MovieChat Forums > 1883 (2021) Discussion > "Lightning Yellow Hair" - easily the wor...

"Lightning Yellow Hair" - easily the worst episode so far

posted 3 years ago by RoloTony (1286)
14 replies | jump to latest

My wife and I had to keep pausing from laughing at all the silly dialogue and "Elsa-monologues". This is hands-down the cheesiest writing in the series so far. So Elsa's *already* off to make-out with some Indian with a perfect American accent? A real Comanche in 1883 would at least have some detectable "Native American" notes. But this guy sounds like Jason who works at the 7-11 down the street.

And these idiots must've gone to the "Prometheus School of Running Away from Things". Tornadoes are very narrow for the most part. That thing was miles away and they had more than enough time to laterally move away from the twisters path. They made it seem like some hurricane that nuked a 10 mile area. And after all that running and hiding it still hits Elsa dead-on while making out with an Indian? 😂 And I can't forget to mention the Indian's "farewell" where he screams at her like the ending of Dances with Wolves where "Wind in his Hair" yells at Dunbar from the cliff. A complete ripoff.

And Faith Hill just seems to have given up on acting. She started out passable but has slowly spiraled down to soap-opera level throughout the season. I hope this ship can right itself because it went from epic to cheesy really quick. Showrunners: we all don't think Elsa is some deep-thinking, trend-bucking, blonde goddess with dark roots and $300/month highlights. She comes across as a whiny, selfish brat for the most part.

Honorable mention to Elliot, McGraw, and Garrett who seem to be fully invested in their characters still.

[–] trifix (4) 3 years ago

I couldn't agree more. Woke at it's peak is what i would say...

To be fair, maybe people from that century didn't now you could easily evade a tornado? You could really tell that the money wasn't there to make it look believable. The whole episode had a feeling of a bunch people playing cowboys on the plains...

Elsas makeup and hair has annoyed me from the beginning along with her and her familys perfectly white teeth.

[–] Mustang (5422) 3 years ago

Elsa is so out of place for the time and the way her parents let her have so much freedom? I don't think so. She can have sex with cowboys and flirt with an Indian? And the white guys who saw it would let it go like that?

The Comanche's were one of the most violent tribes as well and now we see one White Knighting for a white woman. And seemingly ok with losing a horse race to her.

I didn't get that either, they seemed to give up very quickly. Maybe Hill has realized what a pile of crap she has signed onto and has lost the will? I haven't seen her in anything else, so can't say for sure.

Elsa (or Rodeo Barbie as I like to call her) bores me as much as Beth does on Yellowstone.

[–] oliverduggan (29) 3 years ago

The fast track romance between Elsa and Sam seemed forced. I find it annoying how she thinks she has more wisdom that her parents specifically her mom. I know “wait until I have a teenage daughter to learn that” but in this scenario I think she should be a little bit more scared and inviting to what her experienced parents might have to say.
I agree that Elliot, McGraw, and Garrett are more interesting. I think modern day woke character writing has this effect where they want to build up female characters to the point where they’re not relatable with any faults. They write male white characters with faults and weaknesses with no concern how they come off thus making them more relatable.

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 3 years ago

I think writing for females has been like this for decades. They are not allowed to be flawed. I actually think they ARE flawed, characters have to be, in writing, otherwise you can't make a story. But their flaws are presented like strengths, or are hidden in some way, so that the audience doesn't go berserk about how the show hates women. I think Elsa's flaw is that she is headstrong. It's made to look like a strength, and in a way it is. If she were weak-kneed she might not have survived till now. She would have been carried away by some evildoer. But because she is headstrong and has grit, she is able to escape when the bad guys come for the wagon train, and she goes off and has her own adventures.

I like that her mother understands that all of this is a sort of fantasy land for Elsa. It's because of the lack of structure on the trail that Elsa is able to get away with her loose behavior. When she goes back to settled life, she will have to return to decorum.

Of course, in reality, Elsa would never have been allowed to do any of this, because her sleeping around would be gossiped about when she returned to any town, and her reputation would be ruined. She would be pregnant and the father dead, and a woman burdened with another man's child would not be attractive to other single men she met. And her parents wouldn't have had this lackadaisical attitude to her. They would have been a lot more religious and shocked by her doing any of that. Possibly, to prevent it, her father would already have married her off at age 16 so he would not have to worry about taking her along. Her headstrongness is a weakness because if she weren't protected by plot armor, she would be dead or a social outcast five or six times over. So I think actually the way the acceptance of her behavior, by people in the show, sticks out like a sore thumb, shows that it is her weakness. The plot has to keep making these very modern swings to make her story work out the way they want.

[–] Mustang (5422) 3 years ago

Yeah as soon as they reach civilization her name will be mud. The cowboys will talk about how easy she is, especially how she did it with an indian. The immigrants will talk too.

In reality she would never be allowed alone with men in the first place.

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 3 years ago

I totally agree with you that the way female characters are presented to us as if they have no weaknesses, makes them unrelatable. As I said before, I do think they actually have faults, it's just hidden. But it's annoying.

I don't mind Sam and his shiny hair and white teeth. He's good looking. It makes up for Elsa being unbelievable.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Now, THIS is the type of postings and threads that MC needs more of. Great thread!

[–] NoEasyBuckets (346) 3 years ago

The two changes I'd make to this show would have been nixing all of Elsa's awful voiceovers and completely abandoning the whole Sam marriage plot. Not only is the premise and execution ridiculous but we JUST did her finding and losing the love of her life. I can handle Elsa being the annoying teenager although I don't think that's how Taylor Sheridan intended on presenting her, but her pretentious narration, over-the-top delivery and the back to back rushed love plots were too much. By the end when she's dying I was actually glad because it meant she wouldn't be around if there's a season two.

[–] maximmm (3341) 2 years ago

Agreed. I suppose they should have written at some point that months have passed since her lover's passing to make this bit a tiny bit believable. As things stand now, it looks like she met Sam only a few days after that conflict.

[–] CraigC (8211) 2 years ago

I agree with the above but the biggest cringe for me was the Indian artifacts given as gifts. The propmaster really should've done a better job than that. It all looked like flea market crap and a fully decorated vest, like the one Sam gave Elsa would've taken months to make. The deerskin "chaps" were way too low at the crotch and made of modern chrome tanned garbage, totally wrong color and texture for Indian braintan. The beads and beadwork patterns were also all wrong.

The idea that all those cowboys would be packing two Colt SAA's is also laughable. As is the way they carry them. You don't want a pistol hanging in front of your dick.

[–] maximmm (3341) 2 years ago

i skip most elsa monologues - they are poetic in some ways, but usually rather pointless.

[–] Mustang (5422) 2 years ago

I'm sure the two white boys would have been just fine lying in the ditch while she was making out with the Injun too. I just can't see that happening.