American Primeval episode 1 ends with a massacre of a group of settlers at the hands of Brigham Young's Mormon legion. It's one of the most violent scenes we'll see this year. Well, in American Primeval episode 2, things get even bloodier and more violent.
Before we jump in, let's revisit what happened in episode 1, shortly. Sara (Betty Gilpin) and her son, Devin (Preston Mota), are crossing the Utah Territory in 1857 with a group of Mormons and other settlers heading for parts of the American West. Upon crossing, they are attacked by a Mormon legion and some hired Indigenous people. Luckily, Sara and Devin escape the mayhem, but they are pursued by their attackers, as well as Virgil (Jai Courtney) and his band of outlaws who know there's a bounty on Sara's head for murder and robbery back East.
So, that's where things stand heading into episode 2!
Red Feather lets Jacob Pratt Live
In his first scene of the season, Red Feather (Derek Hinkey) comes across a nearly dead Jacob Pratt (Dane DeHaan) at the scene of the massacre. Jacob asks Red Feather and his group for help. Red Feather allows Jacob to live to remember that he shouldn't have come to these lands.
This is our first time crossing paths with Red Feather, a Shoshone leader who is tired of being pushed from his lands by the Mormons, the US government, and pioneers.
Later, Red Feather and his men find the women who were sold off by Captain James Wolsey (Joe Tippett), including Abish Pratt (Saura Lightfoot-Leon). The Shoshone kill their captors, and then they slit the throats of all the women except Abish, who shows no fear in her interactions with the Shoshone. Red Feather takes Abish back to their camp.
Red Feather takes Abish to the Shoshone camp, where they offer her food and drink. As soon as her arms and legs are free, Abish tries to run, but she doesn't get far before she's dragged back to camp by Kuttaambo'i (Nanabah Grace).
Eventually, Abish accepts her fate, eats, and drinks with the Shoshone.
Sara tries to escape Virgil and the outlaws
After fleeing the men who attacked their party, Isaac Reed (Taylor Kitsch) finds Sara and Devin and keeps them safe. Sara wants to continue heading West, but Isaac says it's too dangerous. He tries to help by leading Sara and Devin back to Fort Bridger and away from the danger, but they get separated when Isaac leaves to find a better route.
Shortly after, Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), who has become friends with Devin after she stowed away in their wagon, joins them. Unfortunately, so do Virgil and his men, who chase Sara, Devin, and Two Moons into the mountain caves nearby. Two Moons fights back and protects Sara and Devin.
Meanwhile, Isaac is attacked while trying to find a new route. In the bloodiest fight of the season, Isaac wins.
Later, Isaac reconnects with Sara, Devin, and Two Moons, who have made a fire along the riverside. They stumble upon a group of settlers with some bad intentions. Isaac tries to buy some horses, but Sara interrupts. The man recognizes Sara as the wanted woman. Instead of selling the horses, they want the ransom money. Isaac kills everyone, but he gets shot in the process.
After they leave, Isaac falls off his horse. As Sara tries to treat him, thankfully, they are surrounded by the Shoshone, who helps them. They heal Isaac's gunshot wound.
Sara gives Isaac the $1,500 to help keep them safe in exchange for not turning them in. Sara guesses that Isaac once lived among the Shoshone. He visits with the leader, and it's clear that something happened in Isaac's past.
Brigham Young tries to buy Fort Bridger
We also meet Brigham Young (Kim Coates) in episode 2. He's informed by Wild Bill Hickman (Alex Breaux), his second in command, that there's been a situation that needs to be cleaned up after the Mormons killed more than 70 settlers. Brigham orders Wild Bill to Fort Bridger to try and buy the fort from Jim Bridger (Shea Whigham) and stop word of the attack from getting to Washington, the US government, and the US Army in the area.
At Fort Bridger, Wild Bill finds Jacob Pratt along with the Army Captain (Luke Neff) recounting his version of events. As it turns out, the Mormons did not do a very good job of cleaning up the loose ends. Wild Bill brings Jacob to their camp where many of the Mormon Militia are staying. Jacob will accompany the group as they search for Abish. It's all a bit of a con on the poor man, but his wife is still out there.
They find the bodies of the women who were with Abish, along with the man who "took" them. Again, it's all a con on Jacob, but the man reveals that the Wolf Clan, which is Red Feather's group, took Abish.
The US Army learns that Brigham Young's people are responsible for the attack
After setting out from Fort Bridger, the US Army Captain Edmund Dellinger (Luke Neff) finds the site of the massacre. During his investigation, he concludes that it was the Mormons posing as Natives to carry out this attack. There are bags used as masks and other signs that it was the Mormons.
His second tries to talk him out of it, but there's no changing his mind. Later, he pays a visit to the Shoshone camp where Isaac, Sara, Devin, and Two Moons are staying. Isaac reveals that it was Mormons who attacked the settlers, but Captain Dellinger still wants to find Red Feather.
After speaking with the US Army Captain, Isaac leads Sara, Devin, and Two Moons away from the Shoshone camp. And, that's where the episode ends.
American Primeval episode 2 grade: B-
The second episode of American Primeval is, in some ways, even harder to watch than the first episode. And, the first episode was brutal. There is even more death and destruction in the second episode.
In terms of pacing and structure, the series is quite good. The performances, again, are the biggest draw for me to continue watching this series. Betty Gilpin and Taylor Kitsch are great together, and I'm also enjoying a lot of the performances of the other cast, as well.
Amid all of the violent action sequences, American Primeval is a visually stunning series. And, that includes all of the key factors that go into bringing a series like this to life, including cinematography, set design, stunt choreography, and the natural beauty of this part of the world. The framing is incredible! The location scouts also deserve a lot of credit for finding such an incredible backdrop for this story.
Onto episode 3 of American Primeval! I have a feeling how this is all going to end.