Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton in ‘1923’ (left); Julia Schlaepfer as Alex in ‘1923’ (right). Photo:

Lo Smith/Paramount+/Paramount+

Warning: This story contains spoilers for 1923 season 2.

Things are coming to a head for the Duttons and the Rainwaters in 1923.

In the fifth episode of season 2, which premiered on March 23, Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) and Marshall Thomas (Jamie McShane) closed in on Teonnah (Aminah Nieves), Pete (Jeremy Guana) and her dad Runs His Horse (Michael Spears) after months of searching.

Meanwhile, Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) continued to face demons as she made the perilous train journey toward Montana, and Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) ran into trouble yet again — but seems to finally be close to home.

The episode saw the return of Jennifer Carpenter as Marshall Fossett, who stumbled upon a sleeping Spencer and found it more than a little suspicious that he was yet another person from Montana to stumble into her territory. (She’d previously met Father Renaud and Marshall Thomas, who’d informed her of their cross-country search for Teonnah.)

With her suspicions raised, she brought Spencer into a local marshall’s office, where she got in touch with Sheriff McDowell (Robert Patrick) in Bozeman, who confirmed Spencer’s identity — and his status as a war hero — relieving Fossett’s stress.

She then sent Spencer on his way, but not before he asked McDowell to relay a message to Cara (Helen Mirren) and let her know he was on his way home.

Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton in ‘1923’ season 2. Paramount+

While Spencer finally boarded a train to head west, his wife Alex continued to face some truly perilous challenges on her own quest to get to Montana. After coming to the harsh realization that she hadn’t bought a train ticket with meal service, she picked up work as a waitress in the meal car, but was quickly victim to an unwanted sexual advance by a passenger she was serving.

The next day, the same passenger took things even further and sexually assaulted her while she poured his coffee — prompting her to give him a full-on beating with the coffee pot, rendering him bloodied and nearly unconscious.

It was only because a British couple she’d also served — and impressed with her European political knowledge — was sitting nearby and witnessed the assault that Alex managed to elude an arrest once the train reached Chicago.

After the couple vouched for her and insisted she was, in fact, the victim in the situation, the male passenger, who’d alleged he was in a relationship with Alex to the police, was arrested instead. The couple then invited Alex, whose train had been canceled due to snow, to come home with them to a Chicago suburb for the night.

Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra in ‘1923’ season 2. Lo Smith/Paramount+.

It was a rare win for Alex, who has been the victim of more than her fair share of violations since she began her solo journey to reunite with her husband.

It was what Schlaepfer knew was coming, though, as she told PEOPLE creator Taylor Sheridan had warned her, “I’m kind of going to drag you through hell a little bit.“

Sebastian Roche as Father Renauld and Jamie McShane as Marshall Thomas in ‘1923’ season 2. Lauren Smith/Paramount+

Teonnah has similarly been dragged through hell all series long, and the episode ended with the fate of her lover, Pete — who was recast for season 2 following the death of Cole Brings Plenty, who played Pete in season 1 — hanging in the balance.

Renaud’s months-long search for Teonnah came to a head as he and the marshall came across Pete, who had separated from Teonnah and her father to find water, in the desert, which prompted an all-out chase.

Jeremy Guana as Pete Plenty Clouds and Aminah Nieves as Teonna in ‘1923’ season 2. Lauren Smith/Paramount+

The episode ended with a major cliffhanger as both Pete and the marshall took out their guns, aimed at each other and fired — but the screen went black before revealing who made it out alive.

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New episodes of 1923 season 2 premiere Sundays on Paramount+.