1883 tells the story of how the Dutton family came to Montana and the long and treacherous road it took to get there. James Dutton (Tim McGraw) is the patriarch of the family, who has traveled all the way from Tennessee
Family means everything to James Dutton and he fights fearlessly to protect it. His five-year-old son John, and beautiful daughter Elsa, along with his gorgeous wife and the matriarch of the family Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) are what keep the dangers of the west worth the risk.
“I remember the first time I saw it. Tried to find the words to describe it, but I couldn’t. Nothing had prepared me, no books, no teachers, not even my parents. I heard a thousand stories but none could describe this place. It must be witnessed to be understood. And yet, I’ve seen it, and understand it even less than before I first cast eyes on this place. Some call it the American Desert, others, the Great Plains. But those phrases were invented by professors at universities surrounded by the illusion of order and the fantasy of right and wrong. To know it, you must walk it. Bleed into its dirt. Drown in its rivers. Then its name becomes clear. It is hell, and there are demons everywhere. But if this is hell, and I’m in it, then I must be a demon too. And I’m already dead.” -Elsa Dutton
Paramount Network has been airing episodes of super hit1883 every Sunday as we await the remaining episodes of Yellowstone. Because of the huge success of 1883 when it first premiered, this is a genius move to keep fans excited for it.
It is also a chance to relearn the history of the Dutton family. In doing so, it shows you why all the Dutton men and women, both past and present, fight so hard to keep it from enemies who will never win.
Here we take a look back at some of the greatest moments and lines from 1883. This is one of Taylor Sheridan’s best shows and the writing alone is why you should read on and see why.
Margaret Dutton
“The only rules you need to follow are the ones in your heart.” -Margaret Dutton
“There is no such thing as freedom. Don’t let anyone tell you there is. There’s laws, there’s rules, there’s customs, responsibilities everywhere. The more people you cram together, the more rules there’ll be.” -Margaret Dutton
“Wherever we’re going, it better be paradise ‘cause it’s costing us a daughter. And if you ask me, it’s not a fair trade.” -Margaret Dutton
Margaret Dutton speaks through pain after the loss of their daughter Elsa. And she does not believe the journey to a better life is worth the risk they took.
Sometimes it’s better to be poor and struggle then the alternative.
“It takes years to make something of your life. One decision can change the course of it forever. And we don’t know if that decision is gonna be the one that sinks us until we make it. So you better be very, very careful what you choose.” -Margaret Dutton
Margaret may have been a dutiful housewife to her loving dreamer husband. But she was just as wise and capable as the rest of them.
Throughout the series she is giving her daughter Elsa advice, explaining to her that choices will always have consequences. And if you aren’t prepared to face them, it’s best not to make that choice.
Those choices that you do make can change your life forever.
Shea Brennan
“When you love somebody, you trade souls with them. They get a piece of yours, and you get a piece of theirs. But when your love dies, a little piece of you dies with them.” -Shea Brennan
Those words were uttered to Elsa after the loss of her first love, Ennis. He knows more than most what that type of unbearable loss that is.
Not only did he lose his wife but his entire family. He understood Elsa’s pain in a way nobody else could and pushed his rough exterior aside, thus allowing himself to have a human connection of softness and kindness for another human being.
“You know what I’m doin’ here? Lookin’ for a reason. You wanna be my reason?” -Shea Brennan
One of the simply most best lines of the series came from Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott), that shows off that he is a man not to be messed with. He has been through so much that he will use any reason to take it out someone.
The loss of his loved ones, the idiocy of the Europeans, and the hard road a west, is enough to make anyone snap.
“I’ve lost a daughter, too. You’ll come to blame yourself. Think it’s your fault, for giving her so much reign. Maybe it is your fault. But I’ll say this. I’ve watched this girl for the last six months, and she has outlived us all. I’m 75 years old. And she’s out smiled me, outloved me, outfought me. She’s outlived me. She’s outlived all of us.” -Shea Brennan
This is another moment where Shea pushes his rough cowboy personality to the side and has a heart to heart with James. Also knowing the pain of losing a daughter, he opens up about his own pain and about the guilt that can wash over you as a father.
“So I’m gonna take my wife to the ocean. And I’m gonna sit on the beach and let her see it. That was her dream. Then I’m gonna see her. That’s my dream.” -Shea Brennan
Shea said this line to Elsa after the loss of Ennis. This is somewhat of a premonition of Shea’s fate that we see in the final episode.
This is one of the most heart-wrenching scenes of 1883. After he fulfills his wife’s dream, he takes his own life so he can be with her again.
