Cara Dutton kills trespasser as Jacob Dutton battles with sheep herders in series premiere of 1923

Cara Dutton, played by Helen Mirren, shot dead a trespasser as her husband Jacob Dutton, portrayed by Harrison Ford, battled with sheep herders on Sunday’s series premiere of 1923 on the Paramount Network.

Jacob, the great-great-great uncle of John Dutton III, the family patriarch portrayed by Kevin Costner in Yellowstone, was struggling with surviving on his bleak, dry and dusty land.

Locusts had ravaged the grass and cattle were dying of starvation.

Jacob was also battling with local sheep herders struggling to feed their flock.

‘Sheep eat to the root,’ Jacob said. ‘They ruin the grass for cattle or for anything else to eat.’

Jacob said until it rains the grass in the valley was going to be reserved for cattle.

As the town commissioner, Jacob spoke to the sheepherders during a town hearing where they were also complaining about the death of their sheep. A brawl broke out between the sheep herders and the ranchers. Banner Creighton [Jerome Flynn], a sheep herder, said his sheep needed more land.

Land battle: Town commissioner Jacob squared off against sheep herders who were battling with cattle ranchers over scarce grazing lands

‘I have what my family fought for,’ Jacob said. ‘If you wanted more land, you should have leased more.’

Outside, Jacob told Banner that he couldn’t graze on another person’s land.

‘We are all suffering, take your flock higher,’ Jacob said.

Land needed: Banner Creighton [Jerome Flynn], a sheep herder, said his sheep needed more land

‘Stealing a man’s grass is like stealing his steers,’ Jacob said. ‘You graze another man’s lease again and I’ll have your whole flock. And I’m a man of my word.’

‘The mountains own the grass,’ Banner said. ‘God owns the grass. And you’re no God Jacob Dutton!’

Jacob went to a meeting of the livestock association. Jacob urged them to work together to move their cattle to higher ground.

Facing off: ‘Stealing a man’s grass is like stealing his steers,’ Jacob said. ‘You graze another man’s lease again and I’ll have your whole flock. And I’m a man of my word’

The episode opened with Jacob’s wife Cara Dutton [Helen Mirren] shooting a man that was on her property.

Meanwhile, her son Spencer Dutton [Brandon Sklenar] was across the world in the jungle in Africa stalking a lion when it leaped out of the bush and jumped on him as he shot and killed it

At a boarding school for Native American girls, Sister Mary O’Connor [Jennifer Ehle] was hitting Teonna Rainwater [Aminah Nieves] over and over again across the knuckles with a ruler because she didn’t know the answers to her questions. Teonna got up and started punching the nun repeatedly in the face.

Violent start: The episode opened with Jacob’s wife Cara Dutton [Helen Mirren] shooting a man that was on her property

Lion hunt: Meanwhile, her son Spencer Dutton [Brandon Sklenar] was across the world in the jungle in Africa stalking a lion

Knuckles struck: At a boarding school for Native American girls, Sister Mary O’Connor [Jennifer Ehle] was hitting Teonna Rainwater [Aminah Nieves] over and over again across the knuckles with a ruler because she didn’t know the answers to her questions

Fought back: Teonna got up and started punching the nun repeatedly in the face

After the fight, two were taken to see Father Renaud [ Sebastian Roche], who ran the school, and he asked what the sister did to precipitate this attack.

‘I have no idea,’ Sister Mary said. ‘A wild animal this one.’

Teonna showed Father Renaud her knuckles that had been beaten with a ruler.

Multiple strikes: Teonna showed Father Renaud her knuckles that had been beaten with a ruler

‘You must beat this like a mule to get a simple answer the remainder of the class has already answered,’ Sister Mary said.

Father Renaud had Sister Mary put her hands on the desk while he hit them with an instrument. She cried and whimpered. Teonna begged him to stop.

‘You beat the child and yet she begs for mercy on your behalf perhaps she should be the teacher,’ Father Renaud said. ‘I understand your desire to lash out at a sister who lacks compassion but you lash out, all will lash out.’

