1883 Fans Are Divided Over That Major Character Death In Season 1 Episode 5

Contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 5 of "1883"

Fans of the Western drama "Yellowstone" did not take long to delve into the prequel spin-off series "1883" when it premiered at the end of 2021. Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ show tells the origin story of the Dutton family, centering around married duo James and Margaret Dutton, portrayed by real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. The family joins a wagon caravan to make the dangerous journey from Texas to Montana, encountering plenty of interesting characters and violent roadblocks along the way. Alongside McGraw and Hill, "1883" features a star-studded cast including Billy Bob Thornton, Sam Elliott, Isabel May, and more. 

The 10-episode season is only halfway through and it wasted no time getting to the drama. In the most recent episode, one unexpected death of a major character has fans split on the future of the show. And it has left some viewers wondering whether or not they have to say goodbye forever to a character that they were just getting to know so well. 

During Season 1, Episode 5 of "1883," fans were shocked when Ennis (Eric Nelsen), the lovable cowboy and trail guide, unexpectedly died. After stealing Elsa Dutton's (Isabel May) heart, Ennis was shot and killed by a bandit. Some fans on Reddit, like u/renkilljoy, are holding out hope that Ennis somehow survived a bullet to the chest, as Nelsen's character is listed for all 10 episodes of "1883" (via IMDb). However, other fans were ready to accept his fate. 

Redditor u/Booped_urnose345 guessed that "maybe flashbacks" will be used to feature Ennis in future scenes. Another viewer, u/LegallyBlonde_27, had some wild speculation for how Ennis could come back. "If Elsa has a child, Ennis's son, they'll need flashbacks of Ennis to tell him about his father. So yes, I would say there's hope for Ennis," they wrote. 

The supposedly shocking nature of the character's death also spurred some debate. User u/InterestingCareer20 believed that it was actually "so predictable" that Ennis died right after he fell in love with Elsa. "As soon as the episode started to focus on their intimacy I said aloud to my hubby 'yeh, he's gonna die soon,'" the fan wrote. 

Meanwhile, u/StarWarsButterSaber saw the death as one of the series' best moments so far. They argued, "I love the revenge shooting though. You saw her go from disbelief to absolute heartbreak to straight anger. She played those emotions so well you could feel it through the tv. One of if not the strongest scenes in the show so far in my opinion."