That is his heaven.
James Dutton
“When you kill a thing, it m akes you a little less man, a little more animal. Now we try to find the balance between them. That’s all life is.” -James Dutton
These are words little John does not understand. But this is James’ philosophy of hunting.
You have to respect the life you take and give thanks, or humans are no better than animals. He wants his son to understand this at a young age.
“I’m going to build you a house so big you get lost in it.” -James Dutton
This scene was a line that gives a nod to the Yellowstone. We all know the Dutton dynasty and James was the man who started it all.
The Dutton ranch became a home Margaret definitely got lost in. He promised her he would build her dream, and he most certainly did.
“They can cauterize the outside of you, but time is the only thing that can stitch the inside.” -James Dutton
Time is the only thing that heals all wounds. There is no quick fix, is what James was saying here.
“I’m gonna tell you a story. You’re going to listen. I think I’ve earned that right. First man I killed was just a boy. Younger than you. The reason company’s have flag bearers is so soldiers know how to stay with their group. And so generals on the hill can track the progress of the battle. So much dust and smoke in battle..fighting in a fog. Hard to make out the enemy. Can’t tell their man from yours. But you can always look up and see the flags. So we shoot flag bearers first. And I did. That boy’s face was burned into my brain. The whole world seemed to stop as this boy’s lookin’ right at me. By the end of the battle I killed so many men I couldn’t remember what that boy looked like. Still can’t.” -James Dutton
The war is a topic James never reaches. But when his daughter wanted to kill in revenge, he leveled and connected with her.
Once you take a life, that’s it, you can’t go back. You live with the regret and the guilt that it brings.
Not everyone is equipped to handle that.
“Where we bury her, is where we stay.” -John Dutton
Elsa was his heart and soul but that was the plan. No more journey.
Her death would mark the journey’s end and where they would reside for the rest of time. And that is how the Dutton’s came to make Montana their home.
Grief and despair are the foundation they built in Montana, yet they somehow made it beautiful on the untouched land that one day became the greatest legacy in the west.
Elsa Dutton
Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) had without a doubt, the greatest lines of the show as the narrator for the Dutton family. And it would be a tragedy to leave her best ones out.
”There is nowhere to chain love to vows and ceremony. Out here love burns through you like a fever. And when the devil comes to rip that love from you, there is no funeral with somber speeches that dull or senses and deaden our hearts. Out here, you turn toward the pain as it tears into you, and you let it. When you do, the devil gets bored. He seeks another soul to eat. And you get to live again.” -Elsa Dutton
“There is a moment where your dreams and your memories merge together, and form a perfect world. That is Heaven. And each Heaven is unique. It is the world of you. The land is filled with all you hold dear and the sky is your imagination.” -Elsa Dutton
Elsa Dutton’s heaven consists of horses, open plains, and wild cattle and a man who loves her with no storms, only she is the lightning. That is her Heaven.
It is not just one place of perfection that fits all. We all have different tastes of dreams, and this is hers.
“Like God decided to light this day with candles. I could see all of Texas. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.” -Elsa Dutton
Texas and Tennessee do have their beauty comparisons but they are far different places. Texas is more wide open and you can see beauty for miles where trees do not hinder the view.
It was the most beautiful place Elsa had witnessed in her short time on earth. And though she did not live long, in her life she experienced something that people go a lifetime without seeing.
I’m a woman, I pick myself up.” -Elsa Dutton
Delivered a very simplistic line but it shows you the wisdom and strength Elsa had at a very young age. She was wild and free spirited, strong and intelligent and needed no man to help her.
She could be a cowboy and a feminine woman. Elsa didn’t need to be boxed into labels, she was a trailblazer and the driving force of the Dutton family.
Thomas
Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) pulled no punches as Shea Brennan’s most trusted friend and partner. He became one of the most popular characters of the series and that’s a testament to the sheer talent and gifts of Garrett.
“There’s degrees to freedom. Government says you can’t swim. Can’t protect yourself. Damn right the government can tell you who to love and how to love ‘em. They shouldn’t, but they can.” -Thomas
It has not always been legal to be with who you want. The world has come a long, long way.
And Noemi the gypsy falling in love with a black lawman would have been very frowned upon. But despite that, they did fall in love in an unexpected world, and became better people in the end for it.
There are dozens of other great scenes, as we cannot list them all, but you have another chance to catch more this Sunday on Paramount Networks. 1883 has aired season 1 episode 6, “Boring the Devil”.
to Texas while his family travel by train.