During the opening sequence of this great series, a young woman awakens during a raid on a wagon train by Sioux Indians. She stumbles away from burning wagons and slaughtered settlers, scrambling for any kind of weapon as a Comanche buck takes off after her. Finding a Colt revolver tucked into the breeches of a dead pioneer, she makes her stand against the raiders. Taking an arrow through the liver, she marches onwards, blasting away- a roaring lioness of the Plains. Gripped enough?
Taylor Sheridan is great fan of reinventing the western to fit a modern setting: 2016's Hell or High Water, 2017's Wind River, the Sicario trilogy and (of course) Yellowstone. I am currently working my way through Season 3 of Yellowstone and have become quite a fan but honestly? It's no substitution for the original format and this series proves that once again, as we follow the ancestors of the Dutton Family as they embark upon a savage exodus (though still pretty tame in comparison to the real thing) from the barren plains of Texas to the green valleys of Montana. Sheridan creates a true American odyssey, in the style of Dances with Wolves, Open Range, Red Dead Redemption (honestly, it was like RDR2 multiplied by ten!), The Undefeated and Lonesome Dove. Hey! If you're gonna copy, copy from the best! But 1883 is so much more than that, crafting bold characters full of depth and poetry and a story that is as simple as it is powerful. Flashbacks aren't just flashbacks, tragic and brutal. Conversations about morality, love and death aren't packed full of clichéd Hollywood sentiments. It's as real as they get, full of human character and human naivety. It's a journey through the untamed heart of America, but more than that, it's a journey through life itself, and everything that it entails...
Sam Elliott usually carries whatever film or series he is in singlehandedly, but I'm happy to say that his turn in 1883 as the weary old warrior of the wilderness is just one in a whole cast of brilliant performances: real life husband and wife team (there are two of those- look out for Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson!) Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, LaMonica Garrett, Gratiela Brancusi, even Taylor Sheridan himself and of course, Isabel May. Though a relative newcomer (fans of Young Sheldon may recognise the Dutton daughter), May carries this production just as much as Elliott, punching out a performance far above her years. Hers is a true coming-of-age story (pulling off in just ten episodes what it took The Clone Wars' Ahsoka Tano seven seasons to accomplish), filled with all of the discoveries and mistakes that we must make if we are ever to grow and mature in life, delivered with a touchingly poetical narrative reminiscent of John Wayne's "Why I Love Her".
As a hardcore western fan, I'm thrilled that 1883 was brought to the small screen because it's helping to keep alive a dying breed (that is, "The Western") but the series itself is by no means your regular cowboy romp: a woman killed by a rattlesnake (whilst going to the toilet!), a river crossing set to Beethoven's haunting "Moonlight Sonata" and of course, that jaw-dropping opening sequence. This will go down in TV history (I believe) as one of the greats and I hope it will bring more people round to the genre, but be warned: 1883 is not for the faint-hearted. Over the course of ten episodes, Sheridan and his arsenal of great writers deliver gut punch after gut punch, killing off major characters that we come to care for, deeply. And worst of all, he kills off the series' lead protagonist- a death that myself and my father are still recovering from, but delivered with the all beauty and poetry (and in virtually the same manner) of Gus McCrae's death in Lonesome Dove.
1883 is full of many things: the unforgiving brutality of the Great Plains, the innocence of youth and the search for meaning. It is full of beauty and tragedy. But perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is that we won't be getting a second season, since Sheridan has announced plans for a further prequel titled "1923". Alas, we bid a sad farewell to the Dutton pioneers of 1883- gone but never, ever forgotten. A bold, beautiful piece of television, worthy of anyone's time, thoughts... and tears.
Taylor Sheridan is great fan of reinventing the western to fit a modern setting: 2016's Hell or High Water, 2017's Wind River, the Sicario trilogy and (of course) Yellowstone. I am currently working my way through Season 3 of Yellowstone and have become quite a fan but honestly? It's no substitution for the original format and this series proves that once again, as we follow the ancestors of the Dutton Family as they embark upon a savage exodus (though still pretty tame in comparison to the real thing) from the barren plains of Texas to the green valleys of Montana. Sheridan creates a true American odyssey, in the style of Dances with Wolves, Open Range, Red Dead Redemption (honestly, it was like RDR2 multiplied by ten!), The Undefeated and Lonesome Dove. Hey! If you're gonna copy, copy from the best! But 1883 is so much more than that, crafting bold characters full of depth and poetry and a story that is as simple as it is powerful. Flashbacks aren't just flashbacks, tragic and brutal. Conversations about morality, love and death aren't packed full of clichéd Hollywood sentiments. It's as real as they get, full of human character and human naivety. It's a journey through the untamed heart of America, but more than that, it's a journey through life itself, and everything that it entails...
Sam Elliott usually carries whatever film or series he is in singlehandedly, but I'm happy to say that his turn in 1883 as the weary old warrior of the wilderness is just one in a whole cast of brilliant performances: real life husband and wife team (there are two of those- look out for Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson!) Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, LaMonica Garrett, Gratiela Brancusi, even Taylor Sheridan himself and of course, Isabel May. Though a relative newcomer (fans of Young Sheldon may recognise the Dutton daughter), May carries this production just as much as Elliott, punching out a performance far above her years. Hers is a true coming-of-age story (pulling off in just ten episodes what it took The Clone Wars' Ahsoka Tano seven seasons to accomplish), filled with all of the discoveries and mistakes that we must make if we are ever to grow and mature in life, delivered with a touchingly poetical narrative reminiscent of John Wayne's "Why I Love Her".
As a hardcore western fan, I'm thrilled that 1883 was brought to the small screen because it's helping to keep alive a dying breed (that is, "The Western") but the series itself is by no means your regular cowboy romp: a woman killed by a rattlesnake (whilst going to the toilet!), a river crossing set to Beethoven's haunting "Moonlight Sonata" and of course, that jaw-dropping opening sequence. This will go down in TV history (I believe) as one of the greats and I hope it will bring more people round to the genre, but be warned: 1883 is not for the faint-hearted. Over the course of ten episodes, Sheridan and his arsenal of great writers deliver gut punch after gut punch, killing off major characters that we come to care for, deeply. And worst of all, he kills off the series' lead protagonist- a death that myself and my father are still recovering from, but delivered with the all beauty and poetry (and in virtually the same manner) of Gus McCrae's death in Lonesome Dove.
1883 is full of many things: the unforgiving brutality of the Great Plains, the innocence of youth and the search for meaning. It is full of beauty and tragedy. But perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is that we won't be getting a second season, since Sheridan has announced plans for a further prequel titled "1923". Alas, we bid a sad farewell to the Dutton pioneers of 1883- gone but never, ever forgotten. A bold, beautiful piece of television, worthy of anyone's time, thoughts... and tears.