Everyone is a Critic: 1883

Posted: September 14, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Drama, Everyone is a Critic, Review, Television review, Western |1 Comment

Two men and two women, all in western garb. One man holding a shotgun.
Text: 1883

After watching two full series of 1923, on Paramount+, and enjoying it much more than expected, (see my review here), I decided to give 1883 a try, which is said to be a prequel to 1923, in the Yellowstone saga. (Yes, I know. I watched them backward.) I’m an emotional viewer, (and reader), and all I can say is, if you choose to watch this single season series, be prepared to cry. I think I cried during almost every episode at some point, especially toward the end of this heart-rending coming-of-age story.

This may be the beginning of the Yellowstone saga, but it is also the story of a spirited young woman coming 0f age on the Oregon trail in 1883. Elsa Dutton, superbly played by Isabel May, is an 18-year-old girl traveling with her family by wagon train along with a group of German immigrants, and this is truly her story. Told through Elsa’s eyes viewers experience the awe of a rising sun, the beauty of the open prairies, and the excitement of hunting a buffalo on horseback. And yet, this young woman is filled with wisdom beyond her years, sharing philosophical thoughts that may be spot on.

Four men in cowboy hats and western garb and a young woman staring off into the distance.

The big-name star in this series is Sam Elliot, who plays Captain Shea Brennan, leader and guide of the immigrant wagon train. He and his partner, Thomas (LaMonica Garrett), lead a group of unskilled and unwitting German immigrants on the trail to Oregon, where they can get land for themselves and start a new life. They are joined by the Dutton family, Jacob (Tim McGraw) and his wife, Margaret (Faith Hill), their daughter Elsa and son, five-year-old John, who is cuter than a button.

A woman, a man, and a small boy standing in tall grasses in western garb.

Elsa proves to be a skilled cowgirl and changes her way of dressing to fit the part, as she first dons pants, then chaps, then a beaded vest of native American attire. Each change makes her less ladylike, much to her mother’s chagrin, and more a wild part of the land she roams. The blooming woman loves and loses and loves again along the journey, and she witnesses death and heartache firsthand. They picked the perfect young actress to play the part as Isabel May’s smile lights up the world and you can see her love of life in her eyes.

Young woman on horseback dressed in native American attire.

As the wagons face tragedy and death, again and again. No matter how the ways of the immigrants are from that of their guides, they prove that all grieve when they’ve lost, and all are willing to sacrifice to achieve their dreams, although those dreams may also be very different. Man’s greed and lust are also common themes throughout as men try to take that which does not belong to them and profit off other’s misfortune at every turn.

A group of people in western garb stand together in a line with smiles on their faces.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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This segment of “Everyone is a Critic” with Kaye Lynne Booth is sponsored by The Women in the West Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.