Her turn: Father Renaud had Sister Mary put her hands on the desk while he hit them with an instrument

He then told Teonna to place her hands on the shelves and then started striking her with a paddle.

‘I have compassion but I have no mercy,’ Father Renaud said.

Teonna took a bath with the other women as the nuns watched. Sister Mary saw that Teonna was still bleeding and said it would be best for both of them if they stayed clear of Father Renaud’s office.

Paddle punishment: He then told Teonna to place her hands on the shelves and then started striking her with a paddle

At night Teonna told one of her Native American classmates that the beating she received was bad. Teonna wondered why they hadn’t received any letters from their cousins and friends.

‘We have to get out of this place,’ Teonna said.

Back at the ranch, Cara waited up as she saw Jacob approaching with a crew of cowboys. Later, Jacob got in bed with Cara and explained to her he needed to run the herd up the mountain.

Escape plan: ‘We have to get out of this place,’ Teonna said after noting that they never receive letters from their friends and cousins who left the boarding school

‘If we don’t they are all going to die,’ Jacob said.

Jacob said their son Jack Dutton [Darren Mann] was going to have to postpone his planned wedding because of the cattle drive.

‘It’s the one day in a woman’s life that is dedicated solely to her and you are going to let the boy tell her that moving cattle is more important,’ Cara said.

Wedding postponed: ‘It’s the one day in a woman’s life that is dedicated solely to her and you are going to let the boy tell her that moving cattle is more important,’ Cara said

‘She’s the daughter of a rancher, honey,’ Jacob said.

The next day, Jack told Elizabeth Strafford [Michelle Randolph] about the need to postpone their wedding.

‘Why can’t the cattle wait a week?’ Elizabeth said.

Not happy: The next day, Jack told Elizabeth Strafford [Michelle Randolph] about the need to postpone their wedding

Elizabeth stormed off. Cara came over to smooth things over. Cara said she regretted not sending Jack off to school like her but that she needed an education about the ranching way of life.

‘You will miss more than weddings for cattle, my dear,’ Cara said. ‘You will stand knee deep in mud to help a sick foal. You will drive wagons through blizzards with hay for cattle and hear them screaming their gratitude when you approach.’

Cara told her she would be free but that if this was not the life she wants that she should tell Jack now.

Ranch life: Cara told Elizabeth she would be free but that if this was not the life she wants that she should tell Jack now

‘In this life, there is no debating which is more important the wedding or the cattle,’ Cara said. ‘It’s always the cattle.’

‘He makes me dizzy when I’m with him,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I don’t know the life but I will learn it.’

Cara said they would have the wedding in two weeks instead and Elizabeth agreed.

Two weeks: Cara said they would have the wedding in two weeks instead and Elizabeth agreed

Up in the hills, Banner and his sheep came across a fence. Banner told his sheep herders to cut the fence.

‘I’m not watching my sheep die when there’s grass a foot tall no cattle could ever graze,’ Banner said.

Back in Africa, Spencer woke up on the train but was having flashbacks to his days as a soldier in the war. Spencer arrived at a fancy safari camp hired to kill the leopard that had been closely stalking the campsite.

Bad dream: Back in Africa, Spencer woke up on the train but was having flashbacks to his days as a soldier in the war and pulled a gun on a porter who tried to wake him up

At the ranch, Jacob and other ranchers herded their cattle up the hillside. Jack rode up the hill and then came across the herd of sheep and a man shot at him.

Cara fed the horses but worried what was going on outside in the hills. She wrote a letter to Spencer telling him about what was happening at the ranch.

‘Why won’t you come home to us?’ Cara wrote.

Sheep herd: Jack rode up the hill and then came across the herd of sheep and a man shot at him.

Spencer meanwhile was waiting in the woods for the leopard to appear. 

The cat jumped out and killed an American woman, but then Spencer was able to kill it after. When he turned around, another wild leopard jumped on him.

1923 will return next week exclusively on the Paramount+ streaming service.

Leopard hunt: Spencer killed one leopard but was attacked by second as the episode ended