1883 season 1 episode 5: Is Ennis dead? Elsa’s act of revenge

Elsa Dutton, 1883

Entering 1883 season 1 episode 5 on Paramount+ this weekend, we absolutely expected that there were going to be some big surprises … and not all of them good for the Duttons.

If you think back to some of Elsa’s narration throughout the season, the character references many times an awakening that is about to come her way. She’s been sheltered from the truth of the world and entranced by the natural beauty of the wilderness. Last week during the river crossing, she faced a harsh reminder that Mother Nature can take no prisoners. During episode 5, meanwhile, she learned just how dangerous other people can be.

The death of Ennis is soul-crushing to her. There was a love story blossoming, and it’s a love story that is now at an end. We can’t be shocked that it happened, though, mostly because life was never going to be that easy for this character. It doesn’t matter that she got her own measure of revenge, killing the thief who took out Ennis herself. It’s going to take some time to figure out just how much this stays with her, but we’d imagine it will for a little while.

Can Elsa love again? We do think that this is something she’ll wonder to herself a little bit as time goes on — albeit probably not in the near future. For the next several episodes, we imagine that her focus will be more on trying to see if she can even make it up to her new home before something else terrible happens to her. There are still a lot of concerns out there on the trial and in that way, these thieves are really just the tip of the iceberg.

Related Be sure to get some more news when it comes to 1883, including more of what lies ahead on the show

What did you think about the events of 1883 season 1 episode 5?

Are you shocked at all that Ennis is dead? Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, be sure to stick around for some other updates you don’t want to miss. (Photo: Paramount+.)

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