Alexandra Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer) met Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) differently than fans expected in 1923. Spencer Dutton’s (Brandon Sklenar) wife succumbs to complications from hypothermia at the end of 1923 season 2, opting to deliver her baby, John, instead of having a life-saving procedure to amputate her necrotic arm and legs. After he wins the family’s tactical range war at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, killing the rest of Donald Whitfield’s (Timothy Dalton) men, Spencer returns to the hospital in Bozeman, where Alex dies in his arms, completing the list of horrible things that happened to Alex Dutton.

Alex Dutton wasn’t the only 1923 character with a disappointing ending. Jack Dutton (Darren Mann) dies in the prequel’s penultimate episode, with one of Banner Creighton’s (Jerome Flynn) allies shooting him as the war breaks out. This led to Jack’s wife, Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph), finally leaving the ranch after all of the terrible things that happened to Elizabeth Strafford in 1923. While she seemed a lot like Cara at times, Elizabeth ultimately returned to the city, proving she didn’t belong on the ranch after all. Cara was actually more like Alex Dutton, which Jacob (Harrison Ford) notes in the finale.

How Alex Met Cara And The Dutton Family In 1923 Season 1, Episode 4

Alex Is Quite Familiar With Spencer Dutton’s Family

The silver lining of her tragic death in 1923 season 2’s finale is that, in a sense, Alex already got to meet Spencer’s family. In 1923 season 1, Spencer and Alex enjoy their newfound connection and the spoils of their romance while camped in a luxurious hut on the shore of Zanzibar, Tanganyika. When looking through his things, Alex finds a bundle of letters that Spencer’s aunt Cara wrote him during and after the Great War. Avowing that she is a “jealous lover” and won’t share Spencer with his demons, Alex encourages Spencer to explore his aunt’s writings.

Alex pours them each a drink and reads Cara’s letters aloud. While she initially thinks she’s made a mistake upon discovering how grave the letters are, Spencer encourages Alex to keep reading. That magical night, Alex and Spencer experience the full spectrum of emotions together, laughing about Jack’s silly misfortunes and growing somber when learning about Emma Dutton (Marley Shelton) losing her second baby. Enthralled by Spencer’s world, Alex keeps reading even after he falls asleep. By the end of it, Alex knows Spencer’s family dearly, which is why she greets Jacob like an old friend in 1923 season 2’s finale.

Alex And Cara Dutton Never Meeting In Person In 1923 Was Disappointing

Jacob Dutton Likened Alex and Cara Dutton To Shooting Stars

One of the biggest disappointments of 1923 season 2 is that Spencer’s wife never got to meet his lionhearted aunt or the rest of his family, leaving Spencer’s kin to wonder what a life alongside Alex would have been like. After Alexandra dies, Cara asks Jacob what she was like, and Jacob tells her that Spencer’s wife was like “a shooting star,” if they could talk. Jacob compares Alex Dutton to Cara, who is forlorn that she never got to meet John’s mother. Her frustration reflects how audiences felt when Alex never met Cara or the rest of Spencer’s family.

While Cara didn’t get to know Alex, Spencer’s partner had an intimate understanding of and genuine fondness for his family. Alex knew Cara Dutton especially well, since she read each letter that Spencer’s aunt wrote him. While Alex never knew what life on the Yellowstone Ranch was like, she knew from Cara’s letters that she was entrusting her child to a caring, courageous family who would do everything in their power to protect him. While it was awful to see their love story end, Alex’s understanding of Spencer’s family highlights how serendipitous and special their 1923 season 1 story was.