The opening seconds of 1923 this week, wouldn't look out of place in a slasher flick. Following last week's brutal attack on the Duttons, their kitchen is bathed in blood. Pooled, dripping, and smeared, it's seemingly covering every visible surface. Let's recap episode 4, “War and the Turquoise Tide”!
A distraught Cara (Helen Mirren) scrubs away the recent, painful reminder of the escalating range war, while head cowboy Zane (Brian Geraghty) arrives for his marching orders. He suggests wiring the letter she penned to Spencer, as mailing it might take months. But Cara doesn't want to risk word getting out of her family's vulnerability. She insists he mail the letter and not speak of the attack or the weakened state it's left them in.
Meanwhile, Jack's (Darren Mann)wound isn't keeping him from sitting with a shotgun by Elizabeth's (Michelle Randolph) bed. His bride-to-be is feverish, but seems to be on the mend. Her mother – who also lost her husband in the attack – arrives with plans to cancel their wedding and move her daughter back east. Jack protests, earning him a hard slap from Mrs. Strafford, which in turn earns her a harder smack from Cara. Elizabeth expresses her wishes to still marry Jack and remain at the Dutton ranch, while her mom is given the boot by the Dutton matriarch.
