From 1883 to 1923, and the upcoming Lawmen: Bass Reeves release date and 6666 release date, there’s no shortage of Yellowstone spin-offs. But as the Yellowstone timeline expands, providing more lore for one of the most popular TV series of recent years, it becomes a challenge to pick our favorite.
That said, 1923, the drama series starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, certainly stands out. This particular Yellowstone prequel series focuses on the Duttons as they try to ensure survival of their ranch through drought and prohibition, living through one of the wildest times known to man.
But there’s much more to it than that — 1923 also turns an eye to the mistreatment of indigenous women at the hands of Catholic boarding schools. The character of Teonna Rainwater is the guiding force behind this arc, and the actor behind her, Aminah Nieves, has confessed to having some (understandable) fear that comes with the growing excitement for the upcoming 1923 season 2.
Teonna Rainwater comes from the Broken Rock Reservation, where she was stolen and placed in a boarding school, the purpose of which was to ‘civilize’ Native American children.
This was a very real and horrifying phenomenon that took place in the US, and would usually involve physical and emotional abuse. It would also involve the children in question being stripped of their natural heritage and culture in order to forcibly assimilate them into more traditionally American ways of life.
By season 1’s end, Teonna has managed to escape the school. But she’s not free, since she’s being tracked down by priests ad has to resort to killing and violence in order to escape. She finds solace and safety with Hank, a sheep herder who vows to bring her back to her father, but sadly, he is killed at the end of the season while they’re on the run.
This means that season 2 poses a lot of potential for Teonna and her story. (For a better understanding what she’s been through so far, take a look at the below behind the scenes look of her journey so far.)
“I think there’s a little childhood glow, showing her dad how worthy she is and how strong and capable she is,” Nieves said [via Deadline] when asked about going into the second season. “I want to focus on her joy right now. Episode eight was the first [gentle] human touch that Teonna had. Let’s see what Season 2 brings. I’m very excited but scared.”
As for the specifics of what lays in store for the upcoming continuation of the series, Nieves has about as much knowledge as we do, it seems.
“I’m at the edge of my seat. I have no clue,” she confirmed.
For all things Yellowstone, check out our features on what to do now that Yellowstone is breaking up with you, and why Dallas Ran so Yellowstone could fly. Don’t forget to take a look at our guide on the Yellowstone cast, and find out which Yellowstone star got the most embarrassing injury at cowboy camp.