved, after a case of mistaken identity, with an accurate shot and a touch of mob justice.
Observing all this is former Union Army captain Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott). Noting that ‘‘he’s going to pick a fight he can’t win before too long’’, Brennan believes Dutton would be perfect to help him lead a wagon train of immigrants to Oregon, but they are underprepared and Brennan is battling demons of his own.
Dutton rebuffs Brennan’s initial offer, until Elsa is accosted by a drunken thug and is only saved from a potential rape by her father’s gun-assisted intervention.
Now, while he still refuses to be in Brennan’s employ, he’s more than happy to join forces for mutual protection.
Shorn of Yellowstone’s modern-day mores and unavoidable comparisons to Dallas, 1883 actually might just emerge as the stronger show.
As he has shown in movies such as Hell or High Water, Sicario and Wind River, showrunner Sheridan has a terrific way of being able to evoke a sense of space and place in his storytelling. He also attracts impressive acting ensembles and gives them plenty of dramatic meat to get their teeth into.
And you can bet your life there will be plenty of deception and double-crossing on offer, as well as tension and territorial battles, before the wagon train reaches its destination or a more untimely end.
Although country singer McGraw might make for an appealingly rugged lead, it’s Elliott who gets all the grace notes, and delivers the most powerful performance.
This is one of his most nuanced and poignant turns (and he provides most of the show’s dry, dark humour).
Young Sheldon’s May is also impressive, lighting up every scene she’s in, and viewers should look out for cameos from Tom Hanks, Billy Bob Thornton, Graham Greene and Sheridan himself.
1883 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.