1923 never held back on the heartbreak, but one scene in Season 2 hit way too close to home. Taylor Sheridan already has a reputation for such moments — we even dub his work a “Red Wedding” factory. But this time, reality bled into fiction in a way we really didn’t see coming. A real-life tragedy shadowed a pivotal scene.
Sheridan’s signature storytelling is torturous enough, but knowing the emotions behind this moment were 100% real? That took it to another level. We braced for drama, but what we got was something far more personal.
A heartbreaking tribute: How a real-life loss made 1923 season 2 even more emotional
1923 just gave us another emotional shocker, but this time, the heartbreak was excruciatingly real. In the Sunday, March 30 episode, Pete Plenty Clouds met a tragic fate, just months after the real-life loss of Cole Brings Plenty, the actor who originally played him. Jeremy Gauna stepped into the role, but filming Pete’s death hit differently, knowing Brings Plenty’s own story was cut short too.
Gauna didn’t shy away from how heavy it felt. He explained that every gasp, tear, and breath in that scene was raw emotion. The weight of Brings Plenty’s passing loomed over the set, making Pete’s final moments even more haunting. He shared (via Collider),
That was extremely hard for coming in, and it still has a lot of weight on my shoulders because obviously it’s bigger than anything I could ever fathom, and then reading the script and seeing what happens in the show when knowing what happened in real life, and I’m sure Michael [Spears] can attest to this …
but even on set that day when they [Father Renaud and Marshall Kent] roll up on me, all the emotions — the tears, the sounds, the gasping, the breathing — everything you hear is 100 percent real. Because at that moment, and I assume Michael felt this way, but I can attest that Aminah [Nieves] felt this way, she saw Cole laying there.
Stepping into someone else’s shoes is never easy, especially when that someone was a friend. Gauna recalled his conversation with 1923 creator Taylor Sheridan, saying:
I want to celebrate this opportunity, but I also want to grieve for my friend.
The bittersweet nature of the role made every scene feel heavier, especially since Brings Plenty had been excited about Pete’s expanded arc before his untimely passing.
As 1923 marches toward its Season 2 finale, the stakes are only getting higher. With Pete and others gone, the fight for survival rages on. Next Sunday’s finale, A Dream and a Memory, promises high drama, with Jacob (Harrison Ford) awaiting Spencer’s (Brandon Sklenar) return, while Teonna (Aminah Nieves) faces a life-changing moment.
Catch the nearly two-hour 1923 finale on April 6, only on Paramount+.
1923 season 2 wraps up with a supersized finale
The Yellowstone prequel is going out with a bang. 1923 season 2 will conclude with an extended two-hour finale on Sunday, April 6, on Paramount+ (via THR).
The penultimate episode, The Mountain Teeth of Monsters, left a trail of devastation. Seven characters met their end, including a Dutton. Now, the final episode, A Dream and a Memory, sets the stage for a dramatic finish.
With 1923 smashing viewership records and Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe expanding, the big question remains: Is this truly the end? Paramount+ hasn’t confirmed. But one thing’s for sure: this finale is unmissable.
Watch 1923 on Paramount Plus & Apple TV.
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