If you've watched the series (and read the headline), you know that Elsa ultimately passes away from an infected arrow wound in Montana, leading the family to settle in the place of her death. It was an incredibly powerful scene, and even as the actors performing it, McGraw and Hill said the whole thing was rough.
1883's season 1 finale killed off its most important character, and while the death is tragic, it was necessary in order to move the story of the Duttons in a worthwhile direction.
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.
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).
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.
1883 Ending Explained - The Fading of Elsa Dutton: She Is No Longer Afraid
What happens to Sam after Elsa dies in 1883?
Elsa, who had decided to see her family in Oregon before returning to be with Sam, may be dead, but just as her spirit narrates the series (and the following 1923 series), so it's implied that her spirit reunites with Sam's in the afterlife. Whether this means that Sam too is dead is unknown, but it's not unlikely.
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.
The site Elsa chose to be buried was a valley called “Paradise” which ended up becoming the Yellowstone Ranch. Though the Duttons finally made it to the future site of their homestead, it came at the cost of James and Margaret losing their beloved daughter Elsa.
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.
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.
John is the only character to cross over between 1883 and 1923. He is portrayed as a child by Audie Rick in 1883 and then as an adult by James Badge Dale in 1923.
The reason why 1883 is not getting a second season is that Sheridan and his creative team have told the story that they wanted to tell, so there is neither a need nor a desire to produce a second season. According to Sheridan; "We wanted to make a 10-hour movie that ended, and that's what we did.
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. In the decades following Margaret and James' passing, Jacob and Cara would turn the ranch into a thriving cattle empire.
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.
One aspect that audiences may not have picked up on is how in the case of Beth and her great-aunt Elsa, there are only two people that could ever get in the way of that resolve… their fathers.
How are the 1923 Duttons related to the 1883 Duttons?
Fans of 1883 will remember John Dutton Sr. as a little boy, but by 1923, James and Margaret Dutton's eldest son is all grown up. Through his son, Jack, he's potentially the great-grandfather of Yellowstone's John, but the show hasn't yet confirmed anything on that front yet.
Elsa is the sister of John Dutton Senior, but her relationship with Costner's character is more complicated. As John Dutton Junior came into the mix, Elsa is Costner's character's great aunt.
The older son of James and Margaret Dutton, John Sr. remains close to his uncle Jacob and aunt Cara after his parents' deaths. He marries his wife Emma, and they have a son, Jack. John helps work the land of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch with his uncle until he is killed by the family's enemy, Banner Creighton.
1883, the Yellowstone prequel series set over a century before the main show, was based on a fictional story but accurately portrayed the challenges faced by pioneers traveling from Texas to Montana.
In a flash-forward to the Spring, we see that Josef is alive and working his new piece of free land in Oregon while Thomas, Noemi, and her two sons settle nearby in the Willamette Valley. Shea also makes it to Oregon and heads to the coast to see the ocean to fulfill his dead wife's dream.
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.
Later, Elsa and Sam spend the night together which shows this isn't a flash in the pan romance, and that the pair are serious about their relationship. Elsa tells her mother just as much the next morning, but agrees to ride with them to Oregon before eventually returning to Sam.
Elysium is the first daughter of Elsa and Jack Frost, protagonists in Frozen and Rise of the Guardians. She is also a Princess of Arendelle and Junior Guardian of Winter.
