So Elsa's heaven was time with the man that she loved, and when she met death, she greeted it like a friend. Sam and Elsa did get their happily ever after, at least in Elsa's afterlife — the joys surround her that she didn't get enough of in this life, and she'll be met by her loved ones when their time comes.
'1883' Reaches a Strangely Happy Ending
Elsa, who had decided to see her family in Oregon before returning to be with Sam, may be dead, but just as her spirit narrates the series (and the following 1923 series), so it's implied that her spirit reunites with Sam's in the afterlife.
1883 ended its first season in brutal fashion. The Yellowstone prequel starring Faith Hill and Tim McGraw wrapped its 10-episode season by killing off both their onscreen daughter, Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), and Pinkerton agent Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott).
Sam. A Comanche warrior who the Duttons met along the wagon trail in 1883, Sam professed to have taken his name from the man who killed his wife. He later began a romance with Elsa Dutton, and the two married without official ceremony.
A main character of the Yellowstone prequel series, the setup to Elsa Dutton's death began when she was shot with a poisoned arrow during an attack on the caravan. This scene was previewed in the 1883 pilot episode, and then fully fleshed out in 1883 season 1, episode 9 “Racing Clouds.”
And because this is one of the few shows in which that phrase might be taken literally, allow me to clarify: Elsa gets married in Sunday's episode. The groom? Handsome Sam, the Comanche man she met [checks notes] last episode.
Yellowstone fans know that Duttons have been buried in the same spot in Montana for over a century. The Dutton family cemetery makes more sense after 1883 revealed that Elsa was the first person to be buried on the land.
Even Elsa decided to leave her boyfriend so she could find out where Oregon was, while planning to return to the plains in June to reunite with him.
Does Elsa get pregnant in 1883? The Yellowstone prequel never clarified whether Elsa (Isabel May) and Ennis (Eric Nelsen) consummating their relationship in 1883 season 1, episode 5 “The Fangs of Freedom" resulted in Elsa getting pregnant.
She later met a Comanche warrior in Kansas named Sam who she connected with, giving her a second chance at love. She later agreed to accept Sam's hand in marriage, but there was no ceremony. She did carry on with the caravan with a promise to return back to Sam once her family settled.
One of the Comanche introduces himself to Elsa as Sam, a name he took from the man who killed his wife. The two race their horses; Elsa wins and Sam nicknames her "Lightning With The Yellow Hair". A storm approaches and tornadoes threaten the group; Sam and Elsa take shelter together and embrace.
However, Ennis was tragically killed in front of her. She eventually moved on with Sam (Martin Sensmeier) — a Comanche Warrior. “Then you follow it with Ennis dying and Elsa quickly moving on and falling deeply in love again, so soon.
In a stunning twist, Elsa decides that she will not make the rest of the journey to Oregon, opting to stay with Sam, marry him and make a life together.
The Yellowstone prequel never clarified whether Elsa (Isabel May) and Ennis (Eric Nelsen) consummating their relationship in 1883 season 1, episode 5 “The Fangs of Freedom" resulted in Elsa getting pregnant.
The two grew fonder of each other and soon decided they wanted to live the rest of their lifes together, but her parents convinced her to go on with their journey to Oregon first. The two parted with the wish to reunite after Elsa had been to Oregon and would travel back to Comanche country.
Spencer Dutton
Spencer is sibling to Elsa and John Sr. He is a former soldier-turned-big game hunter who is called home from Africa to help his family defend their land. While in Africa, Spencer meets and falls in love with Alex (Julia Schlaepfer), and they return to Montana together to help his family.
Elsa Dutton
Traveling west at the age of 17 with her parents and younger brother, John, Elsa fell in love twice on the road—first with cowboy Ennis, who was killed by bandits, and then with Comanche warrior Sam, to whom she promised she'd return after her family found their homestead out west.
Margaret Dutton
She served as a nurse in the Civil War in which James fought in. She was the mother to three children (whom we meet in 1883), Elsa, John, and Spencer.
Unfortunately, talks of a wedding between Ennis and Elsa didn't last very long. During a shoot out with a crew of bandits, the cowboy suffered a fatal shot. His final words to James were “I loved her.” Elsa, overcome with grief, sobbed over Ennis' body.
Meanwhile, fan-favorite Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) made good on his promise to see the Pacific Ocean so his late wife could “use [his] eyes to see the world” — then promptly shot himself.
As he leaves her one more time, he tells her: “Everything you see and everything you saw yesterday is my home! You're always welcome in it, Lighting with the yellow hair. You're home too now.” It seems Elsa and Sam are kindred spirits.
Elsa Dutton - John's great aunt
Elsa (Isabel May) is the main narrator in the series and she is the eldest daughter of James and Margaret.
In a flash-forward to the Spring, we see that Josef is alive and working his new piece of free land in Oregon while Thomas, Noemi, and her two sons settle nearby in the Willamette Valley. Shea also makes it to Oregon and heads to the coast to see the ocean to fulfill his dead wife's dream.
However, 1883 doesn't technically have a Season 2. Elsa's death is a catalyst for a much bigger story about the Duttons and how they found paradise valley. Despite how hard it was for fans, she had to die because her final resting place became the iconic Yellowstone Dutton ranch.