The Crossing – The show begins with Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) providing a narration while walking in a field. She walks through the camp and stops to talk with Alina (Amanda Jaros) about getting a pair of pants. She offers to trade a gold charm from her bracelet for a pair of pants. Alina snarky asks what gold will do for me out here. Elsa says she can buy whatever she needs, and a store is in Abilene. Alina asks how she got gold. When she refuses to answer, Alina refuses to trade and turns to walk away. Elsa’s father, James Dutton (Tim McGraw) made jewelry to keep his money safe. She throws her the pants and says they should fit her skinny hips.
Wade (James Landry Hebert) stares at Elsa as she passes. She jokingly asks, “What’s the matter, never seen a woman in pants before.” He believes she is the first. Elsa’s mother, Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) clicks her tongue. She says it isn’t the worst idea and doesn’t want to know where she got the pants. Ennis (Eric Nelsen) is going to a meeting and wants Wade to stay with the head after seeing wolf tracks by the River.
Ennis meets with Captain Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott), Thomas (LaMonica Garrett), and James to discuss the Brazos River. Shea says the wagon train will cross 20 rivers before it’s done. Thomas suggests they cross at the cattle crossing. Josef (Marc Rissmann) says swimming is illegal where they come from. Thomas says they can take the cattle across first, followed by people on horseback, and then the wagons. Ennis says the immigrants should take the ferry. He wants to take the herd across to avoid a traffic jam in the river. James agrees to ferry the people across while Margaret takes a wagon.
He is offended when Shea calls him a farmer. They will get a cook in Abilene. Shea wants to have the herd butchered to avoid waste. Thomas tells Shea he needs to have a word with James. He offers to do it, so it sticks. Josef says everything is illegal except for paying taxes in his country. He asks about Oregon. Shea says it is worth the risk. Once they reach the Brazos, there will be no turning back. He is shocked the immigrants are trying to get back home because they have never been allowed to think for themselves. Thomas says their home sounds like “hell.” He disagrees with Shea when he says the unknown is the most terrifying thing. Being whipped is worse.
James visits the Brazos River before returning to the camp. He says it isn’t safe to be behind the wagon train and they should cross the river tonight. Margaret agrees to hook up the team.
Elsa is singing a song while watching over the herd when Wade approaches. He tells her to not stop. She is shy when she sings. He removes his hat and kisses her on the lips. He apologizes for being forward. She tells him to do it again. James happens upon them while they are kissing. He scolds them for not doing their job and starts to leave. She asks if he is mad. If she likes him, he shouldn’t be mad, but she must tell her mother. He orders her to hold the herd until every wagon is across the Brazos. Wade asks if James is going to shoot him. She asks him to kiss her again.
Noemi (Gratiela Brancusi) fills a bowl for Thomas. He says you should feed yourself and your children. She wouldn’t have any supplies if it weren’t for him. He takes the food while she watches. He says marrying a black man will not solve her problems. She says the government can’t tell me who to love. He disagrees, saying the government can tell you to not swim, who to love and how to love.
Josef snuggles with his wife, Risa (Anna Fiamora) who is concerned about the wild animal noises. He calls Oregon paradise, softly kissing her. She wants to start making a family tonight.
James crosses the river on horseback while Margaret shakes her head in disbelief. She orders him to take John while she takes the wagon across the river. He gives her orders in case the wagon goes down. She will swim upriver, and he will meet her there. She wasn’t nervous until he says, “I love you.” The wagon is across the river.
Shea has a nightmare about war. He wakes up with a scream while Thomas watches. He says, “That’s why I don’t like to sleep.” Thomas has seen it before Shea tells him he sleeps like a baby.
Margaret does laundry while James makes his son, John Dutton Sr. (Audie Rick) a bowl of food. He raises his cup to Shea across the river. The river current is stronger than it looks, and a deep channel will bog heavy wagons. Shea says the immigrants shouldn’t go any further if they can’t cross the river here. James says they shouldn’t have gone this far. He agrees to help the immigrants cross the river. Shea questions if he will actually help.
Elsa wakes up to find Wade watching the herd. She quietly admires him before joining him on horseback. He is not happy about her sleeping so late. She apologizes. He doesn’t think she needs more beauty sleep. They push the herd to the river. Her narration is about the pointlessness of kissing and the desire for another kiss.
Shea alerts Josef about the river rising overnight. He recommends decreasing the weight of their wagons, leaving non-essentials. Josef questions if they can return their possessions later. Risa argues with shea who refuses to listen. Josef angrily gets off his wagon while Risa screams at him. Thomas throws a heavy stove out of a wagon. A large piano angers Shea. Josef tries to defend the owner who is a musician, but Shea doesn’t care. They are nothing, but pioneers, until they reach Oregon. In German, the man says his items are irreplaceable. Josef jumps in front of the man to protect him from an irate Shea. He orders Josef to tell the man to unload his wagon, go back to Fort Worth, or Shea will burn it. The man sobs on Josef’s shoulder.
Thomas tells Shea the immigrants will hate him. Shea says they will be alive. The wagons line up to cross the river. Rissa is concerned about crossing the river. James stretches a rope across the river for the walkers. The immigrants frightfully cross the river. Thomas saves a woman from drowning. James shows Shea where the deep channel is located. James orders Margaret to throw the rope at those who fall off their wagons. Shea recommends not letting them get to her horse. If they panic, they will drag her into the river with them. James warns that her dress will cause her to drown if she falls off her horse. She prepares to remove her dress.
Elsa, Ennis, and Wade inspect the items, the immigrants left behind. Ennis says the river will bring you to your senses. Elsa gets off her horse to get a closer look at the piano. She no longer plays. Wade suggests playing one more time. She plays Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” while footage of Thomas saving the immigrants from drowning is shown on the screen. Some of the immigrants did not make it across the river. Margaret falls into the water. Her attempt to save a woman failed. She disappointedly reaches the shore and pounds on the sand with her fists. Elsa breaks down while playing the piano. Wade asks if she knows any happy songs. She only likes melancholy songs.
They drive the herd across the river. Elsa sees the body of a girl floating in the water. Margaret grieves the loss alone. Elsa provides a narration of her abandonment of Tennessee as the men dig graves for their loved ones as the episode comes to an end.
1883 Review
The camerawork was decent until they added first-person footage. Instead of watching a TV show, you were playing a video game. While only a few minutes, irritating, nonetheless.
Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was a nice addition, but a bit drawn out in my opinion. There is no question as to how they managed to have 11 episodes the first season. It is becoming more obvious with each filler scene. If this continues at this rate, they will lose half of their viewing audience. Fewer episodes and filler scenes equals a more memorable experience.
It is questionable why they opted for Margaret to cross the river flawlessly while the immigrants lost their wagons and lives. It would have been more fathomable if the river crossing was a struggle across the episode.
The episode deserves a 7.
Get more 1883 recaps here.
