ParamountThe latest episode of 1923 Season 2 focuses on Alex and her less-than-welcoming arrival in America, and it’s proved to be too much for some Yellowstone fans.
1923 Season 2 Episode 3, “Wrap Thee in Terror,” takes a quick break from the Montana-based antics to catch up with Alex and her journey. Last we saw her, she was on a turbulent crossing across the Atlantic, surrounded by screaming passengers and praying she would get to the States in one piece.
Well, now she’s arrived. But before she can step foot in New York, Alex is subjected to a series of traumatic and brutal examinations by the immigration officers at Ellis Island.
It’s a long, tough episode, and for some fans, watching this integral figure in the Dutton family tree be subjected to this treatment was too much to bear.
Ellis Island scene in 1923 Season 2 disturbs fans
The episode begins with Alex getting ready to disembark her ship in New York. But before she can go anywhere, she’s escorted to Ellis Island with the other non-Americans, where she’s put through a series of gruelling tasks and examinations to prove her viability for entry.
This includes a verbal interrogation, a punch in the gut from one officer, and a non-stop rotation of doctors who strip her naked and examine her from all angles. By the end, Alex is in tears, rattled and violated from the experience.
ParamountThe prolonged nature of the scene made it rather distressing for some viewers, with some even claiming that they needed to pause the episode to catch their breath.
As one Redditor wrote, “I had to pause and take a break from watching. Brutal episode.”
“I’m skipping…thanks for the heads up,” said another, opting to avoid the storyline altogether.
This ties back to one of the biggest criticisms of the show so far (and other Sheridan TV shows), which is the overuse of trauma and assault towards the women on-screen.
“Why does Sheridan have to make his female characters suffer for the umpteenth time???” one user pointed out.
“We’re going to have to watch yet another female character be violated? We get it. The journey through Ellis Island and travel as a single woman in the 20s was difficult,” another added.
1923 Season 2 Episode 3 is available to stream on Paramount+ now. For more, check out the full release schedule and find out what’s going on with the other Yellowstone spinoffs.
