Yellowstone: Why Alexandra And Spencer’s Romance Had To End In Tragedy On 1923
- Posted on August 18, 2025
“1923” season 2 boasts a “Game of Thrones”-esque death toll, so witnessing tragedy strike in the finale probably didn’t shock any viewer who’s followed the series since its inception — or any other show in Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding “Yellowstone” franchise for that matter. Death, pain, and brutality have become the lifeblood of Sheridan’s storytelling, and this latest chapter continues the trend with heartbreaking precision.
However, while Alexandra Dutton’s (Julia Schlaepfer) death was teased long ago, her demise in “A Dream and a Memory” still manages to leave a devastating mark. Her final episode is framed by bittersweet contrasts: moments of joy and reunion followed swiftly by crushing loss. After enduring separation and danger, Alexandra finally reunites with Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) and gives birth to their child — only for her life to be cut short not long afterward.
It is the kind of tragedy that feels both inevitable and profoundly unjust. Alexandra, more than any other character this season, bore the weight of sacrifice and suffering. Fans had hoped that her perseverance would be rewarded with peace, but Sheridan once again reminds us that the Dutton saga is no fairy tale. In his world, love is fleeting, joy is fragile, and fate often delivers its cruelties when they are least expected.
Death foreshadowed from the very beginning
In truth, Spencer and Alexandra’s romance was always laced with omens of doom. From the moment their paths first crossed, death was an inseparable companion to their love story. Their very first conversation circles around mortality: Spencer, weighed down by his life as a hunter, explains that “dying is the most alive a person can feel.” Alexandra, drawn to his dark charisma, finds even this grim sentiment strangely romantic. With that exchange, Sheridan planted the seeds of what was to come — love and death intertwined as one.
The warnings did not stop there. In season 1, episode 6, the couple share a tender moment aboard a boat. Alexandra declares that she will follow Spencer across the world, no matter the danger, even if it means dying along the way. The line felt poetic at the time, a bold expression of devotion. Yet in hindsight, it reads as a prophecy fulfilled. By season 2, her promise comes true: their journey across oceans ends not in safety, but in separation and death.
The cruel hand of fate
Season 2 repeatedly tested Alexandra’s resilience. Separated from Spencer at sea, she endured an arduous trek filled with fear and uncertainty. Each step brought her closer to America and to the Dutton family — and yet fate had already chosen her path. That she dies shortly after achieving what she fought hardest for feels particularly cruel, like a punishment for daring to dream of happiness in Sheridan’s brutal frontier world.
Yet Alexandra’s final act elevates her tragedy into something more profound. In her last moments, she sacrifices herself to save her newborn child. In doing so, she embodies the strength and devotion that defined her journey all along. Her death is not meaningless; it becomes the ultimate expression of love and resilience. Spencer’s haunting words about feeling most alive during death echo here with chilling resonance. Alexandra finds peace knowing she gave life and safety to her child, even as her own ended.
Love transcending death
Though Alexandra’s earthly journey ends, Sheridan softens the blow with a moment of grace. The finale’s closing scene shows her reunited with Spencer in Heaven, the two slow dancing in the afterlife. It is a striking image — love triumphing even in death, and tragedy giving way to serenity. For viewers, it may not erase the heartbreak, but it offers a sliver of comfort, a recognition that some bonds are eternal.
Still, the impact lingers. Alexandra’s death reinforces Sheridan’s signature storytelling: no one is safe, no victory comes without cost, and the Dutton legacy is paved with sacrifice. For Spencer, it is another wound in a life already scarred by violence. For fans, it is a reminder that in this world, happiness is always fragile, and the only certainty is loss.
“1923” season 2 boasts a “Game of Thrones”-esque death toll, so witnessing tragedy strike in the finale probably didn’t shock any viewer who’s followed the series since its inception — or any other show in Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding “Yellowstone” franchise for that matter. Death, pain, and brutality have become the lifeblood of Sheridan’s storytelling, and…