Yellowstone‘s latest prequel, 1923, looks at the volatile ways life can wreak havoc on our hearts, minds, and bodies without so much as a warning. As the Dutton family attempts to navigate a changing world, lawlessness, and enemies who aren’t afraid to hit them while they’re down, they struggle with personal stresses and anxieties. One character, Spencer Dutton, fights with so much darkness that he feels his only option is to outrun it.
Played by Brandon Sklenar, Spencer has demons that plague his mind and have affected every part of his life. Serving in the United States Army during World War I, his character is said to have seen horrors during battle and seeks to outrun his own memories in any way possible. That leads viewers to one of the most interesting yet heartwrenching storylines yet — and completely new territory. Much of Spencer’s story has been told in the wild plains of Africa, but things are changing when the second half of 1923 returns next month.
Spencer is traveling back to Montana, having finally read a letter from Cara Dutton, his aunt, in which she explains the family’s dire situation. Death, injury, and defeat on other fronts have ravaged the Duttons, and she needs Spencer to stop running. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Sklenar opened up about why Spencer hasn’t come home, and whether it’s something he’s doing to punish his family.
“Guilt and shame are just two of the worst human emotions that anyone can carry, and they will make you do some crazy things like not speak to your family for five years. So I think he’s purely driven by the fact that he doesn’t know what to do. He’s dug himself into such a hole that he just keeps digging it. He doesn’t want to face the fact that he’s had to do what he’s had to do to survive during the war, which meant not riding home and existing as his own island so he could survive. So holding all of that guilt and shame on top of the guilt that comes with killing as many men as he has, it just compounds. So he just runs further and further from having to deal with those things until he’s given no choice but to deal with those things.”
While Spencer is rough around the edges, we’ve quickly seen a softer side of him, and Sklenar’s explanation for his continued escape act makes sense; he doesn’t know if he can face his loved ones with the sins of his past. He explains the guilt and shame he’s carried as something that continues growing within himself; the only thing that has changed now is that there’s no way for him to keep running.
Fans will undoubtedly see a different side of Spencer when 1923 returns on Feb. 5, and we can’t wait to see how he adjusts to his new life, and how his family will be able to help him through.
