Throughout the debut season of "1883," Isabel May's character Elsa Dutton serves as one
of the show's biggest cornerstones.
Not only does the young Dutton ancestor quickly establish herself as a key protagonist in
the "Yellowstone" prequel spin-off, but she also provides the narration for the Taylor
Sheridan-created show.
One of the most intriguing qualities about Elsa is her hardiness and her independence
— traits handed down from her parents, James and Margaret Dutton, played by Tim McGraw
and Faith Hill.
Throughout Season 1 of "1883," Elsa often finds herself in some of the show's toughest
situations as she, her family, and other settlers made their way from Texas to Oregon in hopes
of a new life.
Through every potentially disastrous or fatal encounter, the Duttons pulled through as a
family unit, with Elsa providing audiences a unique window in their mental and emotional
headspace.
Looking back, it's easy to pick out several different instances and moments from "1883"
where fans were genuinely upset or affected by what Elsa was going through.
However, there's one scene in particular that firmly stands out above the rest, with some
viewers calling it "almost unbearable" to watch.
The scene in question comes in the final moments of the show's season finale.
Elsa, is preparing to say her final goodbyes as her condition has become increasingly worse.
What happens next is a moment that "1883" and "Yellowstone" fans will likely never forget.
A majority of the finale episode is spent trying to get her the medical care Elsa desperately
needs, even though it's clear the wound is too severe; she's not long for this world.
A heartbreaking decision is made: James Dutton will travel with Elsa and wherever the pair
stop to rest is the place where the Dutton patriarch will lay down roots for his family's
new homestead.
During Elsa's final moments, James takes his daughter to an open area and they rest by
a very specific tree — a tree that "Yellowstone" fans quickly recognized.
She tells her father,
"This is the spot.
Let's just sit here.
Rest for a bit."
It's a poignant moment and one that's also extremely heartbreaking, to the point where
viewers were genuinely upset and angry with Paramount for airing it.
Elsa's death helps set up the backstory for how the Dutton family ranch came to settle
in Paradise Valley, Montana, the location where the present-day Dutton family lives,
works, and schemes.
The untimely passing of James' eldest child is unexpected and perhaps not the kind of
finale plot twist fans were hoping to see.
It feels like a cruel misdirect, having Elsa taking on such an important position as a
narrator and becoming a central figure, only to be wiped off the board by something as
treatable as an arrow wound (even by "1883" standards).
And yet, there is something moving in knowing that it is Elsa, a character audiences spend
so much time with in Season 1, who will be the metaphorical foundation on which Dutton
Yellowstone Ranch is built.
Although it's clear to see how Elsa's death actually served to move the plot of "1883,"
as well as the saga of the Dutton family, forward, fans were not pleased to see the
beloved character (or actress Isabel May) exit the show, especially in such a tragic
manner.
One user tweeted,
"Since Elsa died, I canceled."
Another expressed, quote, "I can't live without her," posting a petition online to request
that Paramount Network bring May's character back somehow.
Their disgust flowed over into a second tweet, which included this observation:
"Elsa had to die because it explains how they end up in Montana?
How stupid!"
Elsewhere on Twitter, one fan explained, quote "It's just too heartbreaking," and another
said simply, "So many tears."
Over on YouTube, viewers were just as upset.
One user commented,
"That final scene was heartbreaking and almost unbearable."
Another YouTuber remarked,
"Won't be the same without [Elsa].
I can now cancel Paramount+."
The death of Elsa was a moment that not only weighed heavy on viewers but the actors as
well.
"1883" star Tim McGraw told Variety,
"We literally couldn't read [the final scripts] to each other because [Faith Hill and I] were
crying so much.
I mean, ugly, boo-hoo crying.
I was a blubbering idiot."
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