James sits up against the tree with Elsa, who tells him that her first memory was of birds behind their old house. Then she says she understands and she's not afraid. She dies soon after. We then see Josef burying his wife.
Elsa's death signaled the end of the first chapter in the story of the Duttons of Yellowstone. Elsa wasn't just the narrator – she was the very heart and soul of 1883. In short, it was simply time for Elsa to die, which heralded the beginning of an entirely new chapter for the Duttons.
Elsa was the heart and soul of the show, and her fate encapsulates the social commentary and overarching themes of not just 1883, but the rest of Sheridan's neo-Western universe.
He called her two weeks later and offered her the lead role in the Yellowstone prequel series 1883, playing Elsa Dutton, the 18-year-old daughter who embarks with her parents, James Dutton (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill), on a treacherous trek across the Great Plains to Montana.
1883 Ending Explained - The Fading of Elsa Dutton: She Is No Longer Afraid
Does Elsa have a baby in 1883?
Indeed, as there are no condoms or any other reliable form of birth control in the frontier, there's a real possibility that Ennis really did impregnate Elsa. Sadly, before 1883 could even drop any clues that Elsa was pregnant, Ennis died in the next episode while Elsa died during the finale.
That Small Detail You Missed in 'Yellowstone' Season 5
Dutton," whose name can't be clearly made out. But upon Monica's (Kelsey Asbille) arrival, we see that the three graves she kneels beside are for James (Tim McGraw), Margaret (Faith Hill), and Elsa Dutton (Isabel May).
Elsa was also planning to split from the group to stay with Sam, but after many goodbyes, everyone decided they were going to Oregon anyway. Even Elsa decided to leave her boyfriend so she could find out where Oregon was, while planning to return to the plains in June to reunite with him.
The two then ride off where Sam tells Elsa that he chose his name after a man named Sam killed his wife; he wanted to take the man's name after taking the man's life. (Sam killed Sam.) Sam gives Elsa a nickname, “Lightning Yellow Hair.”
Speaking from the grave as Elsa, she informed viewers that her parents, James and Margaret, died after the events of 1883; first James, followed by Margaret. But before her death, Margaret wrote a letter to her husband's brother, Jacob, who then found and raised Elsa's surviving brothers, John Sr. and Spencer.
Indeed, as there are no condoms or any other reliable form of birth control in the frontier, there's a real possibility that Ennis really did impregnate Elsa. Sadly, before 1883 could even drop any clues that Elsa was pregnant, Ennis died in the next episode while Elsa died during the finale.
Throughout the episode, Elsa's narration is used to fill in the gaps of what has happened to the Dutton clan in the four decades that have passed since the events of "1883."
In a stunning twist, Elsa decides that she will not make the rest of the journey to Oregon, opting to stay with Sam, marry him and make a life together. It's a decision that garners a great deal of pushback from James and especially Margaret (Faith Hill), who is not ready to relinquish control over her daughter yet.
What happened to the Dutton family after Elsa died?
The caravan was heading toward Oregon, but the Dutton family had to settle in Montana after the death of their daughter, Elsa (Isabel May). Elsa was the main narrator of 1883 and appeared via voiceover in the first episode of 1923 as well.
Elsa also reveals that Margaret wrote to Jacob to come help her and her sons at the ranch in the aftermath. By the time he arrived, Jacob found Margaret had frozen to death in a snow drift, and the boys - John and Spencer - were nearly starved to death.
Sam. A Comanche warrior who the Duttons met along the wagon trail in 1883, Sam professed to have taken his name from the man who killed his wife. He later began a romance with Elsa Dutton, and the two married without official ceremony.
Out of nowhere, Sam appears and gets Elsa, Wade and Colton to lay down on the side of hill and brace themselves. Impulsively, Elsa kisses Sam as they hold on to each other for dear life. Miraculously, no one is killed by the tornado, but the destruction to the wagons and the settlers' possessions is devastating.
Towards the end of Episode 8 we see Elsa and Sam prepare to part ways. He teaches her phrases in his language like "I love you" and how to say her given name "Lightning Yellow Hair." The lovers depart, with Elsa now heading north wearing her new Native American clothing.
In Comancheria, the settlers pay a tax to the Comanche to cross their land. One of the Comanche introduces himself to Elsa as Sam, a name he took from the man who killed his wife. The two race their horses; Elsa wins and Sam nicknames her "Lightning With The Yellow Hair".
It also sets the stage for her relationship with Sam, who will later become her unofficial husband. Elsa grew exponentially through her short romance with Ennis, and her more serious relationship with Sam is a representation of that growth.
When they showed what was finished of the film to a Story Trust group several months prior to release, many were still confused about who the voice was supposed to belong to. It was after that the decision was made to fully commit to the voice calling to Elsa being that of her mother, Iduna.
1883, which concluded its first season in February 2022, featured Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as the central Duttons, who claim the infamous patch of Montana wild known as the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch after the tragic death of their daughter, Elsa.
In 1883, James and his wife, Margaret, leave Tennessee with James' sister and niece—both of whom soon die. The Duttons will reach and settle the Yellowstone during this trip, losing their daughter Elsa in the process. James later dies in 1893 after being shot by horse thieves.
1883 isn't exactly getting a Season 2 – but initially, Lawmen: Bass Reeves was thought to be its replacement. 1883 is technically followed by 1923, a sequel series also taking place before the events of Yellowstone.
