Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for 1883.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. Because it happened within earshot of the camp, the deed was heard by Elsa's mother Margaret (Faith Hill), who spoke with Elsa about actions and consequences the next day. Indeed, as there are no condoms or any other reliable form of birth control in the frontier, there's a real possibility that Ennis really did impregnate Elsa.
Sadly, before 1883 could even drop any clues that Elsa was pregnant, Ennis died in the next episode while Elsa died during the finale. Most notably, it was revealed that Elsa herself chose her own grave site, around which James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton founded the ranch so they could visit her grave. Considering Elsa's place in the Dutton family tree and her importance to the history of the ranch, it's no surprise that the question of Elsa's pregnancy remains relevant to viewers of Yellowstone and 1923, 1883's de facto second season.
Why 1883 Implied Elsa Dutton Got Pregnant
Does Elsa get pregnant in 1883? There's no straightforward answer to the question because of the lack of clues on the matter - but what's even more important than an answer is what the question meant for the Dutton family in Montana in the late 1800s. In hindsight, 1883 giving viewers hope that Elsa - the heart and soul of the show - could somehow raise a child in the brutal frontier was the show's cruelest and most effective narrative trick.
Indeed, Elsa's Dutton's death in 1883's finale was even clearly teased in the pilot episode, which opened with the raid on the caravan and Elsa getting impaled in the stomach with a Comanche arrow. From the start, viewers knew that a violent future was in store for Elsa. Cleverly, after teasing Elsa's fate - 1883 kept viewers on the edge of their seats by throwing hope into the equation through the possibility that Elsa was pregnant with Ennis' baby. This helped 1883 keep Elsa's fate uncertain even though her demise was teased from the very beginning.
Why Elsa Dutton Narrates 1883
Does Elsa get pregnant? In1883's sequel, 1923, Isabel May's Elsa Dutton functions as the series' narrator from beyond the grave - and in time, it's possible that Elsa's musings about the frontier could drop actual clues about whether she was really pregnant or not. More importantly, with Isabel May's unmistakable voice keeping Elsa's presence alive, Elsa and the questions surrounding the character serve as reminders of what happened to the Duttons in 1883. Elsa's voice, which also narrated 1883, is a visceral portal back to the moment James and Margaret buried their highly promising, intelligent, and eldest daughter at the site of what would become the Dutton family's ranching empire.
How Elsa Is Related To Jacob Dutton & 1923 Cast
1883's Elsa is the niece of 1923 ranch patriarch Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) - the brother of Elsa's father James and husband to Cara (Helen Mirren). Meanwhile, John Dutton Sr. (James Badge Dale) - the little boy in 1883 - is Elsa's baby brother, and so is Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar). This makes Jack Dutton - John and Emma's (Marley Shelton) son - Elsa's nephew. Currently, Jack is the only Dutton in the 1923 cast who is a member of the third generation - but Elsa's baby would've added another.
This underscores why Elsa Dutton's 1883 pregnancy mystery is important to ranch history. As Cara told Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph), Elizabeth being pregnant with Jack's baby was the only good news Cara heard in a while. Just as the idea of Elsa's baby gave hope to a doomed caravan's journey, Elizabeth's baby also unexpectedly throws hope into a desperate situation. Notably, both pregnancies represent why the Duttons fight in the first place - to ensure that their legacy is intact for future generations.