However, the villains hunting Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) are more horrifying than anything the Duttons face in Montana. In 1923 season 2, Teonna is on the run from Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) and Marshal Kent (Jamie McShane) after escaping an abusive boarding school in North Dakota.
While they haven’t encountered Teonna yet in season 2, the men have terrorized other Indigenous American groups trying to find her. Still, a conversation between the obsessed men in episode 2 paints a vital difference between the predators.
How 1923 Season 2, Episode 2, Sets Up The Father’s Redemption
Father Renaud Has A Chance To Recognize His Cruelty
Believe it or not, the discussion between Father Renaud and Marshal Kent opens the door for the former’s redemption. While Renaud and Kent rest in episode 2, a group of young Comanche warriors attack them. Renaud and Kent fight back, supported by the Marshal’s keen gunslinging skills.
However, Renaud is hesitant to use a weapon against their attackers, telling Kent that he is a man of God and implying that it isn’t righteous for him to kill. The comment was surprising, considering the Father beat one of his students to death in season 1.
Father Renaud notices the differences in ideals, giving him a chance to reflect.
In 1923 season 2, episode 2, a conversation between Renaud and Kent before the attack shows their essential differences. Renaud believes that if Indigenous Americans assimilate, they should be rewarded with equal rights.
The conversation reveals that Renaud doesn’t think much of race and focuses more on whether a group of people has accepted “their evolution.” On the other hand, Kent proves he is simply bigoted with his treatment of Mamie Fossett (Jennifer Carpenter) and the suggestion that he doesn’t think people like Teonna deserve citizenship. Father Renaud notices the differences in ideals, giving him a chance to reflect.
Father Renaud’s Entanglement With Teonna Rainwater Explained
Renaud’s Boarding School Mission Informs His Obsession
Father Renaud is the leader of the Catholic Church-run boarding school Teonna attended. In line with the authentic government- or church-operated “Indian” boarding schools at the time, Renaud’s mission is to assimilate his students into “civilized society.” The slogan of the most infamous of these boarding schools was: “Kill the Indian, save the man.”
The schools aimed to strip Indigenous American children of their culture to “save” them. Renaud is fixated on Teonna because he has dedicated himself to that mission, letting it prevent him from adhering to the mindset of love and acceptance that defines his religion.
The more time the priest spends with the Marshal, the more Father Renaud sees Kent’s bigoted ways. The difference between Renaud and Kent is that the Father genuinely believes he is doing the right thing.
Kent, on the other hand, has proven to be brazenly discriminatory and prejudiced, using religion to justify his actions and assume forgiveness. The events in 1923 season 2 could cause Renaud to reconsider his predetermined ideas, and he could redeem himself by letting Teonna go free, realizing that he, too, has been unjustly discriminatory and cruel.
