1923 (TV Series) Nothing Left to Lose (2023) User Reviews

Season One Review

[southdavid · 7/10 · 10 March 2023]

With "1883" acting as my gateway drug into the "Yellowstone" universe and having powered through all of that show to catch up, the only other strand I have, until the next spinoff comes out, is another prequel series "1923".

Since their deal with the Native Americans, the Dutton family have owner and operated a ranch in a large valley of Montana. Since his younger brother's death, Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) has run the ranch, together with his wife Cara (Helen Mirren), but a dispute with neighbouring farmers is exploited by Tycoon Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) to launch an assault on the land on several fronts. In an act of desperation, Cara writes to her nephew Spencer (Brandon Sklenar), a former soldier now operating as a big game hunter in Africa. He starts to return home, but his journey is fraught with both peril and opportunity. Meanwhile, Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves), a native girl forced into a school run by catholic nuns escapes the violence and abuse and tries to get back to her people.

So, this series feels a lot more like regular "Yellowstone" than "1883" did. There are some superficial reasons, the main house is built in a recognisable way, for example. But thematically it's more similar too. The Dutton family, led by a gruff patriarch (who apparently is impervious to bullet wounds) utilise the local law enforcement to enhance their personal situation. An evil person, who seemingly has an unreal advantage over the Dutton's wants the land and it will fall to the family to defend it.

Performances are really good, of course they are. Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Timothy Dalton. You also have Jerome Flynn and Julia Schleapfer in key roles, and cameos from Robert Patrick, Jennifer Ehle, Bruce Davison and Peter Stormare. In addition, none of the incarnations of the shows have had any problem finding beautiful ways to shoot the scenery.

I would say that this feels more like half a story, than a genuine or traditional 'season' and it leaves the stories at a midpoint, rather than arriving at any even partial conclusions - so much so I was surprised to discover that the season had actually ended. I'll certainly be back for season two though.

I didn't even realize this was the season finale

[WordsworthStone · 9/10 · 26 February 2023]

Everyone lauds Taylor Sheridan for creating the Yellowstone Cowboy-verse but we forget the other creatives. If John Linson never made contact with Sheridan during 'Sons of Anarchy,' we would never had the glory of these shows.

In consideration of this episode, I would like to address the issues of misogyny and violence towards women. We are in a time where we can't defend any possibility of misogyny but I would like to point out, it is a depiction of a time past--with a modern lens. It adds depth, it's not like an early season of 'Game of Thrones,' where plot developed alongside sexual slavery.

I would compare it to the Rainwater scenes, Native people should take offense at similar depictions of violence and subjugation of power--despite being honest, brutal and accurate. It takes these highlights for an audience to look more carefully into, to take offense and make more to a past way of thinking is to not learn from history.

So...wait. Does this show finish when Spencer gets home? Even I am feeling the wait (weight).

Classic romance carries the show

[pioneerstkd · 9/10 · 5 March 2023]

Spencer and Alexandra's romance is the best I've ever seen portrayed on screen, large or small. It has everything: exotic locales, danger, adventure, two people without love in their lives who suddenly, unexpectedly find it. They have to defy rigid social mores, attacks by wild animals, a shipwreck, a challenge from Alex's ex-fiance that is a no-win situation for Spencer, and yet he does not flinch from it. Brilliant directing, acting, cinematography, costuming, and especially writing sweep the viewer into the story. Who cares what's happening in Montana? The second season can't come soon enough.

how many times

[isaacmizrahii · 10/10 · 19 April 2023]

Have we seen people here saying, 'if i could've given this 0 stars, i would have'? Well...if i could have given this 12 stars i would have. Do NOT deprive yourself of this excellent series because of the know nothings who criticized it. They're, at most, kids. Or people who can't handle strong emotions or violence. This production offers the full spectrum of storytelling and was nothing less than superb in any of the hues that make up this spectrum. Acting, cinematography, costumes, pacing...and, most importantly, writing. If you don't believe this, read the other reviews that praise it. I can't wait for season 2.

