Yellowstone: 1923 Season 2 Episode 5 Teases Another Major Character's Death

This article contains spoilers for "1923" season 2, episode 5, "Only Gunshots to Guide Us."

Taylor Sheridan's "1923" season 2 fixes one of the biggest mistakes on "Yellowstone" by actually giving its Native American characters meaningful storylines. While "Yellowstone" touches upon the displacement of tribes in the United States, the lack of meaningful arcs for Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and other Indigenous characters leaves a lot to be desired in terms of getting the point across. "1923," meanwhile, boasts an emotional storyline about Thomas' ancestor, Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves), and her quest for freedom after going on the run for killing some abusive nuns who had it coming.

Unfortunately, intriguing sagas aren't always happy, as Teonna's boyfriend, Pete Brings Plenty (Jeremy Gauna), might be dead following the events of "1923" season 2, episode 5. The manhunt for Teonna, led by the sadistic Marshal Kent (Jamie McShane), has produced some of the darkest moments in "1923" to date — namely him executing most of the Native Americans he comes into contact with, including children. In season 2, episode 5, the lawman's savagery only intensifies when he encounters Pete in the wilderness, and nothing good comes from it.

"Only Gunshots to Guide Us" culminates with the Marshal and Pete firing their guns at each other, but the end credits roll before we learn the outcome of the showdown. However, while the "1923" fan base hopes that Kent has finally met his maker, the signs point toward Pete being the more likely character to die in this exchange of bullets.

Pete Brings Plenty is at a major disadvantage during his shootout with Marshal Kent in the latest episode of "1923." For a start, he draws his gun after falling off his horse while trying to escape from the lawman and Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché). He's also dehydrated, exhausted, and has far less experience with firearms than Kent has, so the odds are firmly stacked against him. Hopefully, Pete defies expectations and puts an end to the marshal's reign of terror, but given that Kent is one of the main villains in "1923," it's hard to imagine him being struck down until he's caught up with Teonna Rainwater.

What's more, the "Yellowstone" franchise has a history of tragically ending stories about young love. One need look no further for the proof than "1883," which sees Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) forced to say goodbye to her first boyfriend when he gets shot by some bandits. After that, Elsa dies upon being struck by a poisoned arrow, right after she falls in love with someone else. Similarly, "1923" season 2, episode 5 sees Pete promise to return to Teonna, but he might struggle to keep his word after encountering the West's deadliest marshal.

When Kent dies, it will probably be at the hands of Teonna, and his demise should be definitive and uninterrupted by a cliffhanger ending. That said, maybe Taylor Sheridan will surprise us and give the brutal lawman a final sendoff sooner rather than later.

New episodes of "1923" premiere Sundays on Paramount+.