Taylor Sheridan & Co., I'm on you.
Spencer and Alex from 1923 will be thrown into situations that should kill them, but then they'll survive — like they did this week in the aftermath of the tugboat-versus-ghost-ship controversy, thank goodness — and the more we'll be lulled into the belief that their love, their curiosity, and their outrageous level of attractiveness somehow make them bulletproof. And then Alex will get an infected paper cut or something, and it'll be curtains. Dreadful curtains.
Let's just keep recognizing that the Dutton family actually GAINS a member in this week's episode. And that Jacob is able to walk around, sit a horse, and get into a long feud with Cara. Read on for the highlights of "One Ocean Closer to Destiny."
ANOTHER BLOW FOR TEONNA | Hank wears Teonna's clothes from the school, saves the Bible, and plans for his son to ride and get his father in the near future. Grandma is confused and begins slapping one of the men as she attempts to flee, leaving her bleeding on the floor.
Jacob is well enough to walk his property with a cane, although he complains that Creighton's long recovery has harmed him. Cara, who is in town interviewing men to be livestock agents with Sheriff Will, subverts her husband's vengeful dreams by letting him know everything about the attack. Will and his men go to the ranch to warn Jacob to stand down.
Jacob goes into a rage, literally ripping his shirt open to highlight his bullet wounds when the sheriff says there's no evidence of the brawl. But they forbid Dutton from his planned eye-for-an-eye routine as they leave. She makes sure he knows that she, Emma, and Elizabeth suffered much more than he did after the shootings, and that he needs to recuperate. Instead, he limps his way through saddling his horse but does seem to enjoy the act
COOLING-OFF PERIOD | He's much calmer and quietly explains why he wants to take out Creighton and his men, not about retaliation, but about stopping the men who want to modernize the land they have built. He acknowledges that Cara has suffered a lot and is now with the ranch.
RIDING THE WAVES | The good news: Alex and Spencer survive the tugboat disaster. He hears her banging on the hull and returns to the wreckage, where he discovers her alive thanks to a pocket of air trapped in the wreckage. They climb up on the boat's belly and battle sun exposure, dehydration, and some aggressive sharks; the combination saps Alex's capacity to be positive, and she begins to sob that their situation is hopeless.
When Alex hears a ship's horn in the distance, she rouses Spencer, who grabs the pistol he retrieved from the tug and shoots it in the air several times. “See me!” he yells, and when it seems like that isn't happening, Alex weeps. Two British sailors rush out and rescue the lovers from a certain, soggy death.
Spencer advises them to avoid Ellis Island by taking a cruise to Galveston instead, and asks the man to marry them right there and then. When Alex can't find a worn-out marriage band, the captain offers her the diamond of his wife's on a chain around his neck.
So, they get married in the captain's office, and then it's back to their cabin for some ravishing. (Side note: You little dehydrated babies, I applaud your ability to do anything other than lie in a crumpled heap and kvetch about your sunburns.) After that, they get dressed and return on deck to talk about their future. He says, “There is no electricity or plumbing.” She replies, bemused.
When she asks him about his dreams, he finally admits that he doesn't want him to take her away from the life she knew. After all, the elephant, the lions, and a boating accident are all examples of this.
She expresses her hope that she will never give up on him. "There is no putting me back. We are one now," she adds, drawing him close. "Even if it's the death of me," she adds, indicating that the final line of the episode could very well be her final choice.
Now it's your turn. What did you think of the episode? Share your thoughts in the comments!