Season One: A Remarkably Relevant & Exciting Western Buoyed By Incredible Cast

[zkonedog · 10/10 · 2 March 2023]

Before pressing "play" on 1923, I hadn't watched a moment of Yellowstone or 1883. Somewhat oddly, this was my introduction to the Taylor Sheridan western universe. I thought it might be a bit too much to assimilate--but instead I discovered one of my favorite period pieces of all-time thus far!

For a very basic overview, 1923 tells the continuing story of the Dutton family now set in the titular year. Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara (Helen Mirren) are the family bastions, while son Jack's (Darren Mann) courtship of Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph) also gets a lot of screen time. With a rough year and a locust infestation having reduced grazing land to a bare minimum, the Duttons feud with the local sheep herders--led by the fiery Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn)--in a jostle for land.

On the other side of the world, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) is trying to find himself after some harrowing World War I experiences. As a gun-for-hire, he meets an unlikely romantic partner in the upper-crust Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer). When Spencer is summoned home by mother Cara, he takes Alex along on his adventure to return to the Dutton homestead.

Alongside all the "Dutton stuff", young Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) is being horribly abused by the nuns and priests in a Wyoming Catholic reform school (ostensibly assimilation them into American civilization by force). Will she escape and return to her roots--or ultimately suffer a seemingly inevitable fate?

Somehow, 1923 manages to be adventurous, aspirational, and extremely culturally/emotionally relevant all in the same breath--not an easy task for any series. Bits of dialogue or monologue in the "city life versus country life" themes will have viewers deep in thought. This might be followed by Spencer and Alex's next rollicking adventure--or a tender moment between Jacob & Cara--or maybe some jarring (and I mean absolutely gut-wrenching) Native American material. There is nary a moment wasted in these eight episodes.

All of this plot material is supported by some of the best acting performances you'll seen on television today. Ford--at 80 years old--hasn't lost an ounce of his magnetic charisma, and Mirren is equally as tremendous. When one or both of these characters are on screen, it is utterly mesmerizing. The same can be said for the Spencer/Alex relationship, as they are the couple that everyone strives to be. The ferocity of Nieves is startling, as is her torment by the likes of Jennifer Ehle & Sebastian Roche in their authority roles.

Is this first season of 1923 perfect? Not quite. The Timothy Dalton character arc doesn't quite work and leads the final couple of episodes down a debauchery path that sort of steals the thunder from the more nuanced material. But even that slight misstep can't drop my rating down even a single star--I enjoyed the rest of the proceedings that much!

I'm overjoyed that a second slate of episodes is in the works and will be tuning in as must-see viewing when it lands. Whether you are a Yellowstone fanatic or a former newbie like myself, this is a series you'll burn through quick!

and now we have to wait

[jonalovin-45307 · 10/10 · 27 February 2023]

Not a cliffhanger, but cliffhangers.

First of all, Spencer HURRY UP! I have really enjoyed Spencer's journey so far and was really moved by the emotional change we've seen in his character. His story now has multiple questions to be answered. I did expect some mafia situation to play out but...

Watching Jacob realize his power is fleeting has also been well acted by the GOAT Ford.

I'm so nervous about Teonna and her dad. I really want them to get away from all the abuse. On that storyline, Marshal Kent is awesome. I think we'll see him be a multifaceted character who has enough wisdom to put Father Renaud in his place.

Lots of other great mentions; Whitfield is pure evil, Cara continues to ooze female power in a "man's world", Arthur got what he deserved, I'm so worried for Alice and the family,..

just a great show with a stellar season finale.

"Nothing Left to Lose"

[allmoviesfan · 10/10 · 4 October 2023]

Astoundingly good.

1923 is my favourite of all the Yellowstone shows, surpassing even the excellent Kevin Costner original.

Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Timothy Dalton and the rest of the cast are amazing. The scripts and plot are brilliant, and I've always enjoyed movies, TV and novels set in the early 1900's, before and after the Great War.

Every single minute of every single 1923 episode has been top-notch. The great crime is that there's only eight of them!

