‘1923’ Season 2, Episode 7 Delivers a Shattering Death

1923 wrapped up its second season with an epic finale on Sunday (April 6). Season 2, Episode 7 wrapped the various subplots and characters in a way that was almost poetic, but it also delivered a heartbreaking death that, in retrospect, may have been inevitable all along.

Titled “A Dream and a Memory,” the episode begins with Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) upset that Jack (Darren Mann) has not returned, fearing that something may have happened to him. Cara (Helen Mirren) tells her that Jack went to join Jacob (Harrison Ford) and the others in town and that he needs to consider how his actions impact her now that they are expecting a child.

Fans who watched last week’s episode already know what Cara and Elizabeth do not: Jack got killed in Episode 6 last week, and he is not coming home.

What Happens to Spencer and Alexandra in 1923 Season 2, Episode 7?

As Episode 6 ended last week, there seemed to be very little hope for Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer), who was stuck in a car in the snow in the middle of nowhere with the bodies of the couple who froze to death trying to help her reach Montana. Spencer, meanwhile, was on a train headed West to Montana, and it seemed unlikely they’d ever reunite.

In Episode 7, they actually reunite in the most unexpected way possible, when Alex spots a train headed her way and sets the car on fire so the conductor will see her. As the train speeds by her, we find out that, incredibly, it’s Spencer’s train, and he ends up leaping from the moving train to rescue her and carry her back.

Tragically, it’s already too late, as Alexandra has suffered frostbite so severe that her feet and one hand have turned necrotic. Taken to a hospital, the doctor says she will die if she does not consent to having her pregnancy terminated and her feet and hand amputated, which she outright refuses to consent to.

Though her pregnancy is only six months along, she delivers their baby, a boy she names John. It’s her final act, as she chooses to be with him and Spencer in the very little time that she has left. Alexandra dies with Spencer and John in the bed with her, marking the second week in a row that 1923 has delivered an absolutely gutting death.

What Happens to Banner Creighton in 1923 Season 2, Episode 7?

We’ve seen Banner (Jerome Flynn) become more and more weary of the tradeoffs he has to make to work for Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) over the last few episodes, and in Episode 7, he tells his wife that while is not a good man, the sadistic Whitfield is evil, and Creighton has decided to flee on the train and take his family.

But when they get to the station, the Dutton men and Whitfield’s men are already there to wait for Spencer to arrive, and Jacob tells him in no uncertain terms, “You started this, Banner. You don’t get to leave it.”

When Spencer does finally arrive, there’s a very public gunfight on the train platform, with Whitfield’s men all getting killed.

Creighton tells his wife and son to make sure they board the train no matter what. In a final redeeming act, he gives his life to help the Duttons prevail against Whitfield’s men, and his wife and son see him get shot as he tries to follow them onto the train. Jacob assures him that he’ll make sure they get away safely since Banner kept his word — as close to a noble death that character could possibly get.

What Happens to the Dutton Ranch on 1923 Season 2, Episode 7?

The Dutton Ranch comes under heavy attack from Whitfield’s men in the 1923 Season 2 finale, and Cara, Zane (Brian Geraghty), Elizabeth and the others are all forced to defend the house with guns.

They come very close to losing when the men attack at night and end up inside the house, but — as has been predicted all season — the tide turns when Spencer arrives back at the ranch with his enormous game rifle, and they wind up saving the ranch.

But it comes at a tragic cost, as now that the men have arrived back with Spencer, they all realize that Jack has not returned. Zane and his men find his body out in the woods, bringing last week’s tragic death into the final episode.

What Happens to Teonna Rainwater in 1923 Season 2, Episode 7?

Teonna (Aminah Nieves) is on her own now that her father and boyfriend have ben killed, and while she has also evaded or killed all of those who were chasing her, her trials are not quite over yet — literally.

We see her hauled into court to stand trial for murder charges, but the exasperated judge says that the case is not his jurisdiction to begin with, and since there are no living witnesses and no real evidence, he dismisses the case, leaving her free to go.

The last we see of Teonna, she is headed West, where presumably she will become one of the founders of the Broken Rock Reservation Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) presided over on Yellowstone.

What Happens to Donald Whitfield on 1923 Season 2, Episode 7?

Whitfield seems to become crueler with every new episode, and fans have been waiting for a reckoning for him for two seasons now. That, too, comes in the form of Spencer, who holds Whitfield responsible for Alex’ death.

After killing the sex worker that Whitfield corrupted and letting the other one who was being held hostage go, he tells Whitfield that he wants to hear him say Alex’ name — and when he does, he shoots him in the stomach and then the head, killing him.

Jacob and Spencer want to make such an example of him that nobody else wants to attack them in the future, so they don’t stop there: They burn Whitfield’s mansion to the ground with him inside, leaving no witnesses to what has happened.

How Does Season 2 of 1923 End?

Fans have been speculating all along that one or the other of the young couples on the show — Spencer and Alexandra, Jack and Elizabeth — wouldn’t make it, but 1923 actually ends in double tragedy, with both Jack and Alex dead.

The episode ends with funerals, and, not surprisingly, Elizabeth decides to leave the ranch and return home. She tells Cara she will always love Jack, but with world-weary wisdom, Cara tells her, “You won’t,” adding that one day, she’ll meet someone else, and her memories of Jack will fade until she can’t even remember what he looked like.

“That’s life, and that’s okay,” she tells her.

Meanwhile, Jacob decides to retire, handing over control of the Dutton legacy to Spencer, who we see riding off to get started as the show comes to an end.

In a voiceover, the narrator of Elsa from 1883 reveals that Spencer never remarries, but he does have another child later in life with a widow he takes up with. He lives another 45 years, but never forgets Alexandra.

And at the end of his life, we see a touching dream sequence in which the couple appear to be reunited in the afterlife. So even though 1923 ends with tragedy, it also offers fans a happy resolution for one of the most beloved couples on television in recent years.

Will There Be Another Season of 1923?

With all of the plots resolved and so many major characters dead, that seems unlikely. Though Paramount+ has not yet revealed whether the show will continue, it would have to shift focus entirely to carry on.

Brandon Sklenar has said publicly that the show will not continue.

“No, no, it’s bookend,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in May of 2023. “It’s still limited, but I think of it as one piece — there’s just a split in the middle, but it’s all one piece. It will conclude.”