The acclaimed Yellowstone prequel 1923 comes to a close this Sunday, and star Brandon Sklenar says the stakes are “as high as they can be” for characters Spencer and Alex. TV Insider interviewed the actor ahead of the Season 1 finale to try to get a hold on all of the possible plot twists upcoming.
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Episode 7 of 1923 ended in typical Taylor Sheridan fashion: completely unpredictable. Just as the newlyweds came ashore to safety in Italy, looking forward to a voyage to the States, Alex’s ex-fiance, Arthur, arrived at the same port. Sklenar weighed in on the awkwardness, and revealed how much trouble Arthur could stir up for the pair.
“He definitely makes his dislike for Spencer known. I think that’s as much as I can say,” Sklenar says. “He doesn’t pull any punches in terms of letting him know how slighted he feels.”
It sounds like Arthur will play the role of spurned lover, even though he and Alex never actually entered a relationship. And as the spurned lover, we can likely count on Arthur to bring a heavy dose of unfortunate reality to an otherwise fairy tale romance between Spencer and Alex. Of course, Sheridan’s writing should contain enough nuance to reflect a believable, well-rounded character in Arthur.
Will the 1923 finale shed any light on the Dutton family lineage?
“It’s tough for him,” Sklenar says, sympathizing with Arthur. “Not that Spencer meant any harm by [leaving with Alex]. It wasn’t terribly considerate either. He doesn’t have any bad blood against the guy. But we cannot say the same for Arthur, that’s for sure,” Sklenar laughs forebodingly.
But viewers really want to know, can Spencer and Alex’s relationship continue surviving all of these near-death experiences, from both man and nature? After all, they’ve survived an elephant flipping their car, a lion attack, and a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean up to this point. Sklenar says the tension stays high and the stakes don’t get any lower moving forward.
“He’s trying to get home to save his family, what’s left of them. And what he’s imagining is left of them,” he teases, saying that getting back to Montana, “protecting her and keeping her alive, keeping their relationship alive,” are the only things on Spencer’s mind.
“I don’t think the stakes could be any higher,” he adds.
Another big mystery that could get a reveal is the genetic connection to Yellowstone’s John Dutton. Actress Michelle Randolph, who plays Liz Stafford in 1923, is married to Jack Dutton, and could therefore give birth to John Dutton’s father on the timeline.
“I’m so confused,” Randolph told The Wrap in an interview. “I have no idea. It’s funny because that’s been something that we as a cast have talked about since the beginning, and we have no… I have no clue, I know nothing. I have no insight. We’re all in it together.”
1923 wraps up Season 1 on Sunday, Feb. 25, on Paramount+.