But "Nothing Left to Lose" raises the bar even higher, and might be the best single episode I have ever seen in all the TV I've watched. It went by in the blink of an eye.

All the plot threads end with genuine cliffhangers. Everything is in the balance: the good guys seem like they're in all sorts of strife and the bad guys seem to be headed for a victory.

The only downside to the epic finale? A long wait for more, given the writer's strike.

But man, what a season two premiere it will be. Taylor Sheridan has his work cut out for him, bettering this episode.

The best of the best

[trifonn · 10/10 · 2 March 2023]

This series is another masterpiece. An excellent addition to a great picture. The saturation of events and the comprehensive coverage of the storyline immerse the viewer in an incredibly exciting story. Also in the series there are unexpected twists, which indicates the tetanic work that was done as screenwriters. Also the whole team that is working on this picture. This series exalts the picture to the highest pedestals of honor, also thanks to the incredible game of the most talented actors. I must say that the roles they play in this picture are the most interesting and most outstanding in their career in recent times. I recommend this series for everyone to watch.

DEEPLY UPLIFTING & EMPOWERING

[jeremiaramirez · 10/10 · 28 February 2023]

ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC EPISODES TO DEFINE THIS MAJESTIC PIECE OF ART. A story of love, without this there is no strength, love's challenge's embark on this love story between Alexandra and Spencer. The wide spread of heart ache and dignity come to almost the same appropriate point, that's the huge condition of our problem's. I was on my toe's because I felt for the Dutton family and I allude that the Dutton family are a respectable and honorable family. I raise a high accommodation to this episode and I am eager to witness if the same accommodation's will follow. I AM ON MY FEET BECAUSE I EAGER FOR MORE!!

Slow, too many stories, and they already fought off sharks

[yowhatdafuxup · 6/10 · 28 February 2023]

There's like 8 different story lines happening here, and most of them haven't intertwined at all by the end of the first season. Most of the stories are kind of boring and ridiculous, "we fought off lions, sharks, then won a duel against the Prince of England."

Of course there is only 8 episodes in the season so we need to wait atleast 1.5 years to see where this ends up.

Right now this show overall is a 6 to me. Nothing was really concluded and the setup for next season is kind of lame. "Where are we going to come up with property tax money when we own 1/4 of Montana?"

Dumb, obviously the Countess of Sussex is gonna come in and bail them all out, but we'll probably find that out at the end of Season 2.

This finale gets a 6.for not concluding any of the 8 stories that are happening. They should have made season 1 12 episodes instead of 8.

Great episode of a great first season (hopefully)

[851222 · 9/10 · 16 June 2023]

Greetings from Lithuania.

Nothing Left to Lose, an 8th episode of 1923 was a very intriguing and we'll made last episode of the hopefully that turns out to be first season. I absolutely enjoyed all off the episodes here, making 1923 an exceptional show. I love the universe of Yellowstone and 1923 just might be the best thing they produced from it so far. 1883 was very good but now i prefer 1923 more. The reasons are because of more interesting and diversinve storylines, the Africa set piece reminded me of Hollywood's epics like Out of Africa ant etc. - it stood out. There wasn't a single not great story from main 3 we were following here. Acting was great, cinematography as well as directing and writing which is great.

Overall, i can't wait for season 2.

Episode 8

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 5 March 2023]

"Nothing Left to Lose" was a pretty strong finale for the show, but I again have to complain about how long this ran for. It could have been 15 minutes shorter and still accomplished all of the goals that it wanted to, but regardless, it was entertaining. They did a good job teasing the second season with the impending loan and the breakup of the happily married couple via forced excommunication.

This show is helping spread the word about Paramount+ which is good, but there is a lot of work to do in the second season. Regardless, a good finale and overall I feel like the first season was a success.

Padding

[petergliddon · 2/10 · 26 February 2023]

This serias has definitely lost its way. The basic premise now seems to be how many scenes of violence and sexual titillation can be shoehorned into each episode. I'm not being prudish, I'm just struggling to see the relevance. The characters foibles have already been explained, there is little need to ram the point home. Then we come to the continuing saga of Spencer and Alex who we are led to believe can only make poor decisions on their interminable journey to reach Montana. I won't say much more about the appalling accent of the actress, many others have already given detailed complaints. It does continue to grate. Lost patience with it, it no longer deserves the wonderful reviews it has received.

