Alex's Surname In 1923 Has Yet To Be Spoken And Fans Are Suspicious
The romance between Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) and Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) is undoubtedly an essential thread in Taylor Sheridan's "1923." Had Spencer never met Alexandra, had they never gotten together, his letters from his aunt Cara (Helen Mirren) would have remained unopened, Spencer would never have thought to return to Montana, and the Yellowstone ranch may very well have been doomed without the prodigal Dutton son ever knowing.
Schlaepfer and Sklenar have expressed their belief that their characters' love for each other is genuine. Something is missing, though. As Season 1 progressed, one would think that we would have learned Alex's last name. There's always the chance that, with their marriage having taken place in such traditional times, we're just to assume it as Dutton now without much thought for what came before. However, that the couple encountered her ex-fiancé and his family on the ship back to the United States shows that her past will continue to be a factor in events.
"I'm beginning to think the lack of any mention of Alex's family name is deliberate because it is an important reveal in the near future," wrote u/kernelpatcher in the r/1923Series subreddit. Judging from the discussion below the original post, they aren't the only one thinking along these lines regarding Alex's surname.
The Countess of Yellowstone Ranch?
"The first season has run its course, and the character 'Alexandra' still has no last name," wrote u/Catharpin363. They also wrote that checking on IMDb, there are far more minor characters in "1923" whose last names are included. Some of this could be explained by Alexandra's position in British society. As other comments on the Reddit thread point out, her ex-fiancé and his family have their own royal titles mentioned. In the final episode of Season 1, Alexandra is indeed referred to as the Countess of Sussex, a designation that seems to take Spencer by surprise. British royals technically do not need a surname so long as they qualify for the title of Prince or Princess. Both ex-fiancé Arthur (Rafe Soule) and his father (Bruce Davison) are referenced as princes in that same episode.
If this alone is the reason that we haven't learned Alexandra's last name, then that would be an explanation that could have far-reaching implications for the second season of "1923." One of the dimensions of royal life portrayed in shows like "The Crown" is the rather surprising fact that, for all their privilege, the expectations placed on royals can be quite limiting, which in this case may prove an obstacle to Alexandra making it to Montana as she promised.
It's appropriate then that, as Julia Schlaepfer stated in an interview with Newsweek, she was encouraged to look to the example of Princess Diana to better understand her character. "We looked a lot at the royal family, I listened to a lot of clips of them," she said. "Ben [Richardson the director] and Taylor [Sheridan the writer] both gave me Princess Diana to look at because she's a bit quieter, but she has this quiet rebel in her, you know?"