Nice set-up for 1944. I am definitely getting "Legends of the Fall" vibes, with three 20-something boys -- 2 half brothers and a first cousin -- out to prove themselves and vying for the attention and approval of Spencer. I think Spencer has had his fill of war and will not the fight in 1944, but instead will run the ranch and worry about young Duttons who undoubtedly will be caught up in the conflict. I do not see Elizabeth returning, but her son will, because the ranch is his legacy. The "widow" will be long gone, perhaps having ed away and left her son for Spencer to raise.

As for Teonna, she is heading to California, the genesis of Thomas' backstory. The Harvard-educated tribal leader was raised believing he was Mexican, so 1944 will probably set up how Teonna's son and perhaps other children were lost...more tragedy for her, I'm afraid.

I can definitely imagine Spencer revisiting Alex (or vice versa), for as the finale makes clear, "for Spencer, her memory didn't fade, didn't fray around the edges, and didn't dull." That suggests that over his 45 years without her he will think of her often and -- as people sometimes do with loved ones -- have conversations with her that she may or may not participate in.

I'd love to see the 1923 actors reprise their roles in flashbacks that fill in what happens during the Depression, leading up to WWII.

Spencer won't be flying entirely solo. By 1944 his son with Alex -- and presumably another with The Widow -- will be 20 and in his teens, respectively. We may even see Jack and Elizabeth's son show up for some Dutton Ranch 101. If it includes the boys going off to war it may be reminiscent of "Legends of the Fall." In any event the family isn't quite "going extinct," as Elsa also mentioned in Season 1.

Very nice take on the 1883 finale, I agree that it was the best of the three.

The 1923 finale was about as emotional and dramatic as you can get! The tragic ending doesn't make it any less so, and as much as we all wanted a happy ending for Alex and Spencer, it wasn't to be. As for being rushed, I'm not sure how much longer you can drag out the serendipitous reunion and the final 24 hours of Alex's life. Part 2 of 1923 was all about the journey and less about the arrival (and a shootout that almost felt like it was happening in real time!), the lengths to which one will go for love, and the sacrifices that duty and love demand. Although one of the most tragically heartbreaking endings ever, to one of the most compelling romances ever, it was grand storytelling, beautifully shot and acted. Hollywood tends to ignore its most successful creator but this show really deserves awards.

I think the math is off. In the Yellowstone flashbacks (1893), young Spencer -- on horseback -- looks more like a child of 6 or 7 than a 4-year-old. That would mean he was born in 1887. By 1893 his brother John is 15 years old (he was 5 in 1883), and he looks like a 15-year-old in the flashbacks.

That means Spencer is 36 in 1923, 57 in the 1944, and 82 when he dies in 1969.