So unsatisfactory

[melbalt · 3/10 · 26 February 2023]

As in all of Sheridan's shows, there's no denouement, no cohesion. It's random sub-plots without resolution. It's a series of unresolved cliffhangers. What happens to all the characters that are introduced and then neglected?

It's like watching many different shows, everything is so random. And in the case of 1923, gratuitous. Why the unnecessarily long fixation on the sex acts by the prostitutes? Only to show that Da;ton's character is a sadist? One can surely show that in a more subtle way. Here it was all about gratuitous sex and nudity. Very uncalled for in the context of this series. It cheapened everything down.

It's become a soap opera

[annechamberlain-14582 · 2/10 · 27 February 2023]

Wow, could anything else possibly go wrong? Could the deck be more stacked against any character we could hope to care about? Could there be anymore completely unnecessary nudity and bdsm garbage? The writing of this show has gotten so ridiculous not to mention terrible acting from Americans pretending to English. I came here for Hellen Mirren, Harrison Ford and Timothy Dalton (the only storyline I actually care about.) Dear writers, when you make things this ridiculously uneven and unfair you break the suspension of disbelief and realism. This is now a Danielle Steele novel. I was looking for a true American drama not a silly soap opera. What a waste.

Becoming unwatchable.

[thedivinewoman · 1/10 · 26 February 2023]

The quality of this show has dropped in recent episodes, but, this episode had me turning it off halfway through.

The plot involves Alex and Spencer on a luxury liner sailing from Italy to England and her former fiance is also on the boat. He apparently lives in the 18th Century and the dialogue in the ballroom is laughable, for a moment I thought I was watching Blackadder. But, no, sadly this is meant to be high drama instead of slapstick comedy that it ended up as. I gave up when the sequence ended as it was so stupid to beggar belief.

Taylor Sheridan clearly thinks that he can write any old rubbish and because of his name people will be full of praise and ignore the fact that it is tosh. He has even introduced an interracial marriage, illegal in 1920s Montana, just out of the blue and with a saucy shower scene that has no relevance to the plot.

Please stop! The glorified violence is too much, all those whippings on the prostitute that barely injures her, she is even able to get up and walk with no issues after them and not a mark in sight. Teonna's perfect white teeth, none missing or chipped despite all the beating to the face and head she has had. It's the sanitised violence that gets me angry, if they feel the need to show this then make it look real with make up to show the real consequences of horrible violence.

I don't know if I will go back after turning it off when Spencer was sent to the 'brig'. It's just difficult to enjoy something so full of flaws and goofs. And please get extras who aren't looking at the camera or pretending badly to play a violin.

Too slow for a finale

[joeyytong · 5/10 · 26 February 2023]

Very lackluster for a season finale. Everything just sets up for the next season but this episode felt slow. A lot of cliff hangers and what will happen next. But throughout the episode it felt like a lot of unnecessary scenes. I would have expected Spencer to at least arrive to Yellowstone by the finale to set everything running for season 2. But somehow at the finale, he seems further away from the Yellowstone. Like how many obstacles does this character need to go through to get home. It feels like the process getting there is taking too long and my worry is that once he arrives. The writers will somehow rush through it.

