1883 (2021)

I should start by saying that not having watched any of Yellowstone yet, I entered this series from a strictly neutral position.

This series felt almost like an odd combination of a Greek tragedy and Agatha Christie’s novel Ten Little Indians (aka And Then There were None). I won’t even explain why as I want to steer as clear of spoilers as I can.

As with many cable series before it, in the tradition of Sopranos, Breaking bad and others, this story is dramatic enough to pull you along enthralled even as you may have qualms or doubts about aspects of it. Plus it has Sam Elliot, always worth a look, and great performant by two country singers, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. And let’s not forget the great ensemble cast.

The scenery is awesome, the soundtrack effective and the script is excellent for the most part. I must say I got really tired of the voiceover narration. Partly, I will admit, because I am not a big fan of voiceovers anyway, but also as if felt like teenager Elsa was passing along much more wisdom and historical perspective then someone her age would have access to. I mean, compare the girl’s antics at the beginning to the mini-lectures a few short weeks later.

But it was a minor irritant overall and only slightly repetitious, so it was easily passed over. The series was definitely worth seeing, and according to some information I have read, might provide some insight into the motivations and themes of the show Yellowstone if I also watch that someday.

(CASTELLANO) 1883 me ha parecido una maravilla. Como precuela de Yellowstone funciona muy bien, pero lo mejor es que no depende solo de eso. Se sostiene perfectamente por sí misma como gran relato de viaje, supervivencia, pérdida y nacimiento de una familia y de una mitología. Tiene dureza, belleza, tragedia y una sensación constante de que cada paso cuesta sangre, barro, miedo y dolor. No romantiza el camino, y precisamente por eso golpea tanto.

Lo que más me ha marcado es Elsa Dutton. Isabel May lleva el peso emocional de la historia de una forma impresionante. Su voz en off no suena impostada ni literaria de pega, sino viva, sentida, casi como si estuviera descubriendo el mundo y despidiéndose de él al mismo tiempo. Ves cómo pasa de niña a mujer, cómo aprende, cómo ama, cómo se rompe y cómo se transforma, y todo eso está contado con una intensidad que a mí me ha destrozado por dentro. Cada vez que aparecía en pantalla me ponía los pelos de punta.

Si la serie funciona tan bien es porque encuentra en ella su verdadero corazón. Más allá de la épica, del paisaje o del vínculo con Yellowstone, lo que de verdad sostiene 1883 es esa mirada. Isabel May no solo está muy bien: está descomunal. Tiene sensibilidad, presencia, luz, tristeza y una verdad emocional rarísima. Si sigue así, sí, merece premios y una carrera enorme, porque aquí demuestra un talento que no aparece todos los días.

También me ha gustado muchísimo cómo Sheridan convierte el Oeste en algo físico y brutal. Aquí no hay mito limpio ni aventura cómoda. Hay hambre, enfermedad, agotamiento, violencia, miedo y una naturaleza indiferente que puede aplastarte en cualquier momento. La serie transmite muy bien la idea de que avanzar hacia una promesa también significaba dejar atrás humanidad, inocencia y parte de uno mismo. Por eso emociona tanto: no habla solo de llegar, sino de todo lo que se pierde por el camino.

Y luego está el reparto alrededor, que ayuda muchísimo. Sam Elliott aporta una gravedad tremenda, Tim McGraw y Faith Hill funcionan muy bien, y entre todos consiguen que el viaje tenga peso real. La fotografía, además, es preciosa, pero no como postal vacía, sino como contraste brutal con lo que viven los personajes. Mi único reparo está en la música: a mí me suena demasiado a The Happening de Pixies, hasta el punto de que la melodía principal de la serie parece construida a partir de esos acordes, y eso me sacó un poco en algunos momentos.

Para mí, 1883 no es solo una gran precuela, sino una serie magnífica por derecho propio. Tiene alma, tiene paisaje, tiene tragedia y tiene a Isabel May haciendo algo verdaderamente especial. Hacía tiempo que una serie no me emocionaba así. Me ha hecho llorar muchísimo, y cuando una historia consigue tocarte de esa manera, ya ha llegado mucho más lejos que la mayoría.

(ENGLISH) 1883 felt magnificent to me. It works very well as a prequel to Yellowstone, but the best thing about it is that it does not depend on that connection alone. It stands perfectly well on its own as a great story of travel, survival, loss, and the birth of both a family and a mythology. It has harshness, beauty, tragedy, and a constant sense that every step costs blood, mud, fear, and pain. It does not romanticize the journey, and that is exactly why it hits so hard.

What affected me most was Elsa Dutton. Isabel May carries the emotional weight of the story in an extraordinary way. Her voice-over never sounds fake or artificially literary, but alive, deeply felt, almost as if she were discovering the world and saying goodbye to it at the same time. You watch her move from girlhood to womanhood, learn, love, break, and transform, and all of that is told with an intensity that absolutely wrecked me. Every time she appeared on screen, I got chills.

The series works so well because it finds its true heart in her. Beyond the epic scope, the landscapes, or the link to Yellowstone, what truly holds 1883 together is that point of view. Isabel May is not just very good here: she is extraordinary. She has sensitivity, presence, light, sadness, and a rare emotional truth. If she continues like this, then yes, she deserves awards and a major career, because what she does here is not something you see every day.

I also loved the way Sheridan turns the West into something physical and brutal. There is no clean myth or comfortable adventure here. There is hunger, illness, exhaustion, violence, fear, and an indifferent nature that can crush you at any moment. The series conveys very well the idea that moving toward a promise also meant leaving behind humanity, innocence, and part of yourself. That is why it is so moving: it is not only about arriving somewhere, but about everything that gets lost along the way.

And then there is the surrounding cast, which helps enormously. Sam Elliott brings tremendous gravity, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill work very well, and together they give the journey real weight. The cinematography is also beautiful, but not as empty postcard beauty. It works as a brutal contrast to what the characters are going through. My only real issue is the score: to me, it sounds too close to The Happening by Pixies, to the point that the series’ main melody seems built out of those chords, and that pulled me out of it a little at times.

For me, 1883 is not just a great prequel, but a magnificent series in its own right. It has soul, landscape, tragedy, and Isabel May doing something truly special. It had been a long time since a series moved me like this. It made me cry a lot, and when a story touches you that deeply, it has already gone much farther than most.