Warning! Spoilers For 1923 Season 2

In Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) as he makes his way home on the train.

Winter is our biggest hint, but a few clues indirectly speak to how much time has ed in 1923. The grim nature of the cold and wilderness has been a theme for 1923 season 2, and we see that with 1923 season 2, episode 6’s ending. While she experiences a more tepid climate, Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) also faces unbearable circumstances. Understanding the complete timeline of 1923's Prohibition-era story explains just how long the Crow student has been on the run.

When Does 1923 Season 1 Happen?

1923 Season 1 Happens In The Title Year

To understand where 1923's characters landed in season 2, it’s essential to know when the story began. We can say with some certainty that 1923 season 1 happened at the end of the titular year, sometime around late summer or early autumn in Montana. When 1923 begins, Elizabeth Strafford wears short-hemmed, short-sleeved summer dresses, indicating Montana is warm enough to go without an extra layer. The characters experience the spoils of summer, but just for a moment, since the weather cools off as the plot heats up.

As 1923 season 1 progresses, the temperature falls, and we see that reflected in the scenery and characters’ behavior. By 1923 season 1, episode 4, “War and the Turquoise Tide,” people began to layer. While Cara Dutton doesn’t yet sport a coat when she goes to Bozeman to take Jacob’s place at the Livestock Association meeting, she wears a heavier, darker dress. Likewise, Elizabeth Strafford starts to wear sweaters as the season progresses. In 1923 episode 4, Jack’s wife wears a long, thick cardigan and boots, so we can assume summer is turning into fall.

Spencer Dutton tells another traveler that Montana only has three seasons: July, August, and winter.

It’s natural to assume that season 1 of the prequel takes place in 1923. We also witness the dog days of summer turn to autumn. Therefore, 1923 seemingly takes place mid-year. Furthermore, in 1923 season 2, episode 6, “The Mountain Teeth of Monsters,” Spencer Dutton tells another traveler that Montana only has three seasons: July, August, and winter. Taking Spencer’s word for it, 1923 had to start sometime in either July or August. However, by 1923 season 1’s finale, snow moves into Montana, covering the ground and dusting the mountains as Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) arrives with daunting news.

Evidence 1923 Season 2 Is Really Winter 1924

It's A New Year In 1923 Season 2

Following the first season, 1923 season 2 opens with winter, though it isn’t initially clear when. Elsa Dutton’s narration for 1923 season 2's premiere, titled “The Killing Season,” focuses extensively on the unforgiving nature of the season. At the end, Elsa says the following: “Winter is the killing season. When the hunters among us seek out the weak, the foolish. Only the very strongest of nature's creatures survive it. Winter is the time of the wolf. The time of the lion. When all nature's failures become a meal. Then spring brings new life. And God tries again.”

However, we could assume that 1923 season 2 still takes place in the title’s year, later in the calendar, if it weren’t for a couple of clues that the calendar year had started anew. Initially, the snow and blizzards could as easily indicate that it’s December as January, but as some 1923 characters near the ranch, other ing players begin to talk of the spring. This is most obvious in Spencer and Alex’s train journeys. ing characters in their quests comment about the weather, further piecing together how much time has ed since 1923 season 1.

Spring approaches in 1923 season 2. We can therefore assume that it’s a new year, with the seasons entering a fresh cycle.

In 1923 season 2, episode 5, “Only Gunshots to Guide Us,” Alex is baffled that a snowdrift has stopped her train. As she speaks with the ticket teller at the train station in Chicago, who tells her a snowdrift has canceled her connecting train to Fargo, Alex remarks that it’s spring. The teller informs the intrepid traveler that while it’s spring in Florida, it is winter in the country’s center until June. Therefore, while it isn’t yet warm, spring approaches in 1923 season 2. We can therefore assume that it’s a new year, with the seasons entering a fresh cycle.

Another detail in 1923 seemingly confirms that it’s a new year, meaning 1923 season 2 is actually 1924. In 1923 season 1’s finale, Whitfield comes to the Yellowstone Ranch to inform Jacob that he paid his past-due taxes, presumably due at the end of the year. In 1923 season 2’s premiere, Sheriff William McDowell (Robert Patrick) tells Jacob to get his taxes paid. Dutton then reveals that he paid last year’s taxes, but he’s worried about the coming year. The detail indicates that 1923’s characters have made it through 1923, and are moving forward into 1924.

Why 1923 Didn’t Change The Title Of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Prequel

Viewers Identify With 1923

Despite the change in year, Taylor Sheridan didn’t change the name of his Yellowstone prequel. While the title year is technically incorrect after the year started over, it wouldn’t have made sense to change the moniker, since Yellowstone viewers already recognize the series under the name 1923. While 1923 is technically in the show's past in season 2, the title 1923 still stands to mark the period the Prohibition-era Dutton family existed in, indicating the year Jacob and Cara’s story began. Ultimately, the brand recognition was more important to Sheridan than being just-so about the date, which still gives viewers an idea of the period.

Plus, 1923’s title is more than an indicator of the time. After witnessing its valiant characters, the prequel’s title is tied to the lionhearted personalities who fill out its story just as much as the story’s starting year. Still, realizing that it’s 1924 gives viewers a more solid understanding of how much time has ed. Elizabeth and Alexandra are both expecting babies heading into 1923 season 2's finale, and the timeline gives us a sense of when a new pregnancy happened to Jack and Elizabeth. After 1923 ends, we may not see the Dutton family’s timeline resume until 1944.

When Will Yellowstone’s Timeline Pick Up After 1923 Season 2

Potentially 1944

After 1923 season 2, we probably won’t see its remaining characters for decades. Taylor Sheridan previously said that there would only be two chapters of 1923, meaning the season 2 finale is the last we will see of the 1920s Dutton actors. The Yellowstone screenwriter has also teased another prequel series titled 1944, which would pick up with the Dutton family 20 years later, much like 1923’s story did after 1883. Regardless, there are Yellowstone sagas in the modern era to look forward to, like Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Beth’s (Kelly Reilly) continuations, should 1923 be the last of the Dutton prequels.