Such a slow season and anticlimactic season ending

[ismoody · 2/10 · 26 February 2023]

The character development has been so slow with obstacle after unbelievable obstacle placed in front of the protagonist, Spencer, as he tries to return home. This series is so much slower and more boring than 1883. 1883 had the pace and excitement of an extended movie, with strong progressing narrative episodes partnered with continuous character development that keeps you interested. Much like a Band of Brothers approach; story, momentum, and self-contained to one season. 1923 has interesting characters but they grow so slowly it's boring to watch. The first couple of episodes held a lot of promise but then they just stalled. It's an absolutely tedious series compared with 1883 and doesn't match the expectations set by this series, nor even its much-enjoyed predecessor, Yellowstone. In 1923, we are acutely (sooo acutely) learning the difficulties faced by this pioneering family but they are boring to watch and over emphasised. The most interesting story arc is that of the Native American girl escaping her horrible oppressors and finding a path back to her life with family and on the land. The Dutton-side of the narrative is a broken record "we are downtrodden and old" and the journey of Spencer and his American-as-British (terrible accent) wife is full of nonsensical difficulties. I tried embracing the nonsense of their journey but then we got to the end of 1923, and we hadn't really gotten anywhere. So boring and I feel deceived like this is the click-bait version of a tv series: all promise and underwhelming delivery.

Utterly ridiculous

[emscotford · 1/10 · 1 March 2023]

'Nothing left to lose' a terribly ironic title for an episode that truly cemented the downfall of this show and my respect for Taylor Sheridan as a whole.

It all went down hill from episode three (I really loved ep3) but from then on it just became tiring, uninteresting and completely idiotic.

In the whole first season of the show, absolutely nothing happened! Did we really need to watch Spencer and Alex in a tug boat for an entire episode? Did we really need to watch them on a knock off Titanic ship getting into all sorts of soap opera type drama? The writing is laughable - especially when the earl is thrown over the edge. My first reaction was to laugh and I'm sure that wasn't the shows intention. Actually, I have no idea what Sheridans intentions are anymore, other than perhaps his own ego. The characters are no where near interesting enough to watch them do absolutely nothing for an entire show. The Dutton ranch story line is by far the best of the show and even that is incredibly underwhelming. At the end of the season I find I could not care less -and with the nature of it being a prequel we know they will keep the ranch.

Teonna's storyline is one that makes me sigh every time it comes back on. It's become clear her characters only purpose is being terribly beaten up every episode.

That's something I want to address too: the violence. In the last few episodes it became uncomfortably clear the way this show portrays violence. It's incredibly unnecessary as we already know the characters are terrible people. It's gross honestly.

Overall, this show went downhill very rapidly. I think it could have been a whole lot better as a one series show where Spencer had shown up in Montana around ep4 and something could have actually kicked off that's important to the plot. Not just silly boat drama every 2 minutes. Would it really be that difficult just to say '6 months later' or however long ?

1883 is a masterpiece but 1923 is a soapy mess

[ajmillar · 1/10 · 28 February 2023]

The expectations were high for 1923 after the brilliant 1883.

1923 started out decently enough only to devolve into a mediocre soap opera.

The finale was underwhelming as well- what the hell happened?

Sheridan needs to focus, bring the story back to the ranch, jettison the melodramatic soap opera between Spencer and Alex, and fix Teonna's story so that it's coherent. Oh, and for the love of God, lose the kinky Whitfield plotline!.

1923 has a huge budget, big name stars, international locations for what??-it was awful.

Thank God for 1883, that's what I'll continue to watch!. 1923-Ugh, ugh!

An epic series turned to cheap trash

[JJ-Jet · 1/10 · 27 February 2023]

Let me start off by saying, episode 1-6 were some of the best Ive seen from Taylor Sheridan. Which is saying a lot! I was hooked instantly. The beautiful cinematography, sincere acting, and gripping story lines just kept getting better and better. Then it went out the window in episode 7 and 8. It was replaced with gratuitous female nudity and violent sex scene among prostitutes that in no way advance the story line. The amount of time spent on needless female nudity scenes took so much time away from the characters stories. Which ultimately leads you to wonder what actually happened in the finale?? What a lazy and disappointing way to end a season that started off as what was arguably the best "Yellowstone" spinoff. I sincerely hope Taylor Sheridan listens to the audience on this one and gets back to producing a quality series for season 2.

Perils of Pauline were a better story than the last two episodes.

[CharLarrSF · 2/10 · 27 February 2023]

I barely made it through the previous episode and quit watching this episode less than halfway through. I probably won't be back due to the gratuitous violence and ridiculous premises. There is not enough interesting plot development to draw me back.

