The Real Meaning Of The Killer Wolf In 1923 Season 2, Episode 2 Explained

1923 season 2’s second episode sees both Elizabeth and Cara attacked by a terrifying wolf, and there’s crucial metaphorical value to these moments. Winter has come for the Duttons in 1923’s season 2 story, as Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) continue to act on their threats against the ranch. However, the season has already seen its characters attacked by natural threats, with the mountain lion in season 2, episode 1’s ending, and the wolf in episode 2.

1923’s cast includes the likes of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, but Isabel May also has a prominent role as the series narrator. She does so in character as Elsa Dutton, the young woman she played in the previous Taylor Sheridan Yellowstone spinoff 1883. Her narrations provide essential context to the prequel shows, just as they did at times in Yellowstone season 5, part 2, helping to analyze the story’s thematic value, showing why every detail in the prohibition-era spinoff matters to the Dutton lore.

What 1923 Season 2, Episode 2’s Killer Wolf Really Means

The Wolf Is A Representation Of The Harsh Winter

1923 sees the Dutton facing human threats, but they also experience the dangers of a perilous winter. Elsa Dutton’s narration in episode 2 helps to illustrate the importance of winter in this show. In literature, winters are often symbolic of the harshness of nature but also challenging times all around, which is precisely what the Duttons are facing. The wolf adds another layer to this symbolism, representing the direct and imminent threat the Duttons are facing in the series.

Whitfield and Creighton are simply biding their time, waiting for the Duttons to crack. They might not be leading a posse of gunmen over to the lodge to shoot Cara and Jacob down where they stand, but their threat is ongoing. The Dutton family are in a dire situation, possibly one even more strained than anything they experienced in 1883 or Yellowstone.

Why A Wolf & Mountain Lion Attacked The Duttons In 1923 But Not In Yellowstone

Nature Is Still A Prevalent Threat In 1923

Yellowstone has its fair share of wolves, but they’re not quite as vicious or dangerous as they’re depicted in 1923. The prequel TV series shows the Dutton family in an earlier era, and while civilization may be established, the violence of nature is still frightening in the mountainous regions of Montana. These animals serve as metaphorical value for the show’s events, but they’re also a demonstration of how, even after the ranch has been settled, the natural environment is still fighting back against the ownership of land.