Jennifer Carpenter became emblematic of Miami in the 2000s thanks to her role as Debra Morgan on Dexter, but now she’s headed for the Wild West in 1923 season 2. Deputy Marshall Mamie Fossett is introduced in direct opposition to the weak or corrupt sheriffs we met throughout season 1, and she quickly proves herself to be someone to takes pride in her job and in the protection of the indigenous people under her jurisdiction.

While she is first shown in connection to Teonna Rainwater’s (Aminah Nieves) disappearance from her assimilation school, fans are excited to see her run into Spencer Dutton as evidenced by the trailer for 1923 season 2. Their connection remains a mystery, however, as does the trajectory that will take Teonna back to Broken Rock Reservation – or at least somewhere near it – as that is where viewers eventually meet one of her descendants, Yellowstone’s Chief Thomas Rainwater.

ScreenRant interviewed Carpenter and Nieves about what to expect from their characters in 1923 season 2, and the actors shared a little insight into their mindsets. After seeing the abuses inflicted on Teonna by representatives of the Catholic church, it’s a relief to find her back with her father, Runs His Horse, and fellow Crow Nation member Pete Plenty Clouds. Meanwhile, Fossett is another breath of fresh air after all the hucksters meant to be in law enforcement that the show has previously introduced.

Jennifer Carpenter Dodges Details But Paints A Picture Of Spencer & Mamie’s Interactions In 1923 Season 2

“Taylor Sheridan Does An Extraordinary Job Of Building These Beautiful Planets”

Despite the trailer offering a glimpse at Spencer and Mamie’s first meeting, Carpenter was not forthcoming with too much information about her dynamic with the designated hero of the Dutton family. “I was just thinking you have the hardest job because we have to dodge questions all day,” she teased, before allowing some intriguing morsels to slip. “One thing that Taylor [Sheridan] does an extraordinary job of is building these beautiful planets with every character, and then sometimes their orbits intersect.”

You know who Spencer is, and you know what his legacy is… But I don't.

Her allusion to dramatic irony here is fodder for plenty of exciting speculation. As previously established, Spencer is the last hope for Cara and Jacob to hold onto their ranch, and he’s the man we as fans are betting on to continue the Dutton family legacy. But who is he to Mamie Fossett when she runs into him? “He's a man in the world, and we're all nobodies together.”

My first thought upon hearing that was that Fossett would serve as yet another roadblock on Spencer’s journey home, finding him a suspicious figure stuck in a sticky situation, but Carpenter also added that they, “start on a level playing field.” Perhaps they will instead become unlikely allies, especially if he helps her get things in order in her hometown first. Either way, Carpenter was firm on no spoilers. “I can't say where it goes from there.”

Aminah Nieves Also Offers An Update On Who Teonna Rainwater Becomes With Allies

“It's A Very Sweet Thing To See Teonna In This Light”

Teonna was all alone without allies for most of 1923 season 1, whether she was fighting back against Father Renaud and his evil nuns at the Catholic assimilation school, or pretending to be a boy while on the run. Hank Plenty Clouds tried to save her and died in the attempt, leaving her all alone once more until her father and Pete caught up to her. But how has this reunion – “The first time she has seen her dad in 5 or 6 years,” Nieves pointed out with great significance – changed who she is as a person?

For Teonna, it’s a stark contrast to the brutality of her recent experience. While under the cruel eye of Father Renaud’s assimilation school, “she was kind of stripped of everything,” the actor explained. “She was stripped of her culture, she was stripped of her ancestral food, which directly informs who she is as a woman.” It’s even a treat to hear her speak her own language, seeing as reprisals were physical and violent every time she spoke up in season 1.

“To be with her father, who is her main protector in this lifetime, and to relearn and who she is at her core is imperative,” Nieves shared. Of course, her father isn’t the only member of her family, and season 2 walks through the door of romantic possibility that was opened in season 1. Pete plays a pivotal role in Teonna’s story (Jeremy Guana was recast in the part after actor Cole Brings Plenty’s tragic ing), and Nieves spoke a little about what to expect.

[She’s] a 16-year-old girl who is still very much so deserving of the little awkwardness and a little bit of love and all the mushy things. I think it's a very sweet thing to see Teonna in this light.

Mamie Fossett Represents A New Rule Of Law In 1923 Season 2

“She Doesn’t Have A Side Agenda”

Carpenter gave a much clearer picture of who Deputy Marshall Mamie Fossett is, even suggesting additional backstory for her character. “I think that Mamie Fossett probably came to this territory to homestead, and that didn't work out,” the actor divulged. “Then she signed up for the most dangerous and deadly job that existed; to be a US Marshall.”

But what separates her from the other, shadier figures who run around in the name of the so-called law or some other higher authority is that “she is committed to the work and tethered to it in a really honest way.” That means that the bribes and other backroom deals that go in the West won’t necessarily work when trying to handle her. “I don't think that she's easily knocked off of her course or easily influenced in one way or another,” Carpenter added. “She doesn't have a side agenda where she could manipulate situations – or even would manipulate situations.”

One situation that could use a little manipulation, however, is Teonna’s freedom from the clutches of the Catholic church. She and her crew were headed to Wyoming at the end of season 1, but she has not gotten anywhere close at the start of season 2 – and her descendant is Thomas Rainwater, who is a well-known resident of Montana’s Broken Rock Reservation in the world of Yellowstone.

“You got a com?” Nieves joked when asked about the direction of Teonna’s journey. “How are we getting her there? I think we're just going to have to wait and see.” Unlike the seemingly eternal question of who John Dutton III’s grandparents are, however, Nieves was confident that Teonna “will get to where she needs to be,” whether it be in the middle of the season or at the end of the series.

Check out our other 1923 season 2 interviews here:

• Julia Schlaepfer (Alexandra Dutton)
• Darren Mann (Jack Dutton) & Michelle Randolph (Liz Strafford)
• Brian Geraghty (Zane Davis) & Sebastian Roché (Father Renaud)

1923 season 2 premieres February 23 on Paramount+, with new episodes dropping every Sunday.

Source: Screen Rant Plus