Everything comes with a cost: 1923-Teonna
I just finished watching the final episode of 1923, and it left me with a heavy heart. There’s so much chaos and emotion tangled up in that season, but one scene hit me particularly hard—a moment that captured the profound defeat and heartbreak of Teonna. In that scene, the Indian sheriff gently places the reins on her horse and sends her toward California. As she’s about to ride off, he calls out, “You were right to fight back.” Teonna, carrying the weight of everything she’s endured and everything she’s done, responds, “Maybe, but it cost me everything.” The sheriff replies quietly, “Always does,” before she disappears into the distance.
Teonna is a complex and tragic figure in the show. She was forced into one of the government-run boarding schools typical of that era—institutions meant to assimilate Native American children. She’s been shaped by a lifetime of abuse and neglect—so much so that she reaches a breaking point. In her darkest moments, she takes extreme action against those who hurt her, even brutally killing several nuns who physically abused her.
To me, that brief moment was a quiet reminder of the heavy price that comes with standing up for yourself—especially when your fight is born from trauma, survival, and injustice.
You’ve heard the saying “pick your battles.” Teonna’s was extreme, no doubt—she didn’t just speak up, she fought back in the most literal, brutal sense, after being dehumanized and abused. Her response was shaped by the violence she endured. And while it might have felt like justice in the moment, it left behind a trail of loss, forcing her to abandon everything familiar.
It made me reflect on how the choices we make—especially in moments of deep pain—can change the entire course of our lives. Not all choices have neat outcomes. Some leave a mess behind, even when they come from a place of strength or righteousness.
Sometimes, doing what feels right costs us peace. And sometimes, peace costs us our voice. The challenge—and the wisdom—comes in knowing which one you can live without….
