'Yellowstone' Universe Star Reacts To 'Brutal' Fate Of Major Characters

PublishedJune 20, 2023 9:42 AM EDT|UpdatedJune 20, 2023 9:42 AM EDT

Isabel May was as shocked as everyone else to learn the fates of two major Dutton characters to open "1923."

May starred as Elsa Dutton in the outstanding "Yellowstone" prequel "1883." The Paramount+ series was arguably better at moments than the recent seasons of the original Taylor Sheridan saga.

"1883" was a massive hit. (Credit: Paramount+)

However, the fates of Margaret (Faith Hill) and James Dutton (Tim McGraw) weren't fully clear when the prequel series aired its final episode in February 2022.

It was only revealed early in "1923" that Margaret was found frozen in a snowdrift after possibly starving to death and James died after getting shot hunting horse thieves.

Isabel May reacts to "brutal" fates in the "Yellowstone" universe.

"Oh, brutal! Brutal! So sad. Really what hit me was Margaret, she was so wonderful. But yeah, a smack in the face I suppose. He’s going to make it brutal, because that’s what life looked like then," May told The Hollywood Reporter when reacting to the shocking opening of "1923."

As for theories about the family tree, May made it clear she doesn't pay attention at all to what people might think.

"I pay zero attention to any of that, it’s too confusing to me. You could spend your time theorizing, all the power to you. I’d rather just be told! Eventually we all will," the talented young actress explained.

Will she be in season two of "1923" as the narrator? May declined to reveal the answer but left the door open to plenty of further work with Taylor Sheridan. Production on season two of "1923" is currently on hold amid the writers' strike.

There aren't many smiles in Taylor Sheridan's world.

If there's one thing fans of Taylor Sheridan know it's that his writing can be incredibly dark. Whether it's the "Yellowstone" universe, "Mayor of Kingstown," "Wind River" or something else, there's rarely light at the end of the tunnel.

It's mostly just pain and suffering. The rare exception might be "Tulsa King." Other than that, Sheridan drops the hammer.

Isabel May's "1883" character Elsa is a great example of how dark and grim things can get. Just when it looked like she was getting ready to enjoy life, she took an arrow that eventually killed her.

It was exactly out of Sheridan's playbook. Give the viewers a little hope and then rip it all away. Leave the viewer feeling crushed and ready for revenge.

So, while the death reveals for Margaret and James might have been a surprising way to open things up in "1923," the fashion they went out in shouldn't surprise anyone. Anything less would have been a disappointment.

As for Isabel May, let's hope she returns to narrate season two of "1923." She does an exceptional job, and is a great talent overall. A home run talent find for Taylor Sheridan.