The villains have been well established, there is no deeper character study needed, if that is the intent of the violence displayed.

And the Spencer storyline is dragging on beyond the ridiculous. What next -- will Alexandra make it to Montana only to be tied to a railroad track? Or maybe someone could slip a diamond in Spencer's pocket.

Expecting better writing and seriously disappointed.

Jut like Yellowstone &and1883 before it, this series started with promise, then evolves into a silly soap opera

[mmanville · 2/10 · 28 February 2023]

Won't go into details (spoilers), just focus on overall direction. There is a lot of interesting premise and characters laid out in early episodes, but the character development after that is minimal & the plot becomes increasingly 1) implausible (soap opera effect) and 2) gratuitously sexual. BDSM, really? Fine maybe to have given the brief taste in previous episode for character development reasons, but the extended screen time added in this episode is just ... extraneous titillation. Plus lots of other "dramatic diversions" which don't appear to further the main story at all, just ... draw out the telling of it. How many episodes in a row now could just be described as "The Duttons try to hang on in Montana waiting for Spencer, while Spencer & wife encounter and overcome yet another impediment to their journey. Plus some T&A."

A good writer would figure out the "big picture" of the story they tell, then conceive a large number scenes to drive it, plus background and character development to make it feel "real." A good writer, doing this well, would than have so many scenes that they would have to pare away some because of pacing, lack of screen time, and/or redundancy to achieving the overall objectives of the storytelling. A bad writer would have so little supporting story development that they would be compelled to throw stuff in to fill the minutes, and maybe exploit prurient aspects of their viewers to keep at least SOME of them from getting bored or impatient. Taylor Sheriden, I am increasingly concluding, is a bad writer.

So, now there must be a second season

[silverton-37959 · 3/10 · 26 February 2023]

Spencer and his wife are obviously not going to make it to Montana in time to help anything unless they arrive before the end of the year with the money to repay the tax payment made by Whitfield.

That will require a speeding up of Spencer's interminable journey. The writers have painted themselves into a corner here unless they just drop the other two stories and make the final episode all about Spencer.

The storylines could have progressed further if the writing team had restrained themselves from presenting all of the softcore porn parts that ate so much screen time. I don't hold out much hope that any of the three tales can be concluded before the next season.... And then I learned that IMDB's episode count was 9 when it should have been 8. I was expecting one more episode to tie up at least one of the continuing plots, but that isn't to be. This was nothing at all like a season finale.

Maybe Taylor just up and quit, disgusted by the job ahead of him with only one, or possibly two episodes to go. Maybe the rest of his writing team quit, or maybe... I give up. Obviously, somebody gave up on writing anymore of this.

I suppose that the patient viewers will have to wait for a year to see any further progress in this trio of tales. This could easily have been made into a stand alone single tale series like 1883. Two seasons will strain the storytellers' ability to drag out the three tales even further.

I kind of doubt that there will be enough interest among viewers to justify the planned 1963 series, whether 1923 drags on for another 8-10 dreary episodes of a 2nd season and fails to accomplish a resolution to any of the cliffhangers. I think that Taylor Sheridan lost the crown with this one.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

[Carsten Witte · 5/10 · 1 March 2023]

...is not a good cliffhanger. When it comes to an episode that well might be the end of the story if not renewed for whatever reason you have some sort of expectations. Not all have to be matched and I'm sure in for a surprise, but this was: none at all. It's a shame to see the good build-up and the impressive acting of the main cast to go to waste as the story develops into just more hardships. Or better: stories, plural. With Spencer we at least know where it's going even tho it's hard to believe how many unfortunate events a single character can have. What an end would have been he setting foot on American soil. No, just more problems. And then there is this the C-Plot that goes absolutely nowhere and actually doesn't invite to come back for another season. Was it just a nod to the American Heritage Association? Will it eventually cross lines with the story?

So, all other episodes build up to something. This one: nothing. Let's see if viewer give the show another try next year. Wouldn't wonder if not.