American Primeval Recap: Go Build Your Own Fort
Photo: Justin Lubin/Netflix
When Dellinger penned a letter to his superiors describing his faith that the Mountain Meadows Massacre was committed by members of the LDS church and not Shoshone warriors, he hoped it would have consequences. In American Primevalâs fifth episode, we see that it did, just not the consequences Dellinger hoped for. Thanks to bribery and betrayal, the letter found its way to the perpetually angry Wild Bill Hickman, who decides to take his anger out on Wolsey by whipping him in front of the rest of the Nauvoo Legion. (Once again, American Primeval opens its episode with some heretofore-unseen unpleasantness.)
When Lt. Pepper returns to camp, Dellinger tells him theyâll wait for reinforcements and, failing their arrival, attack the Nauvoo anyway. Thatâs an iffy proposition made even iffier by the possibility Pepper will tell Wild Bill whatâs going on, but the cover-up has another problem. Pepper soon learns of Abishâs disappearance, another loose end that will need to be tied up. Returning to the Shoshone camp, Abish immediately tells Winter Bird whatâs going on. Winter Birdâs not terribly surprised to see Abish again, even when Abish tells her sheâs learned Jacob is alive and still looking for her. As they did for Sara, Winter Birdâs place and people provide a sense of safety offered nowhere else. Itâs doubtful that a glimpse of Jacob, who now looks more than a little unhinged, would change her mind.
Then again, everyoneâs looking more than a little worse for wear in this episode. Devin remains in bed and in agony as his leg worsens. Isaac recognizes that drastic actions, like amputation, might have to be taken to save the boyâs life. Ultimately, that does not prove necessary, though itâs hard to imagine it being more painful than the cauterization Isaac performs, even if this does save Devinâs leg. Later, Sara gently tries to renegotiate their arrangement. Maybe, she asks, Isaac might want to take them to California? Crooks Springs might not be the best idea after all. Of Devinâs father, the best she can say is, âHeâs a decent enough man. Well ⊠Iâve known worse.â Isaac, however, she knows to be better than âdecent enough.â Whatâs unspoken is her sense that he might want to come with them, an issue Isaac tables by leaving to check on the horses (but not without inspiring Two Moons to give Sara a knowing look).
Unlike Dellinger, Bridger has a pretty good sense of one of the consequences awaiting him after the events of the previous episode, namely a visit from Brigham Young. Young arrives, in Bridgerâs description, âall smiles and Jesus,â ready to discuss the âmisunderstandingâ that led to Wild Billâs grievous foot injury. To smooth things over, Young makes Bridger an offer for the fort he thinks is fair. Bridger disagrees. The stalemate continues, but the threatening undercurrent suggests this may not last.
Elsewhere, a different sort of apparent stalemate comes to an end when the Nauvoo Legion attacks Dellingerâs camp before Dellinger can attack them, a result, once again, of Pepperâs betrayal. The seriesâ most eloquent character, Dellinger doubles as the episodeâs narrator, first with his intercepted letter and, as the attack unfolds, with a lyrical journal entry that attempts to capture the possibility and wonder beyond the Westâs brutality.
âI am hopeful that the beauty I see in these lands has a power greater than darkness,â Dellinger writes, shortly before Pepper assassinates him. There are two ways to read this: as a testament left behind in hopes of a better future or misplaced optimism. Does Dellingerâs death suggest that Utah Territory, and by extension America itself, will always be driven by primeval conflict? That question might be too big for the series to answer.
Thereâs little cause for optimism in the aftermath of the attack. After Pepper takes a sack of coins for his betrayal, Wild Bill and Wolsey realize they still have to deal with Abish. But Pepper proves to be an easier loose end to tie up. A bullet to the head takes care of that.
The next day, Young shows up with a warrant for Bridgerâs arrest (but only after confirming that he doesnât want to sell the fort). The accusation: Bridger has sold guns to Native Americans. If thereâs any validity to the accusation, it will have to be addressed at another time. Bridger has a lot of friends, at least locally, with guns of their own. As politely as possible, Bridger suggests Young find another location for a fort of his own. Crisis averted? âNot by a long shot, Sammy,â Bridger tells a companion.
At the hunting lodge, Sara and Isaac get real. When Sara expresses regrets for the hard choices sheâs had to make (including murder), Isaac tells her, âWe do what we have to do. Donât we?â Thatâs another line that could almost double as the seriesâ tagline, but moments later, Sara challenges him to reassess what âwhat we have to doâ means for him. She learns, as she suspected, that Isaac lost a son of his own. She also learns that this happened after Isaac went looking for a safer spot even after Winter Bird decided to keep her people in the same place. (And we learn, thanks to a flashback, that it happened violently, though the details remain unclear.) When Isaac admits heâs retreated from the world to avoid caring about anyone, and thus being hurt, ever again, Sara essentially tells him this is no way to live.
As this unfolds, Winter Bird learns her people face danger once again when Red Feather returns with Abish and explains that her enemies will stop at nothing to take her. Though Abish volunteers to leave, Winter Bird tells her to stay. Whatâs more, the development has tipped her over to Red Featherâs side of the fight-or-flight choice. Theyâll stay and theyâll fight. Though the warriors seem genuinely excited by the possibility, Abish looks less sure.
Itâs becoming increasingly clear Sara would like Isaac to consider starting a new life with her and Devin. But first they have to get away from the hunting lodge, which is being threatened by wolves and, not far behind them, Virgil and his men, who waste no time attacking. In turn, Isaac wastes no time laying into the first man he encounters. Then he kills the second, foiling his attempt to hold Devin and Two Moons hostage. Sara, however, isnât so lucky. And with her kidnapping, we head into the credits, and whatâs sure to be an intense series finale.
âą It seemed inevitable that weâd get Isaacâs backstory at some point, but the brief glimpses we see of him as a younger (and less hairy) man are fairly elliptical. Theyâre also the only flashbacks the series has offered so far. Itâs an interesting choice given that Saraâs story remains blurry and has felt like it was leading to a flashback revealing the full details. Maybe next episode? Not that the series needs it, but this flashback would seem to open the door for others.
âą Things donât look so good for many of our characters as we head into the finale, but it would be surprising if everyone came to an unhappy ending. For all the miserable developments, there are also sparks of hope. Of course, sometimes, like Dellinger and his journal, those sparks get snuffed out. Itâs rough out there, and though everyone believes theyâre doing what they have to do, sometimes doing what they have to do means hurting others who are also trying to survive.
American Primeval Recap: Go Build Your Own Fort
