Spoilers ahead! Though Spencer Dutton and his wife Alexandra neé Sussex were finally reunited in the 1923 Season 2 finale, their reunion was short-lived. Stranded in Wyoming’s frozen wildness, Alex used her wits to start a fire to keep from freezing to death. By an act of God (aka creator Taylor Sheridan), the car she was in just happened to stop near a railroad track. When Alex spied a train on the horizon, she worked quickly to signal for help by setting the car ablaze. Who would see her but Spencer on his way to Paradise Valley to protect the Dutton ranch!
Their reunion is reminiscent of scenes from big, sweeping romantics epics of Hollywood’s past. Spencer jumps from the train and runs to Alex who leaps into his arms. “I don’t think I realized how much I needed a hug from someone who I knew could protect me,” said Julia Schlaepfer when asked about that scene. “It was a really, really tough season for me.” Likewise, Brandon Sklenar was thrilled to act opposite Schlaepfer again after they wereapart for so long. “It was easy to translate that excitement to the interactions between Spencer and Alexandra,” said Sklenar.
However, their joy is short-lived once the severity of Alex’s frostbite and the threat it poses to her pregnancy are revealed. Alex had to choose between delivering their son prematurely and dying or undergoing emergency surgery and losing the baby.The choice is an easy one for Alex to make. “It was very emotional,” recalled Schlaefer. While fans may be thinking that at least their son, John, will eventually sire the John Dutton of Yellowstone fame, Sklenar urged audiences to not assume anything. “I can’t say whether or not he becomes John Dutton’s father,” said Sklenar. “It would be pretty cool if he was. I think Jules and I would both like that.”
Schlaepfer and Sklenar briefly spoke to DECIDER over a virtual press day to talk about Spencer’s and Alex’s moving reunion, the beauty of Sheridan’s scripts, and the helpful advice Schlaepfer received from series director Ben Richardson.
DECIDER: Julia, it’s nice to see you looking so well! Alex’s journey this season is epic, to say the least. Taylor must have clued you in before sending out the scripts. What do you remember about that conversation?
JULIA SCHLAEPFER: He told me it was gonna be really tough [laughs]. When we talked about what Episode 3 would mean for Alex—her journey through Ellis Island—he says, “I want to put her through the ringer a little bit, because that’s what would happen.” Taylor and I both wanted to see the depths of Alexandra’s fight. I was like, “yeah, let’s do it.” I didn’t know just what that entailed until he sent me the rest of the scripts for episodes 4-7 and was like, “call me when you’re done.” When I read them and found out about Alexandra’s fate, I sobbed.
It was emotional to watch! Brandon, that scene in the finale where Spencer jumps off the train and races to embrace Alex is so incredibly romantic and so, so powerful. What was running through your head while filming it?
BRANDON SKLENAR: Um, don’t slip [laughs]. That fake snow is surprisingly slick. I’m not the most graceful person. Beside that challenge, that scene was so beautiful on a personal level. That was the first scene Jules and I had together in Season 2. We hadn’t seen each other in a long time, so it was easy to translate that excitement to the interactions between Spencer and Alexandra. With Spencer this season, my thoughts are his thoughts. I’ve been with this character so long that it’s almost second nature. As an actor, you don’t find that very often. It’s all due to Taylor’s writing and my connection with the script.
Julia, I imagine filming Alex’s and Spencer’s reunion scene had to be cathartic for you as an actress, given all that Alex endured to get to that moment. Were you happy that God answered her prayers?
JS: Oh, for sure. Our director Ben said something to me during the reunion scene that really helped me. At that point, we had gone through so many levels of Alex’s suffering and emotions. Ben said to me, “when you hit Spencer and you guys collide and you hug him, I want you to feel like you are a little kid coming back from a horrible day at school and you just want a hug from your mom.” For me that encapsulated the core emotion for Alex and me. It was a really, tough season for me. I don’t think I realized how much I needed a hug from someone who I knew could protect me. It was cathartic. It was a beautiful day for everyone on set. We all took a big deep breath, and we’re like, “we’ve got the kids back together.”
I love that Alex immediately falls back into her banter with Spencer, frost bitten and all. Was it nice to revisit her joy, Julia, after such an emotionally draining and fraught journey?
JS: It was so nice. From the beginning of the season, Alex is dealing with strangers, with predators, with people whose intentions are questionable. Because of this uncertainty, she speaks in a formal and strategic way.
After they collide in that reunion scene, Alex and Spencer just start yapping at each other again [laughs]. The poetry between the two of them starts to come out again. I suddenly felt like Alex was herself again. It was a relief. It was a weight off our shoulders. We have this inexplicable connection that means that we understand each other and can be completely themselves. As soon as Alex feels safe again in Spencer’s arms, they are right back to it, like no time has passed. It’s brilliant writing on Taylor’s part.
Ultimately, Alex’s and Spencer’s love story is a tragic one, but one that made the generations of Duttons we first came to know and love possible. Brandon, how pleased were you when you found out their child would become John Dutton’s father?
BS: Well, I can’t say whether or not he becomes John Dutton’s father. I guess we’ll have to wait until 1944 to confirm that. It would be pretty cool if he was. I think Jules and I would both like that. However, we cannot confirm that.
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