If you’re still reeling from that 1923 series finale, then you may also be wondering why Liz walked away from the ranch after all this time. Thankfully, Michelle Randolph has an answer.
Since Season 1, Liz has been a fish out of water in the Dutton family. A city girl at heart, she moved in after getting engaged to the young Jack Dutton. But life on the ranch proved a lot harder than she thought, and after the death of her father and the loss of her unborn baby, she started to crack.
Season 2 didn’t get much easier. With the tough Montana winter driving Liz to frustration, things only escalated when she got bitten by a wolf and had to receive painful rabies shots.
There was a glimmer of hope when she discovered she was pregnant again, but in Episode 6, Jack was killed by Banner’s men. Really, by the end of it, Liz has been through enough.
Liz has a new priority after Jack’s death in 1923
It’s not hard to see that Liz never really fitted in with the cowboy lifestyle. She might have faired a little better as time went on, but as Michelle Randolph explained it, there was no reason for her to stay on the ranch anymore, especially with a baby on the way.
“I think Elizabeth’s whole arc this season was just learning how to survive,” she said [via Den of Geek]. “Ultimately, she knew if she stayed on the ranch, it would be like signing a death warrant.
“And she was correct. Jack dies, her father dies, the nurse dies. It’s just continuous. So the end for her was actually more about protecting her baby and wanting her baby to not have the same fate that Jack did.”
The theme of survival is pushed across the board in Season 2. Spencer and Alex have their own problems getting back to Montana, Teonna is on the run from her life after killing the nuns the boarding school, and the Duttons have to tackle all kinds of dangers on the ranch.
But although Liz decides to leave, it doesn’t mean she gave up. In fact, speaking to Dexerto ahead of the Season 2 release, she explained how much Liz had grown in such a short span of time.
“In Season 1, Elizabeth was really coming into this family, and was a bit blindsided by the way of life in Montana,” she said. “And I think Season 2, she’s experiencing her first winter on the ranch, the sacrifices she has to make to be a part of this family and what’s expected to survive in this kind of lifestyle.”
“And so I think, naturally, she does become a bit more fiery and tough, but she’s very resilient, and she has this hopefulness in her that that never wavers.”
For more Yellowstone, check out our guides to 1944 and The Madison. You can also check out all the shows to watch if you love Taylor Sheridan, for more Western adventures.