TV - Movies
1883 Fans Are
Scratching Their
Heads Over This
Elsa Dutton
Detail
By JENNIFER MASHUGA
"1883," the first spin-off of "Yellowstone," focused on James and Margaret Dutton, the great-grandparents of John Dutton, and how they came to own the Yellowstone Ranch and surrounding land. Their daughter, Elsa, beautifully narrated their adventures and heartaches, but a discrepancy regarding Elsa’s age has fans questioning the story’s authenticity.
Redditor u/LeanMeanGreenBean88 addressed the concern in an "1883" subreddit, writing, "her [Elsa] age doesn't line up with the background of the rest of the series. She is stated to be 18 years old in the title year of 1883, which would make her born in the year 1865.” Basic math indicates that Elsa was conceived in 1864, but James was in a POW camp at that time.
Fans have generally laughed off other Elsa details that don't make sense, but this one was difficult to overlook; some fans accused Sheridan of doing a poor job researching and suggested he is stretched too thin between his shows. Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford are set to star in Sheridan's next "Yellowstone" prequel, and fans are hoping he gets his facts right.