1883 Episode 10 Preview: Faith Hill Suggests 'Have a Lot of Kleenex and a Bucket of Ice Cream'

If you watched the last episode of 1883, you might be anxious for the finale. Last week's episode arrived at that moment fans have been dreading since the opening scene of episode one, when Elsa (Isabel May) woke up amidst an attack and shot a Lakota man in the head while he shot her with an arrow. Back then, that arrow didn't seem like such a big deal. Now, we know it's a very, very big deal. 

While Margaret (Faith Hill) and the cowboys found a peaceful moment to take the arrow out and cauterize the wounds with a hot iron, the truth appears to be that Elsa cannot survive her injury. The arrow, as James (Tim McGraw) pointed out, was filthy. It was going to get infected, and Elsa was going to die. James and Margaret decided not to tell their daughter her fate, but she's no dummy, and she immediately understood what was happening. And that's where Episode 9 left us, on the saddest note ever. 

You won't find any spoilers for the finale here, but you will find a warning courtesy of Faith Hill. "Hug your loved ones, and make sure you have a lot of Kleenex and a bucket of ice cream and you're wrapped in a blanket," she told TV Guide. "Maybe you're in bed?" Comfort items are needed, got it.  

When and Where to Watch the 1883 Finale

No one in the caravan is in great shape. Elsa isn't the only one who desperately needs a doctor, and supplies are dwindling. Oregon is feeling further and further away by the day, and we all know the Duttons end up in Montana anyway. Is there a destination in store in the finale, or is this journey ongoing? Either way, it's one hell of an hour. 

"My reaction was, 'My God. This is one of the best things I've ever read in my life,'" Hill said of her first time reading the finale script. "Isabel May, I mean this is going to change her life...I felt like we were gifted with something pretty extraordinary, to be honest." 

Hill and real-life husband Tim McGraw spent a lot of time reading the scripts to one another throughout the season, and Hill says that after Episode 8, she and McGraw were calling creator Taylor Sheridan "every 10 minutes" to find out when they would be getting the final two scripts. They then had trouble getting through them due to tears, so let that be an extra warning. 

Of course, not all of season one of 1883 was totally devastating. Hill got to spend Episode 6 giggling with her real-life friend Rita Wilson, who was playing a shopkeeper who offered Margaret some whiskey. And if you thought it looked like they were having the time of their lives as they made their way through the bottle, they really were. Here's what Hill had to say about that episode. 

"Taylor asked me what I thought about Rita playing that character, and I said, 'Are you serious?' We've been friends for so long. I would never ask her to do that. But right away I said, 'I just want to say though that our friendship began because of laughter, and every single time we're together, that's all we do. Obviously, it's deeper than that, but I just want you to know that it may take longer than normal to film because we can get out of hand.' And it was the best day ever. We had so much fun. We laughed so hard. Like the next day, I was aching. My god, to share that with a friend? It was really fun. I don't know how my husband kept a straight face. Maybe because he was a little jealous? I don't know!" 

Maybe that episode deserves a rewatch this weekend before the finale apparently destroys us? Just a suggestion! 

1883 Episode 10 will be released this Sunday on